Fresh Take on Aerial Ops Training

Coming up with ways to keep trainings fresh and exciting can be difficult. While throwing ladders or advancing a hand-line are vitals skills that should be continuously reviewed, it may not always evoke jubilation when these trainings are announced.  In an effort to avoid monotony, seek new ways to stay up on the basics. It was in this spirit that we decided upon a way to incorporate some fun into aerial ops.
 
Start by grabbing some utility rope and tying off an inverted pike pole to the tip of your aerial (I am assigned to a tower, but this drill works the same with a straight stick ladder as well). The pike pole should hang below the aerial's tip several feet. You will find that the greater the distance below the tip that it hangs, the more difficult the drill becomes.

The person performing the drill will then attempt to hook an object with the pike pole, and move it to another location using only the base controls on the apparatus being used.

For the purposes of our drill, the steps went as follows.
1. Start from the engineer's position in the cab. Engage the needed devices (aerial PTO, generators, or otherwise) to allow the ladder to be functional.
2. Set up the jacks, including foot pads.
3. If necessary, ensure base power is established by operating proper switches.
4. Extend ladder and manipulate base controls as needed to pick up the object to be moved.
5. Lift and extend the ladder to the elevated drop point and place the object in the selected area.

Keep in mind that the object being lifted should be light and relatively indestructible as it may fall from heights if the controls are not operated properly. I suggest using items with handles such as empty 5-gallon buckets, trash cans, or foam containers.

Ways to make the drill more difficult:

• Perform the drill against the clock and wage bets among the crew!
• Use items with smaller handles
• Extend the distance that the pike pole hangs below the ladder tip.
• Vary the elevations and drop points in which the object should be moved to.
• Select positions that challenge the limitations of the apparatus being used.

Obviously, this drill can be modified in any number of ways to meet the training needs of the company. Best of luck and have fun!