Stabilizing your tripods in a high angle rescue situation

Tripods or quad pods are inherently unstable when used in most rescue situations, unless the load is directly beneath the anchorage points, they will have a tendency to topple over. I insist that all are properly-stabilized and secured down. The natural choice of tool for this task would be ratchet straps, in their small sizes 1”/25 mm, they are invaluable.
Caution should be exercised; the aim should be to eliminate undesirable movement, not to over-tighten the straps, as this would place an undesirable load on the legs. Where possible keep the straps in line with the legs and try to locate low anchorage points.
Ratchet straps can also be used between the legs to limit movement; a good tri/quad pod would have a leg locking mechanism. Early equipment relied upon chains to restrict any splaying of the legs and substituting ratchet straps for the chains can save weight, especially if carrying the equipment to remote areas of operation.
Attaching a pulley to the base of a tri/quad pod leg, to create a deviation will require the leg to be stabilised by anchoring in the opposite direction to the proposed pull, a ratchet strap will manage this task and is simple to establish.
AHD (Artificial High Directionals) devices such as the Arizona Vortex, Larkin Frame or Oz Pod are different in their construction and application. All need securing to prevent undesirable movement and again ratchet straps can make the task a lot easier.
Tri/Quad pods can also be used in an ‘A-frame’ configuration, depending on the individual design, either by removing the trailing legs or by allowing them or it, to swing into a neutral position.
It must always be confirmed with the manufacturer that using a Tri/Quad pod in this way is within the designed load limits and the manufacture should always be contacted if there are any doubts.
Some conclusions
‘A-frames’ are inherently stable in their lateral movement, but when tilting the A-frame beyond the vertical (such as going over a cliff edge), I always secure the head back with ratchet straps preset at my maximum desired forward angle and anchored in line and behind the base of the legs.
The head is also attached to a simple 3:1 hauling system which can then be used to tilt out or haul back the ‘A-Frame’.
In conclusion, ratchet straps have many uses in rope rescue by nature of the problems regularly faced by rope rescue teams. Through innovation and adaptability the application of these devices will prove to be very beneficial, time saving and foolproof to establish. Remember to keep to the rules and that the parts of any rigging system are only as secure as its anchor.