Ladder Truck Operations

19Jan/100

I have the opportunity to work with some of the greatest Engine Company guys as well as some Rescue Company guys that the Country has to offer.

With that being said I have also operated on fire scenes where there has been given no consideration to where the Ladder Truck is going to set up. Now some people might think that the truck placement might not be that important, however this isn’t my view at all and would like to here some of the reader’s comments on how they would argue the point of why a ladder company shouldn’t have the front of the building. Try to keep this in mind; attack lines can be stretched and extended however ladders can’t be stretched or extended.

I operate on a rig that has like most ladder trucks for one an aerial ladder in which again placement is paramount. We also operate a gas powered positive pressure ventilation fan as well as an electric positive pressure ventilation fan. With the recent studies done in HCN and CO levels during overhaul operations we tend to use the electric fan more than the gas. However if the rig isn’t close we will have a difficult time accomplishing this, intern putting brothers at risk. The rig also has a full complement of ground ladder which can be carried but are most efficiently used as close to the fire as possible so that the manpower isn’t used caring ladder long distances but on saving lives in the most efficient way possible.

Also consider how the ground ladders are coming of the truck are they deployed off the side of the rigs or off the rear, an Engine company or Chiefs car placed two feet off the rear of the truck will shut my ground ladder operation down completely.

The point is that ladder placement is important not just to the officer ridding on the Truck Co. but for everyone on the fire ground. The efficiency of all the rigs on the scene is what makes or breaks a successful operation.