Rescue Knives What Are They? & Learn about the Mentality of the Kidnapper?
Firstly, let's define "rescue"
If we define "a rescue" in its simplest form, one could say "it is being removed from a potentially perilous situation and or a perilous/emergency situation to an environment of safety and or security."
When we think of rescue, we might immediately think of someone being rescued by others. Those "others" being some sort of rescue organisation, police and/or fire brigade etc.
These 'rescuers" may be paid or may be voluntary. For example: a helicopter rescue team, retrieving stranded mountaineers; or rescuers involved in a flood or earthquake disaster looking for survivors.
Rescuers could also be looking for missing persons from an overdue hiking trip and thus be a group of experienced volunteers for the job at hand.
A hiker clearly prepared: water (note hydration tube), sturdy mountain boots, walking stick, thermal clothing (layers), pack with food and jacket, sunglasses, medium sized fixed blade knife, headlamp, waterproof watches one with altimeter and barometer. Carrying coms (professional walkie talkie).This could be a typical rescuer with all of their "tools".
Perilous Situations
For example: a "perilous situation" would necessitate rapid if not immediate action from the rescuers. Such a scenario (but of course not limited to) might be for those buried under the rubble of a collapsed building, either due to a natural set of disasters or that caused primarily by man such as acts of war or those as a result of human error, for example but not limited to, accidents arising out of negligence (for example mining accidents).
What Tools are available to the Rescuer?
In all of the above situations, there will be, under favourable conditions certain tools available to the rescuers, such as shovels and pry bars for those looking for buried people and possibly even large earth moving equipment. These "tools" need not be complicated or expensive, they might simply be reliable lighting systems and walkie talkies to elaborate communication systems for mine rescues such as thermal cameras and super sensitive audio listening devices.
In fact there is no limit to what tools could be used in order to extricate those that need to be rescued. Given enough time and or money, these tools can be vast and often specialised in nature; for example electronic devices to detect life buried under rubble, trained dogs etc.
However, the primary tool of the rescuers, is his or her brain and keeping a cool head regardless of the situation during an operation. Speaking of "cool heads" so too do those awaiting rescue it at all possible need to keep calm.
What about the other type of rescue and that is "Self Rescue".
Let's discuss.
Self rescue may be necessary when either a rescue party is not coming (or simply cannot come-maybe because there is no communication) and or cannot get to those requiring help in a timely manner. That time will be dependent upon the general condition of any one party member (if more than one) that is requiring to be rescued and or prevailing weather/site safety conditions. For example: medical emergencies, the most dire situations and one can not wait if help isn't coming.
"Any tool which can allow egress from a situation could be construed as a rescue tool"*.
Like the rescuers, those which may have to extricate themselves from such serious situations could also be aided by certain "tools". For example: it would be fortuitous to have a boat in a flood situation. The climber having to deal with a fallen injured partner high up on the cliff face must also be in possession of a cool mind and be able to use his or her "tools"- the climbing gear they have at hand with them.
Self rescue could take many forms and the efficiency will also depend upon many factors, such as but not limited to: The overall physical capabilities of those at hand to initiate the rescue and or even aid the efforts of the rescuers. In order to perform a self rescue, assuming those
For any self rescue to work those who are performing it must be experienced party members and or individuals. For example it is often better to remain near a stranded vehicle rather than attempt to leave the site, for a vehicle is more easily spotted by rescuers and provides some sort of shelter. it is foolish to wander off, if you have no idea of what you are doing.
Efficiency of a self rescue will also depend upon what "tools" they have available to them in order to make it happen. Such tools could be as simple as a heavy sharp object to smash a vehicle side window*** in order to escape from a damaged vehicle if the doors can not be opened by hand.
Whatever tools are used by those who have to perform a self rescue, they should be simple and easy to use and not require specialist training. The "rescue knife" is one such tool or the "life hammer" for smashing windows (as seen above). The latter being commonly seen installed in trains and buses-so being aware of the placement of such tools if such a situation arises, so as to waste as little time as possible..
What is a rescue knife?
Generally speaking a "rescue knife" will at its very least possess a serrated blade and or a partially serrated blade and the capacity to break glass. The idea behind this, is that serrations will cut ropes and other plastic based restraining materials far quicker than a plain edge. (See below). This is a physical fact and has nothing to do with marketing. The said blade usually does not possess a "spiky or pointed tip" and the reason here is to reduce the potential for accidental injury to anyone who is in close proximity to the working knife other than the wielder of that knife.
The tip should also be blunt in order not to accidentally pierce the air containing bodies of a life raft and worsen the situation.
Such knives can take the form of a folding knife,
The above image is not a great example due to the fact that the blade is pointed and there is an inclusion of a bottle top opener, hardly a tool to rescue someone but more of a "working tool" for rope access workers. None the less there is an aggressive serrated edge for the rapid cutting of ropes and also a glass breaker and the knife can be readily attached to the user via the large hole at the end. This would constitute a tool for the experienced user.
which can be opened with one hand (great if the other is incapacitated). Usually but not always, those knives are very bright in colour such as day glow type fluorescent coloration so that they are easily seen and identified even by those who have never laid eyes on a knife before.
Shown below is a better example which also includes a replaceable seat belt cutter blade which has been desinged in such a way as not to cause harm to either the rescuer or to those being rescued.
Image courtesy of FKMD Italy
Are there fixed bladed knives used as Rescue knives?
Moving up a step, a rescue knife may also take the form of a small to medium sized fixed blade knife, whose blade tip is also blunt and which also possesses blade serrations and the capacity to smash glass windows (for urban rescue scenarios) .
Image courtesy of FKMD Italy
With such a knife, a fixed blade can be made robust enough to function as an emergency "pry bar". We all know how handy a pry bar can be and they allow us to gain access or egress without a "key" in some cases.
Sure, there are specialist breaching tools but these tools are usually large and are not as a general rule carried as EDC and would not generally be available to those who need to perform a self rescue.
A more aggressive looking military styled rescue type fixed blade.
Here's another example of a more civilian orientated rescue too, saw back, partially serrated edge, pry bar end and line cutter with a glow in the dark handle.
The reason these fixed bladed rescue knives are kept relatively small is also due to the fact that a self rescue may require movement within a volume of space which is limited to close proximity to that of the user of such a tool. Also having a smaller type tool there is more chance that such a tool will be easily carried upon the body and thus always be close at hand.
When is such a Rescue knife is NOT highly coloured?
It is when it may be intended for a covert rescue where it would not be advantageous to be flashing around a bright shiny piece of steel or fluorescent colours. Those scenarios could be many.
Other types of rescue.
You may be wondering, why so far I have addressed only rescue scenarios of the natural disaster and probably only involving civilians. What are the other types of rescue situations?
Where the person or persons need to be rescued are being held against their will. They may be closely physically restrained such as the use of bindings and or held captive within structures of numerous forms. They also may be held captive via fear of death via captors possessing weapons and or acts of violence.
Real experiences:
Despite myself and a friend being "held captive" by those with weapons, albeit for a very short period of time, this situation resolved itself and there was no necessity for either self rescue or to be rescued. I'd say we were very lucky! If you want to read about this "travel experience" then please check this out.
I won't talk about military rescue operations, where military personnel either require rescue or are involved in a rescue. Of course, often, if the natural disaster is large enough, the military are often involved in such civilian rescue operations eg hurricane/typhoon/earthquake situations/damage etc.
Kidnapped? Hostage?
Despite once being held hostage, I'm not going to write about such situations regarding rescuing someone from those held against their will as I have no experience with this. What I will say is based upon personal experience is that these situations are very dynamic and can be fraught with unpredictability, especially if you are not speaking the same language as your captors and hence have zero comprehension of their motives, as there are distinct differences between those taken hostage from a geopolitical political standpoint to those taken hostage as a result of a kidnappings. The latter taking many forms and if interested I would recommend reading the following publication:
Psychology of Kidnapping (see reference below).
Practicum Psychologia 6, 104-120
©The Author(s) 2016
http://unizikpsychologia.org/
ISSN: 2006-6640
Get a grip!
All rescue knives should possess excellent handle grip without the use of gloves. Both the folding knife and the fixed blade should also possess some feature which allows the breaking of glass and or laminated glass. In fact one such folding tool is able to cut through laminated automobile windshields with the use of a replaceable saw .(see below).
All rescue knives should be able to be tethered so as to prevent accidental loss if working from height or over any drop where the tool, if lost/dropped, may cause further injury or impede the rescue at hand.
This means at the very least the presence of a lanyard hole (see below). It could also be possible to lower a rescue knife to someone who needs to free themselves but does not have a knife. The scenarios are many but suffice it to say if one had to lower a knife, better to attach it to a lanyard hole rather than drop it upon those who are in need of it.
Other features such as the ability to: cut through hardened (fencing or barbed) wire and or saw through/weaken man made materials such as plastic sheeting, thin metal, wood, laminated materials, to mention but several, are a bonus if it is possible to incorporate these features into a knife without unnecessary bulk.
Generally speaking, these latter features, some of them, can be found on a fixed blade rescue knife such as shown below.
As an example of a fixed blade knife which could serve as a "rescue type knife" I will discuss and demonstrate the use of the following knife:
The ERK-01 (The Emergency Rescue Knife-01) manufactured by Halfbreed Blades Australia.
Full lifetime warranty with this model from Halfbreed Blades Australia.
Dig that cool magnetic catch presentation box. The box also included (not shown), numerous stickers, a velcro morale patch, some marketing/catalogue material, a card detailing the knife's specifications and of course the warranty card (shown above) stating the year of manufacture.
The knife comes with a Kydex sheath and a belt carry clip similar to a Tek lok design. There is no Pals adapters/Malice straps supplied and I believe the reason being is that one must have by definition this ERK strapped to themselves and not a pack, lose the pack and lose the knife! After all an "emergency" can occur at a moments notice if no notice at all.
The Halfbreed Blades ERK-01 isn't a very big knife, as they say "hand shown for comparison".
The following is a quotation from some marketing material
"....designed for extreme applications, excelling particularly as a pry tool."
Now Let's See If This is True.
At first glance such a tool has a definite cross over into the realms of what the general public may conceive as a "Survival knife".
My Halfbreed Blades ERK-01 TOPO (that's a mouthful!) Used not 10 minutes before the photo was shot to take these wild edible mushrooms from the field by cutting them off at ground level (yes partially in the dirt). This Emergency Rescue Knife, is of course also a field knife and a field knife should boast multi-roles. If you are on the move then you will need "feeding" from whatever you can procure.
This same company manufactures what they call a survival knife, albeit with a similar design and somewhat larger, longer and thicker build-plus a regular drop point or tanto tip (not shown).
However, the ERK-01 knife at second glance does not look like a typical weapon or knife as there is no pointed business end. It does however look like a beast of a knife/tool hybrid instead, and feels extremely strong (it weighs 382gm/13.5Oz.). Clearly it has been overbuilt for extreme durability in the field.
This certainly looks like a saw tooth pattern which will definitely cut.
........and it does indeed. It simply ripped into American oak (about one month fallen-so NOT seasoned but not soft nor rotten).
Here we ripped into a much larger part of the tree, in fact the main trunk, which had previously been cut with a chainsaw. The depth of cutting is only limited by one's hand and arm strength plus brute stamina.
Notice that this model has a "Topographic" motif applied to the blade. Now I couldn't help the following "cheesy image"!- You're saying "but sure, it ain't a topo map though!"
Off to Mozambique!
Certainly this knife with a blunt front end and can act as a small pry bar capable of levering tasks which might surpass those of a knife of similar build but without a blunt tip and or similar front end tip geometry.
We tried as hard as we could to bust up this 1 month fallen American Oak and tried to destroy the knife. It wasn't possible to exert such forces with the bare hands, even with my death dealing Pangai noon/judo grip (LOL), was maxed out by such a task- just holding the knife without any mechanical aids-eg a water pipe shoved over the handle of the knife!
Of course there is NO tip to break anyway!
The geometry/design of this tool.
There are alternating serrations of 1 deep concave followed by 2 shallow concave cutting surfaces. This arrangement makes for the more rapid cutting of fibrous materials, such as webbings and ropes.
The other prominent feature of this ERK-01 is the saw back. Now I know many of you who have read this far will now be groaning when you read those words: "saw back". So I have discussed this type of knife at great length over the years. As there are saw designs which work and those which simply do not work.
Saw back knives were never designed to replace conventional saws and as such have many drawbacks however, it is not realistic to try and compare what such a saw can cut to that of a proper bush saw or metal saw.
The point of the saw is NOT to replace a proper saw design for the task but to provide a tool which can weaken objects then render them more accessible to breaking and or notch materials allowing efficient binding by ropes or cords and thus preventing slippage of those ropes or cords. This type of "saw back" is of course always going to be a compromise however, having some sort of functional saw is better than not having one at all in my personal opinion.
The basic saw geometry of this knife
Alternating saw teeth are beveled by less than 60º to the perpendicular of the blade. The teeth are offset. Very vicious! BTW there is a great optical illusion in the above picture. Can you see it?Some basic saw geek stats that I measured:
The saw features a gullet of approx 6mm, the teeth bevels alternate and are at approximately 53º and the hook angle is large, around 60º this is basically a "rip saw". The gullet or space between teeth is big to enable a lot of material to be removed. The kerf is of course as wide as the spine (6.6mm I measured)- their literature sates 6.5mm. Therefore notching with this saw will easily accommodate up to a 6mm static cord.
How about any possible significance of the following:?
Since the ERK-01 is aimed at the military, is this a coincidence that one of the lanyard hole's diameter is 5.8mm? 5.8mm is a "newer" caliber to possibly replace the aged 7.62mm. it is known that some manufacturers place such holes for the purpose of bullet removal so as to use the cartridge contents for "other purposes".
You can work it out for your self the significance of such a diameter hole and what it could be possibly used for****.
What else can this saw be used for?
Striking a fire steel-the edges are acute as you can get!
Cutting monofilament line (dragging mono filament line across the teeth, will sever the line).
Can the ERK-01 function as a Pry bar?
YES!
Sure I busted off a rock with it LOL
Remembering: All responsible knife users know that knives are NOT pry bars.
Or are they? The concept is not new, and for a great many years the "Ab pryer" has been the tool of choice for the abalone diver world wide.
For those of you who are not familiar with this tool, I will now describe it (an example as seen above).
The "Ab pryer" as it is affectionately known amongst Australia abalone divers is essentially a modified dive knife of which the tip terminates in a blunt flat end basically the width of the blade and one side of the blade maybe covered in serrations in order to cut ropes and other such cordages underwater; there may be a line cutting notch also included. The blade thickness is generally considerably thicker than an equivalent sized diving knife. The idea here being that this tool is used primarily as a pry bar in order to remove these succulent molluscs from their resting places, ie rocks. Abalone have the capacity to stick to the surfaces upon which they are grazing with what seems immense strength for which no ordinary diver possesses in his or her fingers alone but with an Ab pryer these simple molluscs can not resist the Archimedes principle.
So this blunt tip of the Halfbreed Blades ERK-01 not only reminded me about using an Ab pryer but also reminded me of prying apart the dry husks** of older coconuts in order to obtain fresh water to drink in the absence of any green coconuts.
So what we have here in terms of the ERK-01 is really a modified Ab pryer/dive knife! Albeit not made from a stainless steel and lacking a line cutter. Over 40 years ago, I couldn't figure out why outdoor knife manufacturers were not making knives like those used by divers.
After all, dive knives are tough as hell, they need to resist abrasive forces on their edges, carry serrations and a line cutting notch; surely these types of designs would make for a great utility knife?
In fact this is exactly what a dive knife must function as, a knife which can be used to extricate oneself from entanglement in fishing lines (I've had to do it on one occasion) and or nets, be strong enough to lever open a door accidentally closed on a shipwreck dive etc. Defend against a shark attack (I'm just joking here with that latter remark!).
A dive knife is NOT an accessory but a necessary piece of tactical diving equipment. As an experienced SCUBA diver, I can say, those who dive without them are foolish.
A note about serrations:
You can choose to love them or hate them but these are simply personal opinions and as such have no bearing upon the physics and reality of the functionality, call it tactical if you like, of the serrated edge. Serrated edges if designed properly will cut ropes and other fibrous materials far quicker than ANY straight edge. They will also stay sharper longer all things being equal-this is a fact. So if one wants a "tactical knife" rescue or otherwise then it MUST have on it somewhere a serrated portion of the blade if not the entire blade.
In Summary
So now that we have seen that the Halfbreed blades ERK-01 is really a modified Ab pryer (ok I'm joking here), it's functionality as a rescue tool should be obvious, either above or below the water.
Having a mini pry bar to access partially rotten wood to extricate grubs for either human consumption and or bait for fishing is also a great idea.
Now I've always stated that any knife of any value must have a good tip, for gutting, piercing etc. however, is there an exception to this "rule"? I mean how many times have we been about to pry something with our knife and thought, hold on, no way. I'll break the tip!
True rescue tools that cut in some way should have a blunt tip if they are intended to rescue a living person.
I do not believe the ERK-01 can not be used safely for cutting people out of stuck seat belts, well not as safely as a tools whose knife edge has been specifically rounded/curved for such applications. No, the ERK-01 IMHO is a cross between an emergency rescue tool and that of a survival/dive knife.
Certainly, I don't believe I'd be too upset if this was the only tool I could grab before being stranded upon a deserted island or I only had this to remove a train window in an emergency situation. Or indeed volunteer for a search and rescue operation.
Now we have a knife for which levering isn't going to be a problem because there is NO tip to break.
How can the saw of the Halfbreed Blades ERK-01 knife be used and what could it be used for?
Notching timber to secure cordage in order to build a robust shelter whilst awaiting rescue. eg teepee. or to further secure logs in making a raft.
Cutting through plastic sheet or thin ridgid plastic materials such a plastic drums etc.
Cutting through ice in order to melt for water supply.
Levering and breaking metal connectors
Opening canned food.
Bending wire, making "other tools" via the "lanyard holes"
Mono filament Line cutting capability-already mentioned above.
As a Pry Bar
Due to the larger physical size a fixed blade rescue knife may feature an emergency pry bar function, ie in its simplest form, a thick spine so as to resist strong bending forces.
The pry bar could be of value to open tins of food, break apart pallets washed ashore in order to make shelters and or as a source of fire wood. The pry bar can save the regular knife from abusive damage. Essentially, the pry bar's usage is limited only by one's imagination.
The cross over between Self Rescue and a Survival Knife
Self rescue could be also defined as a "temporary state of Survival" and or incorporate the skills of those who practice SERE; is Survival Evasion Resistance Escape. The "Escape" being the self rescue. In this case the knife should possess all of the features of a larger tool which would be good if it was on hand but obviously not! This means a cutting edge which can be easily maintain by inexperienced users (such as all straight edges)
Easy peasy to keep sharp!
and the chosen steel for such a knife, that of a tough tool steel, designed for industrial applications requiring good toughness and edge retention.
What steel is Halfbreed Blades getting their ERK-01 made from?
It is generally accepted that said alloy would be similar to if not a D2 formulation; a proven steel for harsh industrial applications and for which it's transition into the outdoors knife world has been generally accepted as a "good steel".
It is a fallacy to believe that an all stainless steel knife is better or necessary in a marine survival/rescue situation. No one in their right mind is going to be concerned with a slightly rusty blade if they are trying to rescue themselves and or survive awaiting rescue. Hence a D2 alloy with a Cr % around 11-13% is more than adequate. For example Böhler's K110 which contains around 12% Chromium is an excellent choice for such a knife.
What defines the word "Emergency"
Could be defined as the following:
"An unexpected event which posses a risk of death or injury, which must be attended to immediately in order to lessen or remove that risk".
So to name, for example a knife, the ERK-01, which stands for Emergency Rescue Knife, this implies the user will have this tool at hand at all times for that "unexpected event". Whether that user will be in need of rescue, ie a self rescue or a rescuer, is totally dependent upon the individual scenario/s.
For any knife to be of use, it must be "at hand" not 10km away in the kitchen drawer or garden shed. It must be in reach. Do we go around expecting "unexpected events"? No we generally don't however, certain occupations have a greater risk of an unexpected event occurring; such as a soldier might encounter or even a rescuer already attending to a situation, an unforeseen event may arise which dictates a change of plan.
An unexpected event may be that a soldier (or even civilian contractors) have found themselves within a mine field and they must extricate themselves with the tools they have upon them.
Some time back, a friend was employed as a civilian contractor in certain regions of Vietnam where unexploded mines were present. They were all given training in mine identification and told how to use a screwdriver as a mine probe if need be. They were of course not trained in how to deactivate the mines. It was therefore mandatory for them to carry a flat bladed screw driver at all times especially if they were to wander from known cleared areas. I know that often they did NOT carry a long bladed screw driver!
The ERK-01 from Halfbreed Blades has in fact a blunt end resembling a wide flat head screw driver, which could be used as a makeshift pry bar. As for a mine probe, it would have to be in a pinch as some mines are in fact detonated via a change in magnetic field.
Where might a pry bar be used in an emergency and or rescue situation? It could be as simply as opening a can of food or removing the lid from a drum of fuel to access it. If these resources were of use to alleviate a rescue situation and or emergency then this use would be relevant. It maybe to lever a rock jamming someone's hand or foot. Who cares if you scrape up the knife if you save someone or yourself?
Ok enough said!
Please check out the videos on my channel
@BushCampingTools
* I said this LOL!
**Indonesian adventure see my blog
*** assuming the side vehicle windows are not made from laminated glass or polycarbonate.
****The Halfbreed Blades knife is expertly manufactured in Taiwan, now you maybe see the significance of such a hole diameter and the place of manufacture.
*****The HalfbreedBlades knife has been manufactured using American Kydex and G10 composite along with Austrian sourced Böhler K110 D2 alloy formulation.
Further reading
Learn more about Böhler K110 here!
See Halfbreed blades literature here!
