BY RICHARD E. ANDERSEN
The 24-foot, two-section extension ladder is perhaps the one most used by fire departments today. It is small and light enough so that one or two firefighters can easily carry it. It can be stored on essentially all pumpers and provides sufficient reach for many private dwellings, multiple residences, and a significant number of commercial occupancies. The 24-foot extension ladder, along with the 14-foot roof ladder and the 10-foot folding attic ladder, make up the typical and most prevalent complement of ground ladders found on pumpers today.
The versatility of the 24-foot ladder is partly attributed to its specifications. Made from wood, fiberglass, or aluminum, it weighs between 75 and 100 pounds. Its size and weight allow a single firefighter to handle it, freeing a second firefighter to carry the needed tools. The ladder suits our needs with respect to maintenance, safety, and usefulness on the fireground.
The closed length of the 24-foot ladder is approximately 14 feet, making it a natural for nesting and storage with the 14-foot roof ladder in a package that stores easily on the side mount of a pumper or, as is commonly done today, on overhead hydraulic ladder racks. The “traditional” arrangement is to have the 24-foot ladder behind or under the 14-foot ladder. A more efficient setup is to have the extension ladder on the outside when side mounted or on top while in the overhead mount. In this way, it is the first to be pulled off when time is critical. Choosing an extension ladder over a straight ladder is always the better choice. It offers the advantage of achieving different heights.
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Other options are available. They include a three-section ladder that can be stored in a hosebed or a 28-foot extension/16-foot roof combination; however, the 24-foot extension/14-foot roof/10-foot attic is the most common pumper ladder complement.
It is very simple in design and construction. It has only two sections, one halyard and one pulley, and one anchor assembly in addition to the parts typical to all laddersthose parts that we commit to memory in basic fire training. It is the fire department ground ladder many firefighters are first exposed to in recruit school. It is small enough to allow the new user to learn and master basic skills, yet large enough to drive home the teamwork concept that will become a way of life for a new firefighter.
OPTIONS TO IMPROVE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY
As fundamental and as basic to our operation as the 24-foot ladder is, it might appear at first that little can be done to improve its operation. How can something so simple and straightforward be improved? But we can simplify its operation even further by using one of several options relating to the halyard, making this ladder even more productive on the fireground.
Option 1: Tie the halyard off to the bed section only. What happens most often when the ladder is retracted and prepared for return to the apparatus is that the halyard is tied around adjacent rungs on the bed and fly section (see photo 1). This effectively secures both sections together, necessitating untying before the ladder can be raised the next time. If you secure the halyard to only one rung on the bed section using a clove hitch and an overhand safety knot, you would have to raise the ladder only to the up-right and then pull the halyard to extend it (see photo 2). You don’t waste time un-tying a knot that serves no useful purpose. The locks will hold the sections together, and the mounting brackets will secure the ladder to the ap-paratus. The sections cannot and will not move when properly secured to the pumper in its mounting brackets. Some departments braid the end of the halyard back into the rope itself, creating a loop that has the rung inside it. This eliminates the need for a knot; it takes up less rung space.
The end of the halyard does not need to be removed from the bed section. However, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1932, Standard on Use, Maintenance, and Service Testing of Fire Department Ground Ladders, section 3-3.3*, states: “Halyards on extension ladders shall be securely tied off to the base section or otherwise secured before the ground ladder is climbed.”
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You can secure the halyard in one of two ways. When there is sufficient slack, such as after extending three or more rungs, use the slack to tie a clove hitch on a bight with an overhand safety (see photo 3). (The clove hitch is the basic fire service knot used to secure the halyard, as required by NFPA 1932 and most department training programs.) If the ladder is extended only one or two rungs and there is not enough rope to tie with, pull the clove hitch through to tighten the halyard; then retie the safety.
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Option 2: Leave sufficient slack in the halyard when the fly is bedded, to enable the halyard to hang under the pumper mounting brackets. The typical mounting arrangement is securing the ladder with mounting brackets, set about eight feet apart, on the side of the apparatus. The lock assemblies grasp a rung midway between the beams. The clamp, in the horizontal position, grasps the rung (see photo 4). Turning the clamp 90° releases the rung. However, the open bracket catches on the halyard assembly. This makes it difficult for the firefighter to remove the ladder because he must remove the halyard from behind the clamp before he can remove the ladder from the side of the apparatus (see photo 5). The distance between the mounts is greater than the average arm span, making it extremely awkward for one firefighter to safely remove the ladder. Ladders are also stored above higher side compartments on fire apparatus, making it more difficult to remove them. Two firefighters are required for safe, efficient removal of the ladder.
As stated earlier, one firefighter can carry, raise, and extend the 24-foot ladderbut only if he can first remove it from the apparatus. Leaving sufficient slack in the halyard to allow it to hang below the mounting brackets enables one firefighter to easily remove the ladder (see photo 6). Now, it truly can be a single firefighter operation if that is what the situation and your procedures call for.
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Option 3: Use a continuous halyard assembly. A continuous halyard is just what the name implies: The halyard and the fly section form a continuous loop by passing the free end of the halyard under the bottom rung of the bed section and securing it to the bottom of the fly section near the anchor (see photo 7). When the halyard is pulled, what would have been slack piling up on the ground now follows the fly section upward, leaving no slack.
There are several concerns with this option. If the knot is too large or changes position, it may bind between rungs as the ladder is extended or retracted. It may also bind, giving the firefighter the false impression that the dogs/pawls locked when they actually did not. Also, it increases the “obstacles” on the rung of the fly section, which may increase the chances of a firefighter’s boot hitting it while climbing or a civilian’s stumbling over it when being removed. Option one is superior to this option.
Similar to Option #1, this operation simply requires pulling the halyard to extend the fly section. But once extended and locked in, there is no slack with which to tie off as required. As stated earlier, the halyard must be secured prior to climbing. The standard allows the use of a device called a “camlock” to secure a continuous halyard.
The camlock is used on sailboats. It is V-shaped with grooves inside the “V” angled so that when the halyard is set into the “V” and pulled tight, it pulls deeper into the “V,” increasing its grip. Other mechanical grab-type devices are available, but the camlock is simple, effective, inexpensive, and readily available at marine supply stores.
Before making any modifications to the ladder, our department consulted with the ladder manufacturer to be sure that we would not affect the strength of the ladder or void the warranty. While this concept is mentioned in NFPA 1932, it is important to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations when making any modifications or repairs to any of your ladders.
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The camlock is fastened to the bed section through a nonstructural portion of the beam. While retrofitting our ladders with this option, we used a piece of aluminum plate and an aluminum angle to fabricate a bracket for the camlock. To ensure sufficient strength, the aluminum materials are a hard grade of material. The bracket is then bolted to the side of the beam (see photo 8) midway between the third and forth rungs. Proper nesting of the 24-foot ladder with the 14-foot ladder is not affected because of the offset of the camlock assembly.
To facilitate removing the ladder from the apparatus, the pulley can be offset from center. Now, when the ladder is mounted on the apparatus, the entire halyard assembly is below the mounting brackets, allowing easy removal even by only one firefighter (see photo 9). The asymmetrical appearance may at first cause some concern; however, this did not in any way affect the extending of the ladder; we have not experienced any operational failure as a result of this modification.
Quality parts and good workmanship practices are essential if you should choose this option. NFPA 1932 requires ladders be service tested after repairs unless the only repair is halyard replacement. Although this may be viewed as a modification rather than a repair, the only way to ensure the serviceability of the ladder is to perform the appropriate service tests. Ladder manufacturers and testing companies may be the best authorities on this aspect.
MAKING A GOOD TOOL BETTER
The 24-foot pumper extension ladder will undoubtedly continue to be a valuable tool on the fireground. Technology may change the materials used or the method of construction or perhaps the way the ladder is carried on the apparatus. Without a doubt, something will change. That is the nature of our job and our personnel. Firefighters are very resourceful. We must work to develop and welcome the changes that make our job safer and easier. It is up to us, the firefighters who use the equipment, to ensure that technology is in fact for the better. The basic design of this tool and its uses are sure to remain relatively unchanged for the foreseeable future. Innovation can be as far-reaching as our imagination will take us.
None of these options are intended as an alternative to sufficient staffing. Using one or more of these options should allow for more efficient operations. Placing a ladder is a tactic that enables some other function to occur. A properly placed ladder can provide for access to upper floors or the removal of trapped occupants or the safe removal of a brother or sister firefighter trapped above the fire. Efficiency in placing a ladder allows for energy to be expended for other functions. Placing the ladder should not be the most physically draining part of the operation.
Think and perform with “efficiency of movement.” Streamline the process by eliminating unnecessary steps, such as the need to untie a knot binding both ladder sections together, which results in wasted movement and time. Make the procedure to remove the ladder from the apparatus more user-friendly. One firefighter can position and raise the ladder at the fire building, but not if that lone firefighter cannot remove it from the apparatus. The use of a continuous halyard and a camlock can further reduce unnecessary steps. With no knots to tie or untie, pull the halyard to adjust the length, and then lock the halyard into the camlock.
These simple, low-cost modifications to the 24-foot extension ladder can significantly improve fireground operations. Some of these options may be appropriate for your department. You may use a different ladder complement on your pumpers, or you may have a different mounting arrangement. Adapt and overcome. Strive for success. Find what works for you, and make the necessary adjustments to enhance your operation.
RICHARD E. ANDERSEN, a 27-year veteran of the fire service, is a career lieutenant with the Arlington Fire District, a combination department in the Mid-Hudson Valley in New York State. He is a nationally certified Fire Service Instructor II, a New York State fire instructor for Dutchess County, and an adjunct instructor at the New York State Academy of Fire Science in Montour Falls and is completing a degree in fire service management at Empire State College.
Photos by author.
