Training with Station 14
(Continual Training should be on every Fire Departments agenda. Never leave it up to others to provide it for you.)
Always review and understand YOUR Departments procedures for conducting any training or rescue operation!!!
MAY
Most recent Training at Tactical 14
GROUND LADDERS
Ladder 14 displays good Ladder placement and plenty of them every fire!
Setting Ground Ladders is a crucial part of the fireground. If you are not proficient in throwing ground ladders on every fire, your interior crew is at risk.
Getting out and Throwing
You can throw ladders about anywhere in your district. Go to any vacant building or residence in your area and practice throwing to windows and roof lines. 9 times out of 10 its those vacants you will be throwing ladders on anyway.
Ensure your crew can pick the right ladders for the job. The academy says to put your toes on the bottom of the ladder and reach your arms out, if they touch with your arms stretched out to the rungs your at the right angle......What you do in the academy may not always work on the street in real world situations. That climbing angle is not a set science. Throw it so your SAFE and throw it to reach the object. I have yet to see any SOP stating climbing angles are a set in stone degree.
Mark your Ladders
*Mark your balance points on your ladders with paint or company logos, that gives no question to where to grab your ladder as it comes out of the truck.
*Mark both ends of your ladder for length, again as you look at your ladder you will have no question on what size it is at 3am in the rain.
*Mark the spot where the ladder goes with big letters, again to see at 3am in the rain, no questions
*Its great to see your ladders on the news or in the paper, but its even better when its marked with your company logo or ladder number. (The whole Company pride thing)
Throw to the Window
When setting a ladder to a window, be sure it is at or just below the window sill. Having rungs through the window is a hazard, heres why;
*The firefighter has to stand up into the hostile environment to grad the ladder, and exit onto the ladder.
*The firefighter has to manipulate around the rungs to get out of the window
*The firefighter may become entangled on the ladder and hold him/her into that position of danger.
Roof Ladders
When you throwwing to the roof, have at least 4 rungs above the roof line it will help in the following ways;
*Lets you have a contact point when getting onto and getting off of the roof
*Allows you a visual location of the ladder location in smoke conditions or low light.
*Gives your firefighters no quetion where the ladder is located.
***When you throw a ladder to the roof, ALWAYS have a hook ladder to the peak to work off of and ALWAYS have another escape route (another ladder set in another location to the roof) off of the roof if your access is blocked by smoke or fire. ALWAYS have 2 ways down, you can use a aerial as your second way, BUT it has to be set up to the roof.
Climbing with Tools
*Hook your pike pole on the rungs above you and climb to them, stop and rehook them high again. this keeps your hands on the rungs or beams when climbing and keeps your tool secure to the ladder.
*Place your axe in your SCBA waist strap while climbing, keeping your hands on the rungs or beams.
*If you have to climb with the tool in your hand be sure your hands are on the beams nd the tool is on the side or under the beams.
Butting the Ladder
*If your butting the ladder undernieith the ladder and holding onto the rungs while someone is climbing above you....STOP! First of all you have taken your eyes off the fire building and you have put yourself in a lose/lose situation. If the firefighter falls, you wont see him, and if he drops his tool, you will take the blow and not know its coming.
Being at the foot and facing the ladder, you can watch the firefighter, move from falling debris and keep an eye on the fire condition. When you take your eyes off the building you may miss someone in a window, falling debris or sudden smoke change that may change the whole fire and the safety of your crew.
*Using special techniques such as webbing to the bottom rung or rope,may allow you to raise a 20' or 25' extension by yourself, by stepping on the rope or webbing while you perform a hand over hand rung raise.
Ladder Drags
You can take several ladders and tools to the scene at one time by yourself by laying your largest ladders on the ground and stacking hook ladders (Hooks out) onto the rungs of the bottom ladder. Hook your pike pole on a rung and lay your saw on top, reach your arm inside the top 2 rungs and grab the battom ladder rungs and drag them all like a sled. Practicle??? Only if your the only one to throw ladders and you have to have it done quick, without running back and forth to the ladder truck parked 2 engines away....
SIDE NOTE
ENGINE GOOF's...STAY OUT FROM IN FRONT OF THE FIRE!!!! Pull past or just short of the fire so the real firefighters can park in front!!! OH, AND STOP PULLING SOO CLOSE WE CANT GET OURLADDERS OUT, stagger park not in a straight line, this isnt the parade!
Throwing Ladders is only as hard as you make it to be. Its like everything else on the fireground, the more you do it, the better and easier it will be on you and your crew. You throw ladders to save lives, mostly for our own!
Get out and learn your district, know what ladder can and can not be thrown. you will be suprised what you can not reach, even to a second floor window.
If you have no ladder company in your district, throw what you have! know your limitations and build your crews knowledge about what ladder is right for ?? situation.
A 4 Hour Ladders class can be taught to your department by contacting shuff.mcta@gmail.com
BE SAFE!
Most Firefighters killed in the line of duty die performing "Routine" firefighter tactics.
"Train like you work, and you'll work like you train."
While training, Never set your crew up for Failure . Train in "Real World" scenarios. Make them aware of hazards and dangers of entanglement, dis-orientation and out of air emergencies and train on the successful outcome of getting out alive.
Other Sites to Visit
Order your "Original Denim Firemans Chore Job Coat" at http://www.firemanschore.com Mention you seen it on this web site and get fast service! Why buy a Dickies when you can have the REAL THING!!!
Fire Department Training Network - Training Firefighters in all aspects of the Job. Go to http://www.fdtraining.com
Other Fire Department Sites
Decatur Twp. Fire Department - http://www.decaturfire.org
