By Alan M. Petrillo

Fire departments are faced with a number of challenges when getting aerial devices to a fire scene and sometimes even placing the vehicle at the scene.

Low bridges, narrow streets and alleys, tight cul-de-sacs, and limited access to the front of tall buildings are only some of the issues facing aerial apparatus operators. Aerial manufacturers have responded to these issues by designing or redesigning aerial apparatus that can get into tight spots and do the job they were made for.

Reduced Travel Height

Joe Hedges, product manager for chassis and aerials at E-ONE, says E-ONE launched its Metro 100 rear-mount aerial ladder in response to calls from fire departments for a vehicle with a reduced travel height that was designed to get into tight spots more easily. “Our Metro 100 is a 100-foot extruded aluminum aerial ladder built on a 220-inch wheelbase single-axle chassis,” Hedges says. “It’s designed with a lighter gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 20,000 pounds on the front axle and 33,000 pounds on the rear axle and uses an integral box chassis as its foundation.”

Hedges points out that the Metro 100 features a jack spread of 11 feet, only 1½ feet wider than the truck’s body. “The truck can get into tight spots, be set up, and be fully functional with no short jacking in the 11-foot spread because it has four underslung criss-cross outriggers,” he notes. “It sets up in 45 seconds and has no operational restrictions or envelope control because it doesn’t need them. It’s designed to be fully stable with no limiting of the aerial environment.”

The E-ONE Metro 100 aerial ladder is designed with a jack spread of 11 feet using four underslung criss-cross outriggers that allow it to be set up in tight spaces. (Photo courtesy of E-ONE.)

Other elements designed into the Metro 100 to allow it to function well in congested environments, Hedges says, include a 45-degree cramp angle that results in a turning radius of 36 feet, “approximately six to eight feet less than larger tandem axle units on the market today,” he says, along with a slightly raised body at the rear for an improved departure angle. “It’s available in a 96-inch body width, which is good for congested areas,” Hedges adds, “and can be built on our Cyclone low-travel-height aerial cab.”

Jason Witmier, product manager for aerials at KME, says travel heights often are a concern for fire departments, so KME offers both a standard and low travel height in its aerials. “Our standard is 136 inches for a rear-mount aerial, and our typical low travel height is 134 inches,” he says, “although we have gone down to 128 inches on a rear-mount. On a midmount aerial, we are able to get down to a 119-inch travel height.”

Pierce Manufacturing Inc. makes the Ascendant 107-foot aerial ladder on a single rear axle with a 39-foot overall length and a wheelbase of 224 inches, which allow it to function in Read more 717 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: Dec 2, 2015 Designing Aerials to Get into Tight Spots By Alan M. Petrillo Fire departments are faced with a number of challenges when getting aerial devices to a fire scene and sometimes even placing the vehicle at the scene. Low bridges, narrow streets and alleys, tight cul-de-sacs, and limited access to the front of tall buildings are only some of the issues facing aerial apparatus operators. Aerial manufacturers have responded to these issues by designing or redesigning aerial apparatus that can get into tight spots and do the job they were made for. Reduced Travel Height Joe Hedges, product manager for chassis and aerials at E-ONE, says E-ONE launched its Metro 100 rear-mount aerial ladder in response to calls from fire departments for a vehicle with a reduced travel height that was designed to get into tight spots more easily. “Our Metro 100 is a 100-foot extruded aluminum aerial ladder built on a 220-inch wheelbase single-axle chassis,” Hedges says. “It’s designed with a lighter gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 20,000 pounds on the front axle and 33,000 pounds on the rear axle and uses an integral box chassis as its foundation.” Hedges points out that the Metro 100 features a jack spread of 11 feet, only 1½ feet wider than the truck’s body. “The truck can get into tight spots, be set up, and be fully functional with no short jacking in the 11-foot spread because it has four underslung criss-cross outriggers,” he notes. “It sets up in 45 seconds and has no operational restrictions or envelope control because it doesn’t need them. It’s designed to be fully stable with no limiting of the aerial environment.” The E-ONE Metro 100 aerial ladder is designed with a jack spread of 11 feet using four underslung criss-cross outriggers that allow it to be set up in tight spaces. (Photo courtesy of E-ONE.) Other elements designed into the Metro 100 to allow it to function well in congested environments, Hedges says, include a 45-degree cramp angle that results in a turning radius of 36 feet, “approximately six to eight feet less than larger tandem axle units on the market today,” he says, along with a slightly raised body at the rear for an improved departure angle. “It’s available in a 96-inch body width, which is good for congested areas,” Hedges adds, “and can be built on our Cyclone low-travel-height aerial cab.” Jason Witmier, product manager for aerials at KME, says travel heights often are a concern for fire departments, so KME offers both a standard and low travel height in its aerials. “Our standard is 136 inches for a rear-mount aerial, and our typical low travel height is 134 inches,” he says, “although we have gone down to 128 inches on a rear-mount. On a midmount aerial, we are able to get down to a 119-inch travel height.” Pierce Manufacturing Inc. makes the Ascendant 107-foot aerial ladder on a single rear axle with a 39-foot overall length and a wheelbase of 224 inches, which allow it to function in Read more 641 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: Dec 2, 2015 Prognosticating   Richard Marinucci Each year, the theme of the December issue of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment is a fire service forecast. This is an opportunity to look ahead to see what may be coming so fire departments can prepare to adjust and adapt to the new world. This is a fun view of the short-term future, and I certainly do not claim to be able to accurately predict the future, even if it is just around the corner. I am reminded of something that Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, said in 2007 when asked about the iPhone. He is reputed to have said that there was no chance the iPhone was going to get any significant market share. I just heard that on the first day of the release of the iPhone 6S that millions were sold. So much for predictions! But, I am guessing that submitting just one paragraph for this month won’t be acceptable, so I will do my best in the spirit intended. Regardless of what anyone thinks about 2016, it will be different. There will be changes, and it will be up to those who want to succeed to adapt and adjust. It is from this perspective that I will continue: the need to be ready, willing, and able to change as an individual and as an organization. The reaction to change is more important than being able to predict the future. Look Back One way to approach the upcoming year is to evaluate the previous year. In many ways, past performance is a good indicator of future expectations. This is very true in the short term and can be very helpful in determining what lies ahead. Based on this, we can expect more technological advances and continued financial condition improvement for many organizations. There can be better funding of fire departments. On the opposite side of this, we could see the continued trend of reduced volunteer firefighter numbers as more organizations find it very challenging, if not impossible, to find adequate numbers of firefighters to fill their rosters. These are more global issues, but departments should look closer to home to see if there are certain tendencies in the business that will affect their organizations. Look Outside Another way to view the future is to look at what has happened outside the service and what will be coming. The past few months have seen a rather volatile stock market. Some may say that this is the new norm, while others caution that a more conservative approach is needed. Consider how your organization has been impacted, if at all. One would be prudent to expect a continuation at least during the early part of 2016. Another important event in the coming year that will affect much more than the fire service is the presidential election. I can predict that we will have a new president. That is about as far as I can stick my neck out! Seriously, while it is way too soon to even know the nominees, we don’t know if we will have a Democrat or Republican. But, the change will mean that things will be different. On the fire side, we can expect new leadership on the national level for programs that are part of the emergency services. If there are elections in your state and municipality, the winds of political change could be blowing, and you would be best served to have some idea of what you can expect if there are significant modifications in the political philosophies in your community. Look Inside Look inside your organization. Do you anticipate any significant changes? Perhaps there are some key retirements ahead or possibly some promotions. There could be changes in labor le Read more 587 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: Dec 2, 2015 Prognosticating   Richard Marinucci Each year, the theme of the December issue of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment is a fire service forecast. This is an opportunity to look ahead to see what may be coming so fire departments can prepare to adjust and adapt to the new world. This is a fun view of the short-term future, and I certainly do not claim to be able to accurately predict the future, even if it is just around the corner. I am reminded of something that Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, said in 2007 when asked about the iPhone. He is reputed to have said that there was no chance the iPhone was going to get any significant market share. I just heard that on the first day of the release of the iPhone 6S that millions were sold. So much for predictions! But, I am guessing that submitting just one paragraph for this month won’t be acceptable, so I will do my best in the spirit intended. Regardless of what anyone thinks about 2016, it will be different. There will be changes, and it will be up to those who want to succeed to adapt and adjust. It is from this perspective that I will continue: the need to be ready, willing, and able to change as an individual and as an organization. The reaction to change is more important than being able to predict the future. Look Back One way to approach the upcoming year is to evaluate the previous year. In many ways, past performance is a good indicator of future expectations. This is very true in the short term and can be very helpful in determining what lies ahead. Based on this, we can expect more technological advances and continued financial condition improvement for many organizations. There can be better funding of fire departments. On the opposite side of this, we could see the continued trend of reduced volunteer firefighter numbers as more organizations find it very challenging, if not impossible, to find adequate numbers of firefighters to fill their rosters. These are more global issues, but departments should look closer to home to see if there are certain tendencies in the business that will affect their organizations. Look Outside Another way to view the future is to look at what has happened outside the service and what will be coming. The past few months have seen a rather volatile stock market. Some may say that this is the new norm, while others caution that a more conservative approach is needed. Consider how your organization has been impacted, if at all. One would be prudent to expect a continuation at least during the early part of 2016. Another important event in the coming year that will affect much more than the fire service is the presidential election. I can predict that we will have a new president. That is about as far as I can stick my neck out! Seriously, while it is way too soon to even know the nominees, we don’t know if we will have a Democrat or Republican. But, the change will mean that things will be different. On the fire side, we can expect new leadership on the national level for programs that are part of the emergency services. If there are elections in your state and municipality, the winds of political change could be blowing, and you would be best served to have some idea of what you can expect if there are significant modifications in the political philosophies in your community. Look Inside Look inside your organization. Do you anticipate any significant changes? Perhaps there are some key retirements ahead or possibly some promotions. There could be changes in labor le Read more 572 0 Article rating: No rating RSS FirstPrevious4541454245434544454545464547454845494550NextLast Theme picker Section Quick Links   Fire Mechanics Documents EVT Discussion Forum Fire Mechanic Photo Gallery Training & Testing 2019 Scholarship Logo Wear Store Upcoming Events Theme picker Sponsors Fire Mechanics Section Board Chair Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Chair Elliot Courage North Whatcom Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Vice Chair Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Vice Chair Mike Smith  Pierce County Fire District #5 Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Secretary Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Secretary Greg Bach South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #1 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #1 Doug Jones South Kitsap Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #2 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #2 Paul Spencer  Fire Fleet Maintenance LLC Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #3 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #3 Jim Morris Mountain View Fire Department Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #4 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #4 Arnie Kuchta Clark County Fire District 6 Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #6 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #6 Brett Annear Kitsap County Fire District 18 Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #5 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #5 Jay Jacks Camano Island Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Legislative Representative Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Legislative Representative TBD TBD Read more 3390 0 Article rating: No rating Immediate Past Chair Posted: Oct 20, 2015 Immediate Past Chair Brian Fortner Graham Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating RSS Theme picker 2020 CAR SHOW Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement - Copyright 2025 by Washington Fire Chiefs Home Members About Us News Calendar Resources Documents Sections County Fire Chiefs FRWC WSAFM