MONDAY NIGHT TRAINING
Monday Night
Training
For April 21st
Counter
Aerial Ladder Operations
& Placement
PICTURES
Lt. Koerper directs the start
of the L-26 practical
operations in the back of
station 2.
It all starts up in the cab.
Remember to flip the switch for
the Aerial PTO and generators
as a rule. When talking about
placement, line-up the ladder
turntable with your objective.
It's always a good review
when you look over the
switches in the front cab.
Everyone who attended
training did a good job
with the tasks given to them.
The rear control panel for
the outriggers
A view of the drill from the
rear bays.
When climbing down the
ladder, do not face the
turntable, instead face the
ladder. It may seem easier
facing the turntable, but if
you lose your balance
walking down that way, you
will fall down the ladder.
facing the ladder, if you
lose your balance, you will
only fall into the ladder.
Notice the good minimum
10 foot spacing inbetween
firefighters climbing the
ladder.
A good place to keep an
axe is in the belt of your
SCBA. It allows you to keep
when climbing.
Remember when stepping
off the ladder to sound the
roof for stability
A view from the roof
operations of L-26. Some of the points we discussed:
  • For most applications, the front of the building
    should be reserved for the ladder truck.
  • Try to figure out who and from where the first in
    engine is coming from. You may be able to adjust
    your response route to end up directly in front of
    the building.
  • Don't get too absorbed by the front of the building
    being the primary location for placement. Notify
    the IC as to what your assignment will be. It will
    be one of the following: Rescue, ventilation, or
    master stream OPS. Locate the truck to best
    accomplish your assigned task.
  • Be sure to stay out of collapse zones
  • A rear mounted ladder truck like L-26 has its best
    reach if backed into place. This may not always be
    practical.
  • We determined that placing the outriggers one at
    a time was a bit faster than putting 2 out at a time.
  • Do not use cribbing underneath the outriggers to
    level the truck. Find another place to set-up. You
    cannot exceed a 6% grade while positioning.
    Look at the level in the back of the truck to assure
    you are not over this limit.
  • When parking the truck, alligning the turntable
    with your objective will make your goal more
    achievable. Make sure the ladder itself will be as
    square to the building as possible to avoid
    twisting of the ladder while firefighters climb.
  • As you are setting the outriggers, E-One suggests
    you just slightly lift the tires off the ground.
  • Do not operate the ladder with winds over 35 mph.
  • When judging placement of the truck away from
    the building, make sure the ladder can swing out
    from the base and not hit the building.
  • Never extend or retract the ladder while any
    firefighters are on the ladder.