A recent story in Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment magazine discussed straight stick vs. platform apparatus. Each type of aerial truck has its strong points. “Tower Ladder Tactics” explored offered firefighters and officers an overall view of the proper use of the tower ladder/aerial platform and the many benefits it can offer to a fire department. “Many people have the perception that the tower ladder is basically a ‘defensive operations master stream’”, said Lieutenant Mark D. Gregory, Fire Department of New York. “This piece of apparatus is an incredible asset not only on the fire-ground but, on scene of a technical rescue or hazardous materials incident.”
The class started off explaining the evolution and basic construction of the tower ladder. Proper positioning of the tower ladder/aerial platform is the key to its success. A large portion of the class concentrated on this particular area covering safety, setup and proper operational positioning. “I would like to highlight the use of this device as a V.E.S. (Vent-Enter-Search) platform and as a portable/versatile master stream on the fire-ground,” said Gregory. “My career and hometown volunteer departments have been using these techniques for years with excellent results.”
By the end of the class, Gregory hoped that students would realize the many options a tower ladder offers. “In today’s economic climate, we unfortunately have to justify our existence and the equipment we have,” he added. “For the chief officer, budgets and community perception are a major stumbling block. This presentation offered the chief officer an arsenal of information that will validate the purchasing/replacing of such a vehicle or the comparison vs. the purchasing of an aerial ladder.”
