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Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Aerial Ladder vs. Tower Fire Apparatus

BY RICKY RILEY


RICKY RILEY

This topic is a storied battle regarding which type of aerial device to purchase. With many battles in the fire service, this one sparks some emotion and bravado as truck company purists usually feel very strongly about the type of rig they ride. The ladder group and the tower group always have their arguments for which one is the best and how they will always outperform the other. So, let’s take a look at this topic concerning which rig is better for your department—even though I am quite sure this article will not settle the debate.

I have been very fortunate in my career to work on both an aerial ladder and a tower ladder. It was always very hard to pick which one was the best one or which one I favored the most because, depending on the call type and the fire type, I would always be thinking, “If I just had the tower here,” or, “Man, I wish we were on the ladder truck.” Let’s look at some thoughts about and advantages of the tower first.

The Tower

The tower is a very interesting piece of apparatus. It has many abilities on the fireground, especially when it comes to actually putting fire out and having a safe secure platform when tasked with making victim rescues. The rig itself usually is very expensive, mainly because of the mass of the aerial device and the support system it takes to safely elevate the aerial and bucket into many positions on incident scenes. This can include reaching the highest elevation to sometimes as much as 7 to 11 degrees below zero and, with most units, the ability to maintain the high tip loads associated with these units in all those positions. Having this ability with a protected basket and area to put firefighters and rescued civilians gives fire departments a valuable tool in their rescue efforts. Recently on the East Coast, there have been many issues with flooding and rapidly moving water. With today’s highly visible fire department actions on social media, we have seen towers used to their maximum abilities on some rescue incidents. These rescues were able to be made with apparatus that are highly capable of these rescues by a very high tip load, the strength of the ladder, a capable jack system to support the weight and stresses, and most importantly a well-trained crew.

Having a tower provides a number of other valuable operational advantages. These units can flow large amounts of water at fire scenes. Depending on the device and the manufacturer, the ability to flow this water in a tactically advantageous position is one of the values of the tower. The sidewalk sweep made famous by the FDNY is probably the most noted ability of towers—flowing high volumes of water from a negative degree and being able to move that water application into different positions by the use of the hydraulic aerial. Some other advantages follow:

  • Elevated master stream.
  • Stable platform for victim removal without needing to have civilians descend the ladder.
  • Ability to ventilate horizontally and vertically from the safety of the bucket.
  • Easy transportation of a lot of equipment to the roof via the basket.
  • Heavy-duty ladder for use in technical rescue applicat
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Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Aerial Ladder vs. Tower Fire Apparatus

BY RICKY RILEY


RICKY RILEY

This topic is a storied battle regarding which type of aerial device to purchase. With many battles in the fire service, this one sparks some emotion and bravado as truck company purists usually feel very strongly about the type of rig they ride. The ladder group and the tower group always have their arguments for which one is the best and how they will always outperform the other. So, let’s take a look at this topic concerning which rig is better for your department—even though I am quite sure this article will not settle the debate.

I have been very fortunate in my career to work on both an aerial ladder and a tower ladder. It was always very hard to pick which one was the best one or which one I favored the most because, depending on the call type and the fire type, I would always be thinking, “If I just had the tower here,” or, “Man, I wish we were on the ladder truck.” Let’s look at some thoughts about and advantages of the tower first.

The Tower

The tower is a very interesting piece of apparatus. It has many abilities on the fireground, especially when it comes to actually putting fire out and having a safe secure platform when tasked with making victim rescues. The rig itself usually is very expensive, mainly because of the mass of the aerial device and the support system it takes to safely elevate the aerial and bucket into many positions on incident scenes. This can include reaching the highest elevation to sometimes as much as 7 to 11 degrees below zero and, with most units, the ability to maintain the high tip loads associated with these units in all those positions. Having this ability with a protected basket and area to put firefighters and rescued civilians gives fire departments a valuable tool in their rescue efforts. Recently on the East Coast, there have been many issues with flooding and rapidly moving water. With today’s highly visible fire department actions on social media, we have seen towers used to their maximum abilities on some rescue incidents. These rescues were able to be made with apparatus that are highly capable of these rescues by a very high tip load, the strength of the ladder, a capable jack system to support the weight and stresses, and most importantly a well-trained crew.

Having a tower provides a number of other valuable operational advantages. These units can flow large amounts of water at fire scenes. Depending on the device and the manufacturer, the ability to flow this water in a tactically advantageous position is one of the values of the tower. The sidewalk sweep made famous by the FDNY is probably the most noted ability of towers—flowing high volumes of water from a negative degree and being able to move that water application into different positions by the use of the hydraulic aerial. Some other advantages follow:

  • Elevated master stream.
  • Stable platform for victim removal without needing to have civilians descend the ladder.
  • Ability to ventilate horizontally and vertically from the safety of the bucket.
  • Easy transportation of a lot of equipment to the roof via the basket.
  • Heavy-duty ladder for use in technical rescue applicat
Read more
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  • Article rating: No rating
Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Aerial or Platform Fire Apparatus?

BY BILL ADAMS


BILL ADAMS

Asking about preference for an aerial ladder or an aerial platform is a loaded question. There are too many unknowns to formulate an appropriate answer. One could say it depends on the weather and terrain, which is a military axiom—a catch-all phrase sometimes used to justify a decision. Preference should only be contingent on determining the environment where the device will be used, defining the specific and secondary tasks to be accomplished, evaluating where it will be housed, acknowledging the staffing available to operate it, and understanding the financial constraints when purchasing one. My analysis is limited to rear-mount appliances, showing no partiality for steel vs. aluminum construction or for cost. Nor will I espouse whether the device should be equipped with a pump.

Elevated Master Stream

I am not in favor of firefighters being “on top” of any aerial device directing a stream; however, if the intended use is primarily or regularly as an elevated master stream, I prefer the platform. It is safer. My first choice would be to invest in a drone to observe an elevated stream’s direction and effectiveness. It is inexpensive, and it keeps firefighters out of harm’s way.

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, Chapter 19: Aerial Devices, sentence 19.2.9.1 says two folding steps shall be provided for an aerial ladder pipe-monitor operator, each with a minimum of 35 square inches. Or, per sentence 19.2.9.2, a single step with a minimum of 200 square inches can be provided. An elevating platform must have a minimum standing area of 14 square feet (more than 2,000 square inches) per sentence 19.7.6.1. Which would you rather stand on for an hour? Having prepiped breathing air is another advantage of a platform.

When an aerial ladder is equipped with a prepiped monitor, Section 19.6 says it must have a minimum 1,000-gallon-per-minute (gpm) capacity. Section 19.11 says platforms of 110 feet or less in rated height shall be equipped with a water delivery system with one or more monitors capable of flowing 1,000 gpm.

NFPA 1901 criteria are minimum requirements. Aerial device manufacturers may exceed the NFPA flow requirements, and many do. In many instances, especially with aerial ladders, high flow rates may affect a device’s rated weight capacity and possibly minimize the allowable operating envelope when flowing water. Read the fine print when specifying one. Purchasers should consider determining a desired flow rate before evaluating devices on the market.

Equipment Hauler

It is easier and safer to transport saws and multiple hand tools in a platform than it is to manually carry them up an aerial. Depending on the amount of equipment to bring to the roof of, say, a seven-story building, firefighters may have to make multiple trips up and down the stick. Safety oriented old-timers believe in “one hand for me and one hand for thee.” The steeper the angle of the aerial, the harder it is to climb—with one hand. Aerials have limited room to mount tools on the fly section. Platforms, by nature of their design, have more room.

Threading the Needle

Ladder company (aka truck company) operators in older urban areas with multip

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Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Aerial or Platform Fire Apparatus?

BY BILL ADAMS


BILL ADAMS

Asking about preference for an aerial ladder or an aerial platform is a loaded question. There are too many unknowns to formulate an appropriate answer. One could say it depends on the weather and terrain, which is a military axiom—a catch-all phrase sometimes used to justify a decision. Preference should only be contingent on determining the environment where the device will be used, defining the specific and secondary tasks to be accomplished, evaluating where it will be housed, acknowledging the staffing available to operate it, and understanding the financial constraints when purchasing one. My analysis is limited to rear-mount appliances, showing no partiality for steel vs. aluminum construction or for cost. Nor will I espouse whether the device should be equipped with a pump.

Elevated Master Stream

I am not in favor of firefighters being “on top” of any aerial device directing a stream; however, if the intended use is primarily or regularly as an elevated master stream, I prefer the platform. It is safer. My first choice would be to invest in a drone to observe an elevated stream’s direction and effectiveness. It is inexpensive, and it keeps firefighters out of harm’s way.

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, Chapter 19: Aerial Devices, sentence 19.2.9.1 says two folding steps shall be provided for an aerial ladder pipe-monitor operator, each with a minimum of 35 square inches. Or, per sentence 19.2.9.2, a single step with a minimum of 200 square inches can be provided. An elevating platform must have a minimum standing area of 14 square feet (more than 2,000 square inches) per sentence 19.7.6.1. Which would you rather stand on for an hour? Having prepiped breathing air is another advantage of a platform.

When an aerial ladder is equipped with a prepiped monitor, Section 19.6 says it must have a minimum 1,000-gallon-per-minute (gpm) capacity. Section 19.11 says platforms of 110 feet or less in rated height shall be equipped with a water delivery system with one or more monitors capable of flowing 1,000 gpm.

NFPA 1901 criteria are minimum requirements. Aerial device manufacturers may exceed the NFPA flow requirements, and many do. In many instances, especially with aerial ladders, high flow rates may affect a device’s rated weight capacity and possibly minimize the allowable operating envelope when flowing water. Read the fine print when specifying one. Purchasers should consider determining a desired flow rate before evaluating devices on the market.

Equipment Hauler

It is easier and safer to transport saws and multiple hand tools in a platform than it is to manually carry them up an aerial. Depending on the amount of equipment to bring to the roof of, say, a seven-story building, firefighters may have to make multiple trips up and down the stick. Safety oriented old-timers believe in “one hand for me and one hand for thee.” The steeper the angle of the aerial, the harder it is to climb—with one hand. Aerials have limited room to mount tools on the fly section. Platforms, by nature of their design, have more room.

Threading the Needle

Ladder company (aka truck company) operators in older urban areas with multip

Read more
  • 194
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  • Article rating: No rating
Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Firefighter Situational Awareness Enhanced with Compass and Guidance System

BY RAUL A. ANGULO

According to Don Abbott’s Project Mayday, the number one reason firefighters call a Mayday is from falling into a basement. Number two is falling through a roof, and number three is becoming disoriented.

The disoriented category includes becoming confused, unsure, bewildered, perplexed, disoriented, or lost. In this category, the number one reason for calling a Mayday is when firefighters become lost or separated from their hoseline, and 55 percent of Maydays are transmitted by the first-in unit.

Engine companies call 52 percent of the Maydays, ladder companies account for 46 percent of the Maydays, and rescue companies or other specialized units make up the remaining two percent. Most Maydays occur around the 20-minute mark of the incident. The disoriented firefighter in zero or low visibility is often within 15 feet of the front door before he turns the wrong way from the initial point of entry. Reports from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health also list disorientation as one of the most serious hazards a firefighter will face while conducting interior firefighting operations. These statistics have prompted numerous inventors, many of whom are active firefighters, to look for solutions to this problem.

Abbott’s work on studying and documenting the occurrences of Maydays around the country is quite extensive. Every firefighter should visit the Project Mayday Web site. He knew I worked on the National Fire Academy Mayday curriculum with Dr. Burton Clark (NFA ret.) and Chief Brent Batla, of the Burleson (TX) Fire Department, so when he ran into Captain Jeff Dykes, a 23-year fire service veteran and the inventor and owner of Northern Star Fire and the Northern Star 8-Directional Electronic Compass and Guidance System, he was quick to introduce me to Dykes. Abbot said, “You have to see this product! Of all the gizmos out there trying to address poor situational awareness on the fireground, this is the best thing I’ve ever seen at FDIC International. It doesn’t totally fix the problem of firefighter disorientation, but it comes pretty darn close!” And, he’s right; this is a major step forward in addressing this problem.

THE SYSTEM

The Northern Star 8-Directional Electronic Compass and Guidance System is a small personal safety device about the size of a quarter that adheres to the inside of your self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) face piece. Dykes uses peel-and-stick, 3M fire-rated, two-sided tape and recommends placing the compass at the lower part of the lens to keep it from obstructing line-of-sight vision. The compass is a patented directional-awareness guidance system that uses various technologies similar to the type used in compass apps you can download for a smartphone, only using a much more sophisticated microchip. A combination of magnetometers, accelerometers, and gyroscopes work together to filter interference and ensure a reliable and accurate true north heading at all times. The unit refreshes multiple times per second for fast, smooth transitions with no lag time when the firefighter turns his head quickly.

The Northern Star 8-Directional Electronic Compass and Guidance System has four colored LED lights.
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