By Carl J. Haddon

This is a question I recently started asking while visiting fire departments across the country. I’ve asked the question in some of the biggest city departments in the country, and I’ve asked it to small rural volunteer departments. After compiling and looking at the answers I received, the results might surprise you. What about you and your department? Are there a couple of pieces of equipment on your apparatus that are overlooked, rarely inspected, and—heaven forbid—not well maintained?

Before I go any further, don’t get the wrong idea about me asking this question. I’m no armchair quarterback or keyboard warrior. As I travel the country on training assignments, I see things and I listen to lots of different firefighter perspectives, which is all good. Many of the things I hear and see cause me to reflect back on my own firehouse, equipment, and fire apparatus. I was as guilty as the next guy when it comes to this question. My goal is to enlighten and broaden your field of view—maybe offer you an “ah ha” moment that you will share with other firefighters or fire departments that helps to make all of us better and keep us safe.

We all know the story (or should know the story) of caring for our irons. We clean and inspect our axes and our halligans regularly, as they are figuratively (and often literally) an extension of our arms. We do daily, weekly, and monthly inspections and preventive maintenance on our fire apparatus. We service, inspect, and decon our gas-powered saws and hydraulic rescue tools. We HOPEFULLY have learned the importance of inspecting, CLEANING and maintaining our turnout gear and other personal protective equipment: SCBA, rapid intervention gear, technical rescue equipment, boats, ropes, etc. We pay close attention to all of that equipment, right?

Ground Ladders
When was the last time you REALLY inspected and maintained your ground ladders? During a recent ground ladder class in the southern part of the country, we discovered that a couple of the department’s ground extension and roof ladders were not functioning properly. The firefighters were having a hard time with raises as the flies were sticking badly, and halyards struggled. Their roof ladder hooks did not want to swing and lock into position. We quietly took the troubled ladders out of service and into the bay to see what was wrong. What we found was nothing you’d likely imagine. The departments in the area in which we were teaching are big into participating in local parades. Their rigs are always clean and spit polished as the firefighters and officers take great pride in their trucks and their departments.

As we started figuring the problems with the ladders, we discovered melted (and rehardened) Tootsie Rolls and wrapped taffy-like candy welded inside the tracks of the ladder beams and in the rope grooves of the halyard wheels! I know what some of you must be thinking, and I know that those of you who participate in parades know EXACTLY how this happens. For those who don’t, at least in rural America, fire trucks in parades are known for distributing huge amounts of candy (out of, or off of) the apparatus as it travels down the parade route. Local kids can’t wait for the fire trucks, because they know they’re like a rolling free candy stores. As the candy is th