TOWER LADDERS
BY TOM BRENNAN
Editor`s Note
Tom Brennan has taken some time off to “see America.” Following is a column of his that originally appeared in August 1988. It has been updated where necessary.
The tower ladder (ladder tower, platform, or whatever you may call it) is the most aggressive and versatile piece of fire equipment since the advent of mechanized fire apparatus. It should be set up, as should all aerial de-vices, for offensive fire operations at all occupied structure fires. Many communities purchase this equipment as a mobile water tower to be staged at the scene until strategy shifts to defensive. That`s thinking and planning to lose.
The nozzle and any extensions should be folded within the perimeter of the basket or removed and stored within easy reach of the operator. If large-caliber streams must be operated from tower ladders or other aerial devices for defensive outside operations, we will have all the time and personnel we need to change the apparatus over. Extensions (nozzles) beyond the basket railings only keep the firefighter farther from the structure opening he wishes to vent, enter, and search. All apparatus should be set up for offensive operations, not parades.
Doors and gates on the basket frame should be used only for entry and exit when the tower ladder is bedded on the ground or at a roof position. Entry at windows and other openings in the structure`s façade is another matter. The operator`s objective should be to place the top railing of the basket at or below the sill of the window or base of the opening. The firefighter will then be able to climb up to and over the sill at the lowest entry point. He won`t be at the mercy of the gate`s position and the boom`s angle. Entering a fire occupancy through the gate may be difficult; exiting with victims in various states of consciousness can be disastrous.
Manipulating the basket to windows with the gate position as a goal requires many movements and costs valuable time. Using the “top rail position” allows us to operate routinely, smoothly, and more safely.
The versatility and effectiveness of a heavy tower ladder rely on the strength and stability of its jacks or tormentors. Many require more space to set up than do aerial ladders. When confronted with an im-minent life hazard in a narrow street lined with parked automobiles, it`s difficult to say, “Sorry, lady, it`s too narrow for us.” You must act. What`s your best shot? Practice positioning your tower as close as possible to the inboard line of cars. Ensure than the inboard tormentor will “drop” between two parked vehicles. With inboard strength secured, we have the maximum room available for the outboard side. Risk analysis can now be a valid reason for having crushed vehicles that may be too close on the outboard side.
When drilling for skill with your tower ladder, get out of the parking lot and out with the buildings. Play mental games with yourself. Set specific objectives on the structure`s façade. Practice getting there until you make the least amount of movements with the tower. Practice until you can “fly” to an objective in one smooth movement. The additional raise/lower, rotate, and extend/retract movements add precious moments to the evolution.
Positioning a tower using the basket controls is more difficult than turntable operations. The line of sight–the aerial railing–is gone. A useful trick is to glance down the boom and back at your objective constantly, mentally placing yourself in the line you create. Sounds silly, but it works. The tendency to raise too high before extending will diminish.
There`s a great deal of debate over the time it takes to place a tower ladder at an objective compared with the time it takes to place an aerial ladder. The advantage comes at the completion of the evolution. Once the tower ladder`s set, a rested firefighter is in place with more tools than the firefighter who still must climb the aerial ladder can carry.
Defensive operations with tower streams can be grueling in winter. Carry a piece of wood that`s large enough for two firefighters to stand on. It insulates the feet from the ice-cold metal floor. It`ll still be as cold, but you`ll be able to feel your feet longer.
Collapse zone. The tower ladder has unique maneuvering abilities that will permit its operators to move unknowingly in and out of the collapse zone. The apparatus itself can be parked safely outside the horizontal and vertical collapse zones. However, unsupervised actions of basket operators, who may acquire funnel vision, can easily move them in or out of an upper collapse zone. The tower basket and all its extensions must be as far from the suspected wall as the height of the wall remaining above it.
TOM BRENNAN has more than 35 years of fire service experience. His career spans more than 20 years with the Fire Department of New York as well as four years a chief of the Waterbury (CT) Fire Department. He was the editor of Fire Engineering for eight years and currently is a technical editor. He is co-editor of The Fire Chief`s Handbook, Fifth Edition (Fire Engineering Books, 1995). He is the recipient of the 1998 Fire Engineering Lifetime Achievement Award. Brennan is featured in the video Brennan and Bruno Unplugged (Fire Engineering/FDIC, 1999).
