Knots
One knot a month, all 12 of them, and what each one is for on the fireground.
Study material, not medical direction. This is reference material for candidates in training. On a real call, work to your service's protocols, your medical director's orders, and the certification you hold, not to anything you read here.
Knot of the month
September 2026Pile Hitch
Attaching to a post or bollard in one motion using a bight, when both rope ends are already committed elsewhere.
A bight passed around the post, brought up past the standing parts, and dropped over the top of the post.
Watch out: It holds by trapping itself against the post and lifts straight off the moment the top is clear, so it needs a post that stands proud of the hitch.
Step-by-step instructions for the Pile Hitch(external link, opens in a new tab)Every month has its own knot, so this changes on the first with nobody editing anything. The whole year is below.
Every "how to tie" link below goes to an external site and opens in a new tab.
JanuaryBowline
LoopThe fixed loop for hoisting tools and for a rescue loop that will not tighten around what it holds.
A loop that holds its size under load and unties again after being loaded.
Watch out: It can shake loose when it is not under steady load, so finish it with a stopper knot in the tail.
How to tie the Bowline(external link, opens in a new tab)Source: Animated Knots by Grog
FebruaryFigure Eight on a Bight
LoopThe life-safety loop: anchoring, tying in, and any attachment somebody will hang from.
A figure eight tied with a doubled section of rope, leaving a loop at the end.
Watch out: It is easy to check at a glance, which is the point. Dress it flat and confirm the strands run parallel before it takes weight.
How to tie the Figure Eight on a Bight(external link, opens in a new tab)Source: YouTube
MarchFigure Eight Follow-Through
LoopThe same life-safety loop tied directly around an anchor you cannot drop a closed loop over - a beam, a rail, a harness tie-in.
A loose figure eight in the standing part, then the tail taken around the anchor and retraced back through the knot in reverse.
Watch out: It is only correct when both strands run parallel the whole way through. A crossed strand is the usual failure and it is visible, so trace it end to end before it takes weight.
How to tie the Figure Eight Follow-Through(external link, opens in a new tab)Source: Animated Knots by Grog
AprilSheet Bend
BendJoining two ropes of unequal diameter, which is how a working line gets extended when the only rope to hand does not match.
A bight in the thicker rope, with the thinner rope passed up through it, around the back and tucked under its own standing part.
Watch out: It works loose when the load comes off. Use the doubled version on a real difference in size, and never on a life-safety load.
How to tie the Sheet Bend(external link, opens in a new tab)Source: Animated Knots by Grog
MayAlpine Butterfly Loop
LoopA fixed loop in the MIDDLE of a rope - a mid-line attachment point, or isolating a damaged section so the rope stays in service.
Two twists put into a bight, then the top of the bight brought down and back out through the twists.
Watch out: It is the loop that takes a pull from all three directions without collapsing, but only if it is dressed flat. A badly dressed butterfly looks close enough and is not.
How to tie the Alpine Butterfly Loop(external link, opens in a new tab)Source: Animated Knots by Grog
JuneClove Hitch (end of rope)
HitchThe fast attachment for hoisting a pike pole, ladder or hose line to a post or rung when you have a free rope end to work with.
Two turns around the object, each crossing over the standing part, tightened against itself.
Watch out: It slips under a changing load and can bind under a heavy one. Never use it alone on a life-safety load; back it up with two half hitches.
How to tie the Clove Hitch (end of rope)(external link, opens in a new tab)Source: Animated Knots by Grog
JulyClove Hitch (mid rope)
HitchThe same hitch when neither end of the rope is free - made in the standing part and dropped over the top of a post or rung.
Two loops formed in the standing part, the second laid over the first, and both dropped over the object together.
Watch out: Only works on something with a free top to drop it over, and it slips under a changing load exactly like the end-of-rope version. Back it up.
How to tie the Clove Hitch (mid rope)(external link, opens in a new tab)Source: Animated Knots by Grog
AugustCleat Hitch
HitchSecuring a line to a cleat so it holds under tension and still comes off fast - apparatus hardware, halyards, and the ladder halyard in particular.
A full turn around the base of the cleat, then figure-eight turns across the horns, finished with one locking hitch.
Watch out: One locking hitch, not several. Extra turns jam under load, and the whole reason to use a cleat is that it can be cast off in a hurry.
How to tie the Cleat Hitch(external link, opens in a new tab)Source: Animated Knots by Grog
SeptemberPile Hitch
HitchThis monthAttaching to a post or bollard in one motion using a bight, when both rope ends are already committed elsewhere.
A bight passed around the post, brought up past the standing parts, and dropped over the top of the post.
Watch out: It holds by trapping itself against the post and lifts straight off the moment the top is clear, so it needs a post that stands proud of the hitch.
How to tie the Pile Hitch(external link, opens in a new tab)Source: Animated Knots by Grog
OctoberGirth Hitch
HitchAttaching a sling or webbing loop to an anchor, a harness or a tool - the fastest sling attachment there is.
A loop passed around the object and then back through itself.
Watch out: It costs real strength at the crossing point and cuts easily over an edge. Do not girth-hitch webbing to webbing on a load that matters; basket the sling instead.
How to tie the Girth Hitch(external link, opens in a new tab)Source: Animated Knots by Grog
NovemberWater Knot (webbing)
BendJoining webbing, which is how anchor slings and rescue straps get made from flat stock.
An overhand knot in one end, with the other end rethreaded back through it in reverse.
Watch out: The tails migrate as the webbing works. Leave them long, and inspect them every time the sling comes out of the bag.
How to tie the Water Knot (webbing)(external link, opens in a new tab)Source: Animated Knots by Grog
DecemberHandcuff Knot
LoopTwo adjustable loops from one rope, used to move a patient by the wrists or ankles when nothing better is reachable.
Two interlocking loops that draw down independently.
Watch out: Traction on limbs can injure. This is a last resort when no other lift is available, not a routine drag.
How to tie the Handcuff Knot(external link, opens in a new tab)Source: Animated Knots by Grog
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