There are many knots used by the fire service and various NFPA guidelines on firefighter ability, including the NFPA 1001 skill sheet and NFPA 1983: Standard on Life Safety Rope and Equipment for Emergency Services.
NFPA 1001 requires firefighters to be able to tie each of these seven knots operating on a simulated fireground:
- Bowline knot
- Clove hitch
- Figure of 8 on a bight
- Half hitch
- Becket/sheet bend
- Overhand safety knot
- Water knot
NFPA 1983 specifies requirements for life safety rope and associated equipment used to support emergency services personnel and civilians during rescue, firefighting or other emergency operations, or during training. The NFPA standard specifies minimum design, performance, testing and certification requirements for life safety rope, escape rope, water rescue throwlines, life safety harnesses, belts, victim extrication devices, litters, escape webbing, escape systems and auxiliary equipment for emergency services personnel.
It’s important to learn how to tie knots, as they often come in handy on the fireground. When in doubt, you can always grab a piece of rope and try to practice in your downtime.
Here’s a quick quiz provided by our online training partner FireEMS Academy to test your knowledge on ropes and knots. As always, be sure to follow your department’s SOGs on their use.
How did you do? Make sure to share your results and challenge your colleagues to match or beat your score.