Proactive Ladder Usage- Part Two

Our ladders are being left in their cradles on our engines and trucks. This is even the case on fire scenes. In far too many instances, we are not being aggressive in the deployment of ground ladders. It could be that these issues are only found within the scope of my own experience, but I do believe that a general lack of aggressive ladder work is more universal. Hopefully, recognition of the fact that we can do better will help bring about some positive changes. In the first post, we discussed the who, what, and when of ground ladder usage. Please take some time and read part one, if you haven't already. Next, we will dive into answering two more basic questions regarding this topic.  

Where do we need deploy our ladders?

There is much that can be said in regard to the specifics of ground ladder placement. Instead of going through the in's and out's of placement for window rescue vs window ventilation vs roof ventilation, this discussion is more geographic in nature.

Our ultimate goal in proactive ladder deployment is to establish a secondary means of egress. As was noted in part one, egress points can quickly be overcome by a growth in fire conditions. Fire does not discriminate between interior and exterior exits either; both can be compromised. Our initial placement then will be to the areas with the greatest threat to life. Generally, this will be near point of origin. We are taught when performing a search the progression of the search should start on the fire floor, move to the area directly above the fire, the top floor, the area below the fire, and then the rest of the structure. Consider the exact same progression of priorities when deciding where the first ladders should be placed.

A structure fire is by no means a static event. We continually need to be evaluating the scene. Just as attack lines are repositioned, ladders might need to be added to the structure, as well. It is important to note that moving ladders that have already been placed could prove dangerous as crews involved in other operations may not realize the egress point has been changed. As a general rule, the structure should always be laddered to every floor on which crews are operating. Two ladders need to be thrown to the roof when roof operations are taking place.

Ideally then, at least one ladder should be placed in each division. Once this is accomplished, firefighters and civilians alike will have a point of exit in any direction they travel in an attempt to escape. Time cannot be wasted maneuvering ladders across the scene when people are looking to bail.

Why do we need to be more proactive in deploying ladders?

Life safety! This is the reason we do most things, right?

The importance of having ladders deployed and correctly positioned was at no point clearer to me than when I found myself in the midst of a Mayday following a floor collapse. While performing fire attack at a house fire, the floor gave way in a bathroom on the second story. The collapse itself did not cause injury, but it did leave a member of my crew separated as we all dove to avoid falling through the hole. He found himself in a walk-in closet that did have a window present, and I had collapse preventing me from getting to him.

Prior to the Mayday, the only ladder in use at the scene was an aerial going to the roof. The aerial could not be quickly repositioned as a ladder company was already on the roof performing vertical ventilation. Communications were given regarding the location of the separated firefighter; however, the delay caused by finding an available crew to pull a ground ladder off an apparatus and thrown to the closet window was simply unacceptable. Thankfully, that firefighter was able to breach a wall and extricate with the help of another engine crew. God was certainly looking out for us that day!
 

Previously deployed ground ladders could have dramatically impacted the frantic minutes that followed the call for a Mayday. Most firemen have experienced how quickly fire conditions can change in the course of 60 seconds. I can assure you that when you are in the midst of a Mayday, things cannot be done fast enough.

We have to be proactive. Far too often, our approach to deploying ladders is on an "as needed" basis. The "need" seems to only arise after reports of trapped citizens or crews. As firefighters, we are taught to anticipate flow paths, collapse zones, available water supplies, etc.; shouldn't we be able to anticipate ladder deployments, as well?

I am not unaware of the fact that many departments are limited in the number of resources available. This leads to tough decisions in terms of the order in which tasks are completed on the fire ground. Part three will discuss a few ways that aggressive ladder work can be implemented into many of our current operations.