Underground rescue from caves and mines is the most extreme form of technical rescue in the world, and demands the highest levels of skill in caving, engineering, excavation, geology, trauma medicine and of course ropework. Life On A Line was the first specialist rope rescue book written for and by cave and mine rescuers, and has become the standard text for hundreds of rescue teams.The Second Edition is entirely new, with over 200 pages of expanded information and updated techniques for all aspects of ropework, from equipment selection and basic rigging to the complex mathematics of friction and traverses. Entirely new chapters cover casualty care, stretcher selection and rigging, large animal and expedition rescue, plus in-depth explanations of the standards and legal frameworks affecting today's teams. It remains an international textbook, with techniques and explanations aimed at both European EN/CE, American ASTM/NFPA and international ISO/UIAA standards.