The Turntable is Number 1!
Our agencies have spent a lot of money to buy trucks, and many of us seek out truck work; but why don’t we use the aerial ladder?
OK! That was a generalization, but let’s think about the responses made by our agency’s trucks in the last six months and count the number of times the aerial has been out of the cradle. Factoring out EMS calls, vehicle rescues, and single-story, single-family dwelling fires, there are probably a few incidents involving two-or-more-story buildings that could have used a rubber-covered, pipe-laden, telescoping staircase to reach the roof. Of those calls, how many times was the aerial raised?
Too often, the truck isn’t even allowed to occupy the spot that provides the best tactical placement of the apparatus, whether it is to best utilize the oversized and heavy tools on board, or whether it is to place the aerial to the roof. It is critical that not only truck officers and engineers understand where the best spot for the truck is, but the first and subsequent-arriving engine-company officers need to understand the needs of a truck company as well. The truck must be allowed to spot in a position that will allow the company to operate offensively with the ability to transition to a defensive mode. The turntable has to be placed to meet the immediate and future needs of an incident!
Companies that arrive after the first engine company, unless approaching the scene and appropriately staging, parking, or carrying out an assignment from the IC, frequently contribute to “scene compaction” which limits future tactical options. Apparatus side-by-side or nose-to-nose can eliminate the ability to move apparatus during an incident, such as moving a more appropriate piece of equipment in to the scene (such as a truck) that arrives after another company that is now blocking the road. When ground ladders are called for on an incident, placing the truck in front of the building allows the truck crew to remove and work with their own ladders, and allows the engine crew to pull lines without being interrupted by ladders being taken from their engine by the truck crew. This is especially true now that many of us are purchasing engines with hydraulic ladder racks.
FireNuggets has presented articles written by true “artists” of the fire service that can explain very well the optimum placement of apparatus based on their experience. I encourage you to look through the archives of FireNuggets, as well as Fire Engineering and Fire Rescue Magazine to take advantage of these well-thought-out articles and incorporate the high points into your drills and responses. This article is only intended to provoke some thought about incorporating the aerial into what are thought to be routine calls so that when you really need the ladder, you already know where you are going to spot the truck and your crew will be proficient in the operation of the aerial.
The initial apparatus placement at a fire scene is critically important so that supply lines and other companies can be placed for a successful outcome. As many have said: “Hoses bend, ladders don’t.” The truck has to be in a spot where you can effectively use it! Practicing aerial placement during drills, events such as alarm-sounding responses, and smoke investigations will not only sharpen the truck crew, but it will keep the needs and capabilities of the truck at the forefront in the minds of other responding company officers and the incident commander.
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