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16 May 2025
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Featured FRI Magazine article: Aerial apparatus operations: placement of aerial apparatus at structural fires by Colin Deiner
There is probably no other piece of equipment in structural firefighting that dominates an incident as the aerial apparatus
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Ladders are designed to be at their strongest when they are unsupported
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Many ladder trucks now feature LED rung lighting
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A balanced fire attack requires that the aerial apparatus forms part of the initial response to most structural fires
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This week’s featured Fire and Rescue International magazine article is: Aerial apparatus operations: placement of aerial apparatus at structural fires written by Colin Deiner, Chief Director, Disaster Management and Fire Brigade Services, Western Cape Government (FRI Vol 3 no 5). We will be sharing more technical/research/tactical articles from Fire and Rescue International magazine on a weekly basis with our readers to assist in technology transfer. This will hopefully create an increased awareness, providing you with hands-on advice and guidance. All our magazines are available free of charge in PDF format on our website and online at ISSUU. We also provide all technical articles as a free download in our article archive on our website.
Aerial apparatus operations: placement of aerial apparatus at structural fires
By Colin Deiner, Chief Director, Disaster Management and Fire Brigade Services, Western Cape Government
There is probably no other piece of equipment in structural firefighting that dominates an incident as the aerial apparatus. It can provide the elevated water stream or rescue platform, which can turn the tide when no other options exist. It can also move fire fighters into areas where they are needed rapidly. I like to think of it (in boxing terms) as the left hook that wins the fight.
So why do we need aerial apparatus?
Aerial apparatus in their different configurations provides a number of tactical fire ground options that include search and rescue, ventilation, entry, checking for fire extension, laddering, salvage, overhaul, elevated master streams, lighting and utility control. It can also be used as a platform for incident commanders to get a bird’s eye view of the incident.
Unfortunately, due to the high running costs of these units, many services are reluctant to include them in their first response plans. In virtually all my previous articles discussing structural firefighting operations, I have advocated a balanced fire attack. This requires that the aerial apparatus forms part of the initial response to most structural fires. Many departments in this country spend huge amounts of their budgets to acquire an aerial device only for it to be left in the station during most structural fire responses and then only called when the on scene incident commander feels that it is needed. This practice precludes the fire fighters to initiate a supported interior attack and will almost always result in the aerial unit being deployed while the fire is at an advanced stage. The area normally reserved for the placement of the aerial will almost certainly be clogged up by other units and hose and force the operator to site the vehicle in a compromised position.
Don’t be the kind of department who are known by the saying of: “When the ladders go up, the walls come down”.
Aerial apparatus placement
The first incident commander on scene will be the officer on the first-in engine company. The first arriving engine company should make a point of driving past the fire building and try to stage on the furthest side of the structure. This allows the incident commander to have a quick, three-sided view of the building and have a good look at the surface on which the aerial apparatus will be placed.
The front of the fire building should be the domain of the aerial truck. This does not necessarily mean that the vehicle should be placed in the front of the building but that it should be able to effectively reach the front of the building. If there is a possibility of structural collapse, it might be a good consideration to place the vehicle on the corner of the building. Always consider the possibility of further structural collapse. Make sure that if this risk exists, your aerial truck should be sited outside the potential collapse zone. The positon of the aerial device must ideally be the most advantageous for getting rescuers, elevated water streams and other specialised truck company functions into position. Remember that the flexibility of the aerial device is limited to the length of the ladder or the reach of the monitor. Pumpers can always extend their hose lines if they are placed further away than what they would like.
Modern aerial devices are not limited by the restrictions of their predecessors, which needed a flat surface to be set up on. The stability features on modern aerial trucks are more forgiving and provides the operator with a less limited range of placement options. The officer responsible for siting the unit must however take all the restrictions in mind before guiding it into position. Overhead power lines, the structural collapse zone and the potential fire spread will all be factors to consider. It should go without saying that outriggers must always be placed on a solid surface. It sometimes happens that fire hose are dragged around outrigger pistons causing minor scratches on these pistons resulting in further damage to the seals of the hydraulic system. Fire fighters must take care to prevent this from happening.
It is important that all units train together to understand the ideal placement of resources on various fire incidents. This includes the fire fighters crewing the supporting units. Everyone needs to know where the ladder truck will be placed on the fire ground and what it will be doing.
Aerial apparatus have two primary functions; rescue and fire attack. Saving lives will always be the first consideration of any incident commander. The initial placement of the aerial apparatus must therefore allow it to reach potential victims at various points on the structure. It must also be placed in so that it can allow fire fighters to perform those activities that will support the rescue operations such as ventilation, forcible entry and structural search.
The term ‘scrub area’ refers to the surface area of a building that can be reached by the aerial. It is obvious that your vehicle placement must be so that it has a maximum scrub area. Depending on the type of aerial device you have (mid-mount or rear mount ladder) you will have to ensure where the optimum siting position will be.
So who do you rescue first?
The screaming person at one window might not be in as much trouble as the silent person in another window or the one you can’t see due to the heavy smoke column. The rescue sector officer must take all the factors into consideration before deciding who to rescue first. This will include the proximity of the victims to the fire, smoke and condition of the building. Also consider other options. A large number of people might not be able to be rescued quickly and it might work to get hose teams into a position where they will be capable of cutting the fire off from these victims. Aggressive positive pressure ventilation might also be an option. Certain victims might be able to be rescued by interior teams and taken out of the building through the staircases. Good communication between the interior teams, aerial apparatus and incident commander is imperative to ensure the all viable victims are rescued.
Someone who is in radio contact with the turntable operator should constantly keep a lookout for people who could suddenly pop up at any window in the building. The operator must then be able to get the ladder/platform in position quickly.
When approaching a victim, the ladder/platform should be raised to above the opening and then lowered to the level of the victim. This should prevent the victim from attempting to jump out of the opening towards the ladder/platform. When getting close to the victims, shout out to those in a clear voice (remember there will be a lot of other noise) exactly what you expect them to do. They will be in a severe state of panic and you should ensure that each move made by them should be careful and deliberate.
Before allowing anyone on a ladder, make sure that it is in position and no longer moving. There are many documented accounts of limbs being caught in moving ladder rungs and causing severe injury, as well as taking the ladder truck out of the fire fight during an often life critical period.
I can’t stress enough the importance of taking the time to get to know the buildings in your station area. Knowing where the sleeping areas in a large apartment block are, will guide you in deciding where to site your aerial truck and might buy you valuable seconds when the life risk is high.
Fire attack
The main purpose of the aerial platform will be to provide an elevated, high-volume water stream for exterior attack. In some cases an interior attack may already have started and the ladder truck might have to be employed in support of the interior attack. This will include ventilation or provision of access for fire fighters to the upper floors.
An elevated master stream has the advantage of eliminating difficult hose lays up stairwells and can provide a standpipe capability where none exist. A misdirected master stream can also, however, disturb the ventilation process. To prevent this from happening always give constant attention to the overall prevailing conditions and communicate with the ventilation team.
Elevated master streams are generally used defensively to contain the fire, attack the exterior of the building and provide exposure protection. A solid or straight stream is the tool of choice for this function and this must be used to attack and penetrate the seat of the fire. Due to the limited access the elevated stream might have to the fire, care should be taken not to spread it into the unburned area. When more than one elevated stream is in operation, operators must be careful not to strike another device by accident.
When you are providing water to the interior teams through the ladder/platforms and their hoses are connected to the outlets on the ladder, you must accept that you have tied your resource to this activity and will not be able to use it for anything else. If there is a possibility that people might need to be rescued or other activities might need to be carried out, you might need to employ a second truck or provide water through other possible methods. I am not a great advocate of using the aerial apparatus as an elevated hydrant while other activities also have to happen. However, I would not specify an aerial device without any outlets as you may have to respond on occasions to incidents where this feature could be of great value. I recall as an operations officer having a chipboard manufacturing plant in my station area. It was a thankless task hauling many lengths of hose up to the top of the silos every time we had a fire there (which we had often). That was until our new 35-metre ladder truck arrived and we were able to spot the platform right next to the elevated walkway and extend our hand lines from there. Then being a fire fighter became fun again.
The positioning of the aerial truck could be very different for fire attack than for rescue. This must be taken into account by the fire operations officer. The rule of thumb for placing your aerial apparatus should be:
Using the ladder
Older aerial ladders needed to be operated largely over the chassis of the vehicle where it was at its most stable. This severely limited the ability of the ladder to move in multiple directions during complex incidents. The large number of safety systems on modern apparatus has largely negated this exception (some of these systems are discussed later).
Some people are still of the opinion that resting the tip of an extended aerial ladder against the side of a building will provide extra stabilisation to the ladder. The facts are as follows:
You have no idea of knowing what the stability of the wall is against which your ladder is resting; you also don’t know if the force you are exerting against the wall will cause it to be compromised further and collapse.
Ladders are designed to be at their strongest when they are unsupported and by placing torsional stress on the aerial you are going against the manufacturer's recommendations. This is one of the leading causes of aerial ladder failure.
Also ensure that you are not placing your ladder too close to the top of the surface onto which the fire fighters have to climb onto. Sure it is easier for an equipment laden fire fighter to be as close to the roof or windowsill but the climbing actions will cause the ladder to bounce and continuously bump against the structure.
Never shock load the ladder by attempting to jump onto it from any distance irrespective of how small it might be.
When moving personnel up and down the ladder, take care to prevent utilising it at excessive horizontal and vertical elevations. Almost all of the modern ladders can work at low elevations and even at negative angles, which is particularly helpful during rescues from below surface positions. Consult your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations and load chart. Don’t exceed 70 percent.
Ventilation
Getting a ventilation team to the roof of a building can many times be achieved best by moving them up there with your aerial apparatus. Most hydraulic and ladder platforms allow for the cage to be tilted at an angle parallel to the roof angle. By using this feature of the platform, the ventilation team could move slowly over the top of the structure testing the stability of the roof from the safety of the platform cage.
When the crew is ready to ventilate, the cage operator should move in as closely as possible. A fire fighter tethered to the cage should then use a ventilation saw to make the horizontal cuts. If space allows, the vertical cuts should be made by an additional fire fighter before the final (bottom) horizontal cut is made. This cut should not be complete and a small bit of the roof should be left intact to prevent it from falling into the building completely. Moving the cage back, one fire fighter should then use a ceiling hook to rip away the last bit and allow the fire to vent a safe distance away. Should you still have a ceiling in place, use the ceiling hook to tear this open. Most modern platforms are fitted with an airline system whereby tanks situated along the sides of the ladder provide air to outlets in the cage. This negates the need for fire fighters in the cage to wear bulky self-contained breathing apparatus’ (SCBAs) and allows for greater ease of movement.
As mentioned in a previous article on ground ladders, when you are using the aerial ladder to place fire fighters on a roof make sure that the end of the ladder extends above the roofline. This allows the fire fighters to access the roof rapidly and also allows them to see the lights on the end of the ladder in conditions of limited visibility.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) specifies a range of ground ladders to be carried on an aerial device. At least two of the ground ladders should be hook ladders. When you are operating on a pitched roof with a straight stick, you might experience problems reaching certain points. Make provision then for hook ladder to be used in steep angles.
Ventilating while standing on the aerial ladder is possible and has the advantage of allowing ventilation teams to do their job without putting any weight on the roof. The ladder must never be extended or retracted while this is happening.
In closing: new innovations
I recently had a discussion with a friend who has been in the fire truck manufacturing business for a long time. He expressed the concern that despite the many improvements made to aerial apparatus over the last number of years, almost 80 percent of the vehicles currently used in this country were commissioned before most of these innovations happened. Considering that most of the decision makers will not even dream of driving a car without all of the modern safety systems like airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, crumble zones etc (even air conditioning is seen as a necessity), it is amazing to think that they have no problem in allowing their fire services to ride in vehicles that still have technology from a decade (or longer) back.
Aerial platforms are now capable of flowing up to 7 500 l/min through either a single or dual monitors. A system of ‘short jacking’ makes it possible to deploy both jacks in a confined area where in the past it wouldn’t be possible to site the apparatus due to lack of space.
Advanced electronics now monitor and provide critical data relating to breathing air status, flow rates and pressures, rung and ladder alignment, active load ratings on a chart with life time rating, extension and reach, sensor read out to avoid collisions between the ladder and the cab, etc.
Lighting on aerial platforms has also improved hugely and many ladder trucks now feature LED rung lighting thereby lighting all the rungs and side rails for night time operation. Rungs are now also fitted with luminescent covers for greater visibility at night.
Aerial apparatus now also have much higher load ratings with platforms that can accommodate 1 300kg and straight stick ladders with weight ratings of 1 200kg. Stability has also been improved to the extent that it can withstand winds of up to 80km/h.
Many qualified operators of aerial devices will tell you of their difficulties in preventing the platform from jerking, following a sudden or harsh input. This problem has also been overcome in modern ladder trucks by the introduction of soft touch controls, which prevent all vibrations and jerking when coming to a stop.
A final innovation I found especially impressive is the ‘auto-bedding’ function, which allows for the stowing of the ladder with the engagement of a single switch.
The features mentioned here provide for a safer, quicker and ultimately more effective utilisation of this vital piece of equipment. I might sound like a car salesman but in my opinion there has never been a better time to buy one than now.
Aerial apparatus operations: placement of aerial apparatus at structural fires
By Colin Deiner, Chief Director, Disaster Management and Fire Brigade Services, Western Cape Government
There is probably no other piece of equipment in structural firefighting that dominates an incident as the aerial apparatus. It can provide the elevated water stream or rescue platform, which can turn the tide when no other options exist. It can also move fire fighters into areas where they are needed rapidly. I like to think of it (in boxing terms) as the left hook that wins the fight.
So why do we need aerial apparatus?
Aerial apparatus in their different configurations provides a number of tactical fire ground options that include search and rescue, ventilation, entry, checking for fire extension, laddering, salvage, overhaul, elevated master streams, lighting and utility control. It can also be used as a platform for incident commanders to get a bird’s eye view of the incident.
Unfortunately, due to the high running costs of these units, many services are reluctant to include them in their first response plans. In virtually all my previous articles discussing structural firefighting operations, I have advocated a balanced fire attack. This requires that the aerial apparatus forms part of the initial response to most structural fires. Many departments in this country spend huge amounts of their budgets to acquire an aerial device only for it to be left in the station during most structural fire responses and then only called when the on scene incident commander feels that it is needed. This practice precludes the fire fighters to initiate a supported interior attack and will almost always result in the aerial unit being deployed while the fire is at an advanced stage. The area normally reserved for the placement of the aerial will almost certainly be clogged up by other units and hose and force the operator to site the vehicle in a compromised position.
Don’t be the kind of department who are known by the saying of: “When the ladders go up, the walls come down”.
Aerial apparatus placement
The first incident commander on scene will be the officer on the first-in engine company. The first arriving engine company should make a point of driving past the fire building and try to stage on the furthest side of the structure. This allows the incident commander to have a quick, three-sided view of the building and have a good look at the surface on which the aerial apparatus will be placed.
The front of the fire building should be the domain of the aerial truck. This does not necessarily mean that the vehicle should be placed in the front of the building but that it should be able to effectively reach the front of the building. If there is a possibility of structural collapse, it might be a good consideration to place the vehicle on the corner of the building. Always consider the possibility of further structural collapse. Make sure that if this risk exists, your aerial truck should be sited outside the potential collapse zone. The positon of the aerial device must ideally be the most advantageous for getting rescuers, elevated water streams and other specialised truck company functions into position. Remember that the flexibility of the aerial device is limited to the length of the ladder or the reach of the monitor. Pumpers can always extend their hose lines if they are placed further away than what they would like.
Modern aerial devices are not limited by the restrictions of their predecessors, which needed a flat surface to be set up on. The stability features on modern aerial trucks are more forgiving and provides the operator with a less limited range of placement options. The officer responsible for siting the unit must however take all the restrictions in mind before guiding it into position. Overhead power lines, the structural collapse zone and the potential fire spread will all be factors to consider. It should go without saying that outriggers must always be placed on a solid surface. It sometimes happens that fire hose are dragged around outrigger pistons causing minor scratches on these pistons resulting in further damage to the seals of the hydraulic system. Fire fighters must take care to prevent this from happening.
It is important that all units train together to understand the ideal placement of resources on various fire incidents. This includes the fire fighters crewing the supporting units. Everyone needs to know where the ladder truck will be placed on the fire ground and what it will be doing.
Aerial apparatus have two primary functions; rescue and fire attack. Saving lives will always be the first consideration of any incident commander. The initial placement of the aerial apparatus must therefore allow it to reach potential victims at various points on the structure. It must also be placed in so that it can allow fire fighters to perform those activities that will support the rescue operations such as ventilation, forcible entry and structural search.
The term ‘scrub area’ refers to the surface area of a building that can be reached by the aerial. It is obvious that your vehicle placement must be so that it has a maximum scrub area. Depending on the type of aerial device you have (mid-mount or rear mount ladder) you will have to ensure where the optimum siting position will be.
So who do you rescue first?
The screaming person at one window might not be in as much trouble as the silent person in another window or the one you can’t see due to the heavy smoke column. The rescue sector officer must take all the factors into consideration before deciding who to rescue first. This will include the proximity of the victims to the fire, smoke and condition of the building. Also consider other options. A large number of people might not be able to be rescued quickly and it might work to get hose teams into a position where they will be capable of cutting the fire off from these victims. Aggressive positive pressure ventilation might also be an option. Certain victims might be able to be rescued by interior teams and taken out of the building through the staircases. Good communication between the interior teams, aerial apparatus and incident commander is imperative to ensure the all viable victims are rescued.
Someone who is in radio contact with the turntable operator should constantly keep a lookout for people who could suddenly pop up at any window in the building. The operator must then be able to get the ladder/platform in position quickly.
When approaching a victim, the ladder/platform should be raised to above the opening and then lowered to the level of the victim. This should prevent the victim from attempting to jump out of the opening towards the ladder/platform. When getting close to the victims, shout out to those in a clear voice (remember there will be a lot of other noise) exactly what you expect them to do. They will be in a severe state of panic and you should ensure that each move made by them should be careful and deliberate.
Before allowing anyone on a ladder, make sure that it is in position and no longer moving. There are many documented accounts of limbs being caught in moving ladder rungs and causing severe injury, as well as taking the ladder truck out of the fire fight during an often life critical period.
I can’t stress enough the importance of taking the time to get to know the buildings in your station area. Knowing where the sleeping areas in a large apartment block are, will guide you in deciding where to site your aerial truck and might buy you valuable seconds when the life risk is high.
Fire attack
The main purpose of the aerial platform will be to provide an elevated, high-volume water stream for exterior attack. In some cases an interior attack may already have started and the ladder truck might have to be employed in support of the interior attack. This will include ventilation or provision of access for fire fighters to the upper floors.
An elevated master stream has the advantage of eliminating difficult hose lays up stairwells and can provide a standpipe capability where none exist. A misdirected master stream can also, however, disturb the ventilation process. To prevent this from happening always give constant attention to the overall prevailing conditions and communicate with the ventilation team.
Elevated master streams are generally used defensively to contain the fire, attack the exterior of the building and provide exposure protection. A solid or straight stream is the tool of choice for this function and this must be used to attack and penetrate the seat of the fire. Due to the limited access the elevated stream might have to the fire, care should be taken not to spread it into the unburned area. When more than one elevated stream is in operation, operators must be careful not to strike another device by accident.
When you are providing water to the interior teams through the ladder/platforms and their hoses are connected to the outlets on the ladder, you must accept that you have tied your resource to this activity and will not be able to use it for anything else. If there is a possibility that people might need to be rescued or other activities might need to be carried out, you might need to employ a second truck or provide water through other possible methods. I am not a great advocate of using the aerial apparatus as an elevated hydrant while other activities also have to happen. However, I would not specify an aerial device without any outlets as you may have to respond on occasions to incidents where this feature could be of great value. I recall as an operations officer having a chipboard manufacturing plant in my station area. It was a thankless task hauling many lengths of hose up to the top of the silos every time we had a fire there (which we had often). That was until our new 35-metre ladder truck arrived and we were able to spot the platform right next to the elevated walkway and extend our hand lines from there. Then being a fire fighter became fun again.
The positioning of the aerial truck could be very different for fire attack than for rescue. This must be taken into account by the fire operations officer. The rule of thumb for placing your aerial apparatus should be:
- Maximum stability
- Best climbing angle
- Adequate extension capability
- Consider the condition of the fire building
Using the ladder
Older aerial ladders needed to be operated largely over the chassis of the vehicle where it was at its most stable. This severely limited the ability of the ladder to move in multiple directions during complex incidents. The large number of safety systems on modern apparatus has largely negated this exception (some of these systems are discussed later).
Some people are still of the opinion that resting the tip of an extended aerial ladder against the side of a building will provide extra stabilisation to the ladder. The facts are as follows:
You have no idea of knowing what the stability of the wall is against which your ladder is resting; you also don’t know if the force you are exerting against the wall will cause it to be compromised further and collapse.
Ladders are designed to be at their strongest when they are unsupported and by placing torsional stress on the aerial you are going against the manufacturer's recommendations. This is one of the leading causes of aerial ladder failure.
Also ensure that you are not placing your ladder too close to the top of the surface onto which the fire fighters have to climb onto. Sure it is easier for an equipment laden fire fighter to be as close to the roof or windowsill but the climbing actions will cause the ladder to bounce and continuously bump against the structure.
Never shock load the ladder by attempting to jump onto it from any distance irrespective of how small it might be.
When moving personnel up and down the ladder, take care to prevent utilising it at excessive horizontal and vertical elevations. Almost all of the modern ladders can work at low elevations and even at negative angles, which is particularly helpful during rescues from below surface positions. Consult your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations and load chart. Don’t exceed 70 percent.
Ventilation
Getting a ventilation team to the roof of a building can many times be achieved best by moving them up there with your aerial apparatus. Most hydraulic and ladder platforms allow for the cage to be tilted at an angle parallel to the roof angle. By using this feature of the platform, the ventilation team could move slowly over the top of the structure testing the stability of the roof from the safety of the platform cage.
When the crew is ready to ventilate, the cage operator should move in as closely as possible. A fire fighter tethered to the cage should then use a ventilation saw to make the horizontal cuts. If space allows, the vertical cuts should be made by an additional fire fighter before the final (bottom) horizontal cut is made. This cut should not be complete and a small bit of the roof should be left intact to prevent it from falling into the building completely. Moving the cage back, one fire fighter should then use a ceiling hook to rip away the last bit and allow the fire to vent a safe distance away. Should you still have a ceiling in place, use the ceiling hook to tear this open. Most modern platforms are fitted with an airline system whereby tanks situated along the sides of the ladder provide air to outlets in the cage. This negates the need for fire fighters in the cage to wear bulky self-contained breathing apparatus’ (SCBAs) and allows for greater ease of movement.
As mentioned in a previous article on ground ladders, when you are using the aerial ladder to place fire fighters on a roof make sure that the end of the ladder extends above the roofline. This allows the fire fighters to access the roof rapidly and also allows them to see the lights on the end of the ladder in conditions of limited visibility.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) specifies a range of ground ladders to be carried on an aerial device. At least two of the ground ladders should be hook ladders. When you are operating on a pitched roof with a straight stick, you might experience problems reaching certain points. Make provision then for hook ladder to be used in steep angles.
Ventilating while standing on the aerial ladder is possible and has the advantage of allowing ventilation teams to do their job without putting any weight on the roof. The ladder must never be extended or retracted while this is happening.
In closing: new innovations
I recently had a discussion with a friend who has been in the fire truck manufacturing business for a long time. He expressed the concern that despite the many improvements made to aerial apparatus over the last number of years, almost 80 percent of the vehicles currently used in this country were commissioned before most of these innovations happened. Considering that most of the decision makers will not even dream of driving a car without all of the modern safety systems like airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, crumble zones etc (even air conditioning is seen as a necessity), it is amazing to think that they have no problem in allowing their fire services to ride in vehicles that still have technology from a decade (or longer) back.
Aerial platforms are now capable of flowing up to 7 500 l/min through either a single or dual monitors. A system of ‘short jacking’ makes it possible to deploy both jacks in a confined area where in the past it wouldn’t be possible to site the apparatus due to lack of space.
Advanced electronics now monitor and provide critical data relating to breathing air status, flow rates and pressures, rung and ladder alignment, active load ratings on a chart with life time rating, extension and reach, sensor read out to avoid collisions between the ladder and the cab, etc.
Lighting on aerial platforms has also improved hugely and many ladder trucks now feature LED rung lighting thereby lighting all the rungs and side rails for night time operation. Rungs are now also fitted with luminescent covers for greater visibility at night.
Aerial apparatus now also have much higher load ratings with platforms that can accommodate 1 300kg and straight stick ladders with weight ratings of 1 200kg. Stability has also been improved to the extent that it can withstand winds of up to 80km/h.
Many qualified operators of aerial devices will tell you of their difficulties in preventing the platform from jerking, following a sudden or harsh input. This problem has also been overcome in modern ladder trucks by the introduction of soft touch controls, which prevent all vibrations and jerking when coming to a stop.
A final innovation I found especially impressive is the ‘auto-bedding’ function, which allows for the stowing of the ladder with the engagement of a single switch.
The features mentioned here provide for a safer, quicker and ultimately more effective utilisation of this vital piece of equipment. I might sound like a car salesman but in my opinion there has never been a better time to buy one than now.