CaverInfo

A cave explorer stuck behind a half-syphone which closed by rising water in Scialet des Chuats, France, Drôme, at the depth of -250m. The rescue lasted for around two days, between 23 and 25 of October. The action involved 54 members of SSF (Spéléo-secours Français), the franch cave rescue. Also cave divers supported the rescue.  Another rescure team, “SDIS26″ who are not relevant regarding caves, appeared on the spot. The SDIS26 filed two complaints against the rescued one, “for risking the life of the rescuers” ?!?!.

Press release of the French Federation of Speleology (FFS)

The French Federation of Speleology can not accept:

• Questioning the competence and knowledge of the underground environment of its members and more so when they make their contribution to scientific knowledge in an environment that has multiple interests in the community (land structure , prehistory, movement of groundwater, knowledge of the cave fauna, study of pollution and contamination from the surface …). Such was the goal of explorers into the abyss of Chuat for this newly discovered cavity allowed a collection of scientific information unique and innovative in terms of knowledge of the underground area of the Vercors.
• The alleged ignorance of people complained when they had not only ensured compliance with all rules and preventive care necessary to practice safe but also to carefully organize the expedition. This was over a month that a camp had been established in this cavity in the light of this expedition and several prior releases had enabled the team to know the water level of the cavity exceptionally low in this period.An order restricting water on this county reflected, since July 2009, water levels particularly low in this sector.Finally, the weather made prior to this expedition for the week indicated many waterfalls, but not suggesting any major risk in the light of all factors taken into consideration in making this Release, and incommensurate with one actually recorded this weekend.

It can also endorse:

• The attack publicly a victim in a rescue operation because it is a violation of ethics rescuers whose only concern should be able to focus on safeguarding the person without interfering come any notion liability rescued.

• Questioning the progress of the relief operation led by the French Caving Rescue (special committee of the French Federation of Speleology) under the direction of the requesting authority has validated the various phases including the design teams . The 54 rescuers from the SSF were mobilized not only necessary to achieve the various tasks of the operation but they were also the only ones to possess the skills required to intervene in such a cavity, none of the personal SDIS 26 are relevant in this domain. They have also been mobilized in a shortest time possible between Friday evening and Saturday night through Sunday.
• The announcement of a prohibitive cost of the operation while the 30 000 to 40 000 euros announced the part corresponding to the intervention of 54 rescuers from French Caving Rescue this operation amounts to € 11 770, a cost of only € 218 per SSF rescuers involved (travel costs, loss of equipment, consumables used and hourly compensation during the time of operation included).

The French Federation of Speleology regrets that this relief operation, which was a complete success in technical and human, has been the pretext for a new challenge to free relief but clearly reaffirmed in the Act modernization of the civil security August 13, 2004.