Rescue knots are few, and each one has a job: go around a person without tightening, form a seat, reach something from a distance, or anchor the rope that runs to the victim. The Honors Manual of the South American Division (DSA) marks four of them with the word lifesaving, and the Basic Rescue honor asks for others to join, shorten and throw rope. Here are the 14 knots in that kit, with the use, the limit and the test for each one, plus a link to the video in the catalog. No knot changes the limit: real rescue belongs to the Fire Department, at 193 in Brazil.
What are rescue knots, and how far does a Pathfinder go?
A rescue knot is one that holds a person in danger or the rope that reaches them. In the DSA Honors Manual, published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the list for the Knots and Lashings honor marks four as lifesaving knots: bowline, double bowline, running bowline and fireman's chair. Of the first, the Manual says the rope does not squeeze the victim's belly.
The Basic Rescue honor rounds out the kit with knots for joining ropes, one for shortening, one to use around someone, and the 15-meter rope throw. The scenarios for getting a victim out of danger are in the Basic Rescue honor guide; this page covers the knots.
Pathfinders learn these knots for practice and assessment. On the same Basic Rescue card, the Manual lists as the first precaution that the rescuer's life must not be put in danger ("better one victim than two," translated from Portuguese) and says to weigh whether it is better to send a professional. Real rescue belongs to the Fire Department (193) and SAMU (192, free, 24 hours), Brazil's emergency numbers.
Which rescue knots should a Pathfinder know?
The table lists the 14 knots in the order of the text, with the difficulty from the site's knots and lashings catalog, where each one has a video and step-by-step instructions. For the first steps, start with the essential knots and lashings for Pathfinders.
The ABOK numbers come from The Ashley Book of Knots, published in 1944 by the American sailor and artist Clifford W. Ashley, with 3,857 numbered entries. The number shows when two names refer to the same knot.
| Knot | What it does here | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Bowline | Fixed loop that does not squeeze the body | Medium |
| One-handed bowline | Self-rescue, tied with one hand | Medium |
| Bowline on a bight | Two fixed loops in the middle of the rope | Medium |
| Spanish bowline | Two-loop seat used by rescue teams | Hard |
| Handcuff knot | Base of the fireman's chair; never on a friend | Medium |
| Hasty harness | Emergency seat; does not replace a certified harness | Medium |
| Coiling a rope (unattached) | Rope ready to pay out without tangling | Easy |
| Heaving line knot | Weight at the end for the throw | Medium |
| Running bowline | Lassoing an object at a distance, never a person | Medium |
| Sheet bend | Joining ropes of different thicknesses | Easy |
| Double fisherman's knot | Secure bend between two ropes | Medium |
| Sheepshank | Shortening the rope without cutting it | Medium |
| Alpine butterfly loop | Fixed loop in the middle of the rope | Medium |
| Tensionless hitch | Anchoring the rope to a tree | Easy |
Difficulty: the site's knots and lashings catalog. Uses: Honors Manual (DSA), CBMES handbook (2026) and Animated Knots.
Bowline and the self-rescue knot: why does the fixed loop come first?
The bowline (ABOK #1010) forms a loop at the end of the rope that does not slip: around the body, it holds without choking. The 2026 Height Rescue handbook of the Espírito Santo Military Fire Department (CBMES) calls it a traditional knot, easy to tie and to untie, with a 33% loss of rope strength.
The weak spot: Animated Knots, an international reference on knots, warns that it can work loose when unloaded and is easy to tie incorrectly. In the handbook it gets a backup, an extra knot on the tail, and the firefighters' preferred loop is the figure-eight loop, which is easier to check at a glance.
The one-handed bowline is the self-rescue knot: the same loop, tied when the other hand is busy or injured. Animated Knots warns that a sudden pull can trap the wrist and recommends forming the loop around the hand.
When not to use it: in rappelling, climbing or any activity with your feet off the ground. There, what connects the person to the rope is a certified harness, checked by a credentialed instructor, as the guide to rappelling and zip lines at the club shows.
Fireman's chair knot, handcuff knot and Spanish bowline: what are rope seats for?
Four knots on the list turn rope into a seat. The bowline on a bight (ABOK #1080) makes two fixed loops in the middle of the rope, and Animated Knots records its use as an emergency chair, with reservations about comfort. It is the idea the Manual applies to what it calls the double bowline, described as an adjustable rescue chair.
The Spanish bowline (ABOK #1087) is the hardest of the group. Ashley describes one loop around each leg, with the conscious person holding the rope, and warns that rope from one loop can be drawn into the other if the knot is not pulled up tight.
The handcuff knot forms two adjustable loops; with a half hitch locking each one, it becomes the fireman's chair. This is the most serious warning in this guide: according to Animated Knots, search and rescue teams avoid this knot because of the risk of injuring the victim, and pulling someone by the limbs with it can cause trauma. Because the loops slide, it is practiced only on objects, never on someone's arm or leg.
The hasty harness builds an emergency seat from webbing or rope, and Animated Knots requires backing up the square knot that closes it with half hitches. It does not replace a certified harness: the CBMES mentions rope seats without teaching them, uses the three-point harness and calls for simple, safe solutions, with no improvising.
Which knots help you throw a rope without going into the water?
In the water, the drowning survival chain of the Brazilian Lifesaving Society (SOBRASA) says to have someone call for help at 193, offer something that floats, try to help without going into the water, and use a pole or a rope. Go in only if it is safe for the rescuer and with flotation; for a Pathfinder without training, the rule is throw, never jump. The Lifesaving honor guide covers the part that requires an accredited course.
Coiling a rope (unattached) means winding it in even loops, without kinks, the twists the CBMES says to work out by running the rope through your hands. A coiled rope leaves the hand in sequence, and that is how you prepare the 15-meter throw for Basic Rescue.
The heaving line knot (ABOK #538) puts weight at the end of a light line so it goes farther; it is the knot of the heaving line, the line thrown when a boat docks.
The running bowline (ABOK #1117) is a noose that slides and tightens around what it catches, without binding. The Manual marks it as a lifesaving knot, but Animated Knots recommends it for retrieving objects, such as gear that has fallen off a boat. Around a person, never: for people, the right loop is the fixed one of the bowline.
Which rescue knots join, shorten and anchor the rope?
The sheet bend (ABOK #1431) joins ropes of different thicknesses, a use the Manual records. The CBMES notes that it is quick but not very stable, with a 35% loss of strength; when the diameters differ a lot, Animated Knots recommends the double sheet bend, with one extra turn.
The double fisherman's knot (ABOK #294) is the bend you can trust, with a loss of about 25% according to the CBMES, and after loading it tightens so much that it is practically welded, Animated Knots warns. The sheet bend, double sheet bend and double fisherman's can cover the three joining knots in Basic Rescue.
To shorten, the Manual recommends the sheepshank (ABOK #1152), which also takes a damaged section out of the load. It works for the assessment, but not for rope that holds people: Animated Knots shows a correctly tied sheepshank failing under moderate load in synthetic rope.
The alpine butterfly loop (ABOK #1053) is, according to the Manual, the best knot for a loop that does not slip in the middle of the rope, and it holds load in three directions. Even though it can isolate a worn section, the CBMES rule applies: a deformed or damaged sheath means the rope is retired. The guide on how to care for a rope teaches the inspection.
The tensionless hitch anchors the rope with wraps around a trunk, and the force stays in the wraps, not in the knot. The CBMES calls for at least five wraps; Animated Knots wants a trunk at least eight times the diameter of the rope.
How much does a knot weaken a rope, and how do you test it before trusting it?
The CBMES handbook treats knots as a necessary evil, because they damage rope under load, and asks that a rescue knot be secure, stable, strong, easy to learn, easy to check and easy to untie. For the tail, it cites the NBR 15595 standard: ten times the rope's diameter, or 10 centimeters on a 10-millimeter rope. At the club, every knot is checked by a second person.
| Test | How to do it at the club | What fails |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Someone else compares it with the catalog video | A loop that slides when it should be fixed |
| Tail | Measure the tail: 10 times the diameter | Short end |
| Backup | Check the extra knot on the bowline | Bowline without a backup |
| Load on the ground | Tension it gradually with a backpack or log | A knot that slips or changes shape |
Qualities of a good knot and the NBR 15595 tail length, according to the CBMES handbook (2026).
How do you train rescue knots safely at the club?
For the Counselor or Instructor, a sequence of four meetings works: loops; bends and shortening; throwing on the lawn; and, last, seats built on a backpack or log. Several of these knots, such as the bowline, sheepshank, sheet bend, double fisherman's and butterfly, are on the list from which the Knots and Lashings honor asks for 20 knots from memory, as the guide to the Knots and Lashings honor requirements shows.
Two rules apply at every meeting: nobody leaves the ground on a practice knot, and every session ends with a reminder of 193 and 192. Ecclesiastes uses the cord to speak of companionship, and rescue is teamwork too: those who train well learn, before anything else, not to act alone.
a threefold cord is not quickly brokenEcclesiastes 4:12, New King James Version (NKJV)