Rope Rescue: How to rig the Munter-hitch belay, by Tom Briggs, author of the "Vertical Academy"

Source: This article was Adapted from Vertical Academy, by Tom Briggs, Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with expressed written permission.

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Tom Briggs is a fire service veteran of over 33 years and author of Vertical Academy, a vocational rope rescue textbook.

Before retiring as a Captain in 2008, he was assigned to the Special Operations Division at Metro Fire Sacramento, California as the Rescue Services Manager.

He was also a Rescue Team Leader for FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Taskforce 7.

An instructor for the State of California and Rescue 3 International, Tom coordinated and taught many training courses specializing in the rope, trench, confined space, and water rescue disciplines to scores of agencies, often alongside many well-known rescue training luminaries.

The National Association of Search and Rescue (NASAR) recognized Tom’s training contributions in 1996 with the Higgins Langley Award.