What Rigging for Rescue does

Rigging for Rescue, LLC is a privately held technical ropework education company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Ouray, Colorado. It delivers instructor-level seminars and workshops covering technical rope rescue, industrial rope access, and specialized topics such as waterfall ice rescue, artificial high directionals, and team leadership integration of patient care. The company serves a defined set of professional buyers — military and special operations units, federal and local law enforcement, fire departments, search and rescue teams, ski patrols, and industrial rope access technicians — through open enrollment programs at multiple US venues (Ouray CO, Moab UT, Las Vegas NV, California Sierra), customized contract seminars delivered at client locations, and SPRAT certification courses hosted at its Ouray facility.

The company's underlying technology is built around a proprietary systems-analysis pedagogy that emphasizes critical thinking over rote technique memorization, supported by on-site empirical testing infrastructure including a hydraulic ram slow pull machine and a drop tower equipped with high-speed load cells. This testing capability underpins a separate contract research service line that sells data-driven equipment evaluations to manufacturers and organizations, and feeds published research presented at the International Technical Rescue Symposium (ITRS) since 1986. Curriculum is aligned with NFPA 1006-2021 and ASTM F2954/F2955 consensus standards.

The revenue model is straightforward professional services: per-participant pricing of $1,490–$1,815 across 5-day programs (40–45+ hours of instruction), with a $450 deposit and final payment due two months in advance, plus custom contract seminar pricing and testing/research engagements. Distribution is direct: company website and email newsletter for top-of-funnel, ITRS presence and standards-body affiliations (Petzl Technical Partner, ITRA Founding Sponsor, ASTM member, SPRAT certification partner) for credibility, and field-led sales for contract seminars.

Name

Rigging for Rescue

Legal name

Rigging for Rescue, LLC

Website

https://riggingforrescue.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rigging for Rescue, founded in 1986 in Ouray, Colorado, delivers instructor-level technical rope rescue, SPRAT rope access certification, and customized contract seminars to military, law enforcement, fire, ski patrol, and search and rescue organizations across the US, supported by proprietary drop tower and hydraulic testing capabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technical Rope Rescue Training

NAICS

Apprenticeship Training (611513)

akta.pro primary industry

Lifeguard, Water Rescue & Aquatic Safety Training (EDAOAMAJ)

Keywords

• Technical rope rescue training
• Industrial rope access certification
• SPRAT certification courses
• NFPA 1006 rope rescue
• Ropework systems analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Ouray

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Training Seminars: Revenue primarily from delivering technical rope rescue training seminars. Programs include open enrollment courses (Rope Rescue I, II, workshops) at various locations and contract seminars customized for specific client organizations. Pricing ranges from $1,490 to $1,815 per participant with $450 deposit required.
2. SPRAT Certification: SPRAT (Society of Professional Rope Access) certification courses that combine training with third-party evaluation. Five-day programs at $1,815 per participant, including evaluation day.
3. Contract Testing Services: Testing services for manufacturers and organizations seeking data-driven evaluations of rope rescue equipment and techniques. Uses hydraulic slow pull machines and drop towers with high-speed load cells.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rigging for Rescue delivers technical rope rescue and industrial rope access training, education, and certification through multi-day seminars and workshops. Offerings include open enrollment programs, customized contract seminars for emergency response and military organizations, SPRAT certification courses, contract ropework testing, and consultations covering rescue planning, instructor development, and gear cache considerations. Curriculum is aligned with NFPA 1006-2021 and ASTM F2954/F2955 standards.

Product overview

Rigging for Rescue is a technical ropework training and education company offering instructor-level seminars and workshops. The core offering is the Technical Ropework Seminar, supplemented by specialized programs including Rope Rescue I (Fundamentals) and Rope Rescue II (Operational Leadership) available at multiple locations (Ouray CO, Moab UT, Las Vegas NV, California Sierra). The company provides SPRAT Certification courses for industrial rope access, specialized workshops (Waterfall Ice and Rescue, Self Rescue and Small Teams Response, Finding Balance - Team Leadership and Patient Care), and contract seminars for specific audiences (Military/Law Enforcement, Fire Rescue/NFPA, Ski Patrol, Artificial High Directional). Additional services include on-contract ropework testing/research and consultations. Programs are aligned with NFPA 1006-2021 and ASTM standards, and the company maintains affiliations with Petzl (Technical Partner), ITRA (Founding Sponsor), and SPRAT certification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Technical Ropework Seminar

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% SPRAT certification pass rate (vs. industry average)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PetzlcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPetzl is identified as a Technical Partner of Rigging for Rescue. The partnership is indicated by Petzl's logo appearing on the company website, suggesting mutual collaboration in technical rope rescue equipment and techniques. Petzl is a leading manufacturer of climbing, rescue, and work-at-height equipment.
• ITRA (International Technical Rescue Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerITRA is identified as a founding sponsor of Rigging for Rescue. The company maintains a significant relationship with the organization as evidenced by the ITRA founding sponsor logo on their website. ITRA advances safe use of rope access through education and standards development.
• ASTM InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRigging for Rescue is a member of ASTM International. The company references ASTM standards (F2954, F2955) in their curriculum, which meet or exceed these industry consensus standards. ASTM membership indicates alignment with standards development for rope rescue training.
• SPRAT (Society of Professional Rope Access)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPRAT is a certification body for industrial rope access. Rigging for Rescue offers SPRAT certification courses at their facility and references SPRAT standards extensively. Their instructors include multiple SPRAT Level 3 rope access supervisors. SPRAT's mission includes advancing safe rope access through education, standards development, and administering certifications.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• IRATA International: IRATA is the global industrial rope access certification body, analogous to SPRAT in North America. It is comparable because Rigging for Rescue's SPRAT certification course is the US counterpart to IRATA-certified training, and both organizations shape training standards and instructor certification in the rope access industry.
• Yates Gear: Yates Gear manufactures military and rescue equipment (harnesses, litters, rope) and has historically supported training for military, fire, and SAR customers. It is comparable to Rigging for Rescue as an equipment-side counterpart serving overlapping military and rescue-technician buyers.
• International Technical Rescue Association (ITRA): ITRA advances safe use of rope access through education and standards development, and Rigging for Rescue is listed as a founding sponsor on its website. Comparable as a peer/enabling organization operating in the same technical-rescue training community and helping set the standards Rigging for Rescue's curriculum aligns to.
• Sterling Rope: Sterling Rope is a US manufacturer of life-safety, rope-access, and rescue rope used by industrial, military, and rescue customers. It is thematically comparable to Rigging for Rescue as a participant in the rope-rescue equipment ecosystem where Rigging for Rescue conducts contract testing and curriculum development.

Direct peers

• Rescue 3 International: Rescue 3 International is one of the most established technical rescue training organizations in North America, offering swiftwater, rope, confined space, and ice rescue courses. It is the closest direct peer to Rigging for Rescue in terms of curriculum scope, target customers (fire/EMS, military, SAR), and standards alignment (NFPA).
• Roco Rescue: Roco Rescue provides technical rescue training (rope, confined space, trench, structural collapse, tactical) for industrial, fire/EMS, and military customers across the US. It directly overlaps with Rigging for Rescue in technical rope rescue training and shares a similar contract-seminar and open-enrollment model.
• PMI Pigeon Mountain Industries: PMI manufactures kernmantle rescue rope and related hardware and operates the PMI Industrial Training Center for rope access and rope rescue. It directly competes with Rigging for Rescue in the rope-rescue training market and overlaps in target segments (industrial rope access, fire/EMS, military).
• CMC (Carolina Morning Co.): CMC is a leading manufacturer of rope rescue equipment (harnesses, ascenders, litters) that also operates CMC Rescue School, a long-running technical rope and confined-space rescue training program. It is comparable because it combines proprietary rope-rescue equipment, training curriculum, and standards (NFPA) alignment, mirroring Rigging for Rescue's blend of training and product-adjacent research.

Broad incumbents

• Petzl: Petzl is the global leader in climbing, work-at-height, and rescue equipment and operates the Petzl Technical Partner program along with Petzl Solutions training. It is identified as Rigging for Rescue's Technical Partner on the website. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering overlapping technical training plus a much larger product portfolio.
• Ferno: Ferno is a global manufacturer of EMS, rescue, and patient-handling equipment (litters, stretchers, immobilization) and supports training for fire/EMS customers. Comparable as a broader incumbent that pairs rescue-equipment products with training programs targeting the same fire/EMS and SAR customers as Rigging for Rescue.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUpNrtgfLHvBqpR1oJRYfJw
• Facebookfacebook.com/riggingforrescue
• Instagraminstagram.com/riggingforrescue
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rigging-for-rescue-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rigging for Rescue