Where firefighters come to talk training

Single Firefighter Ladder Deployment

A quick search of "ground ladders" on YouTube will pull up dozens of videos showing how to deploy a ladder using any number of methods. Some videos look like they came right out of the academy textbook, some are a bit more non-conventional, and others still show a single firefighter throwing a ladder with so little effort, the ladder might as well have been a paper airplane. I have come to realize that I may never be able to duplicate the latter. My height and muscle mass make it obvious to everyone that I was not born of Zeus.

Regardless of my stature, I cannot just say, "it's impossible for me to throw that ladder." No citizen in need of rescue is going to accept that answer. No firefighter tasked with saving lives should accept that answer either. It was in this light that I began searching for ways to get the job done.

So imagine with me for a minute that you have a visible occupant trapped at a third floor window. The ground below the window is concrete. Unfortunately, you don't have the ability to rest the butt of the ladder against the structure to assist in the raise due to overgrown landscaping. Can you get the ladder in place by yourself?

Hopefully this video will help in answering that question.

https://youtu.be/3zhPrHqsRME

For more like this, check out my website at www.thefirefightonline.com

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Comment by Nicholas Papa on March 29, 2016 at 2:16pm: Great post Jonathan. A realistic alternative for limited staffing operations when conditions are not ideal. I will definitely give this a try next shift.

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