Doug Leihbacher

Imagine you are assigned to an engine company and are dispatched first due to a reported structural fire. As you begin responding, the dispatcher announces additional information that there is someone trapped and awaiting rescue at a third-floor window. A moment later, the assigned ladder company advises that they are stuck in heavy traffic and will be delayed several minutes. The engine carries one 24-foot extension ladder. As you arrive, you can see a victim leaning out the third-floor window, waving frantically, engulfed in thick smoke and ready to jump. Will you be able to use that 24-foot extension ladder to make the rescue?


		Photos by Michael Messar

The answer is yes, it will reach, but barely. It is not an ideal situation, but it is doable. The 24-foot extension ladder will have to be extended fully and placed at a steeper angle than the 75 degrees that is normally recommended. Even with this, it will fall approximately 1½ feet below the windowsill. A 28-foot straight ladder would be a better choice if it were available.

It is important to know the reach and capabilities of the ladders you carry in order to select the proper one for the job. The best way to do this is to take them out and “throw” them up at various locations to see where they are best suited. The following table indicates the effective range of several common ladders carried on apparatus.

REACH OF PORTABLE LADDERS
4th-floor window:	35-foot extension
3rd-floor window:	35-foot extension, 28-foot straight, 24-foot extension *
2nd floor or porch roof:	24-foot extension, 16-foot roof ladder
1-story taxpayer:	24-foot extension, 15-foot roof ladder **

Portable Ladder Placement

The use of ground ladders has diminished in many municipalities over the years. There are several reasons for this, but the fact remains that the more ground ladders that are placed against the fire building, the safer the operation will be for the members inside. Ideally, all four sides of the building should be laddered. The same holds true for members working on the roof. The more ladders that are placed to the roof, the shorter the evacuation time for members if they need to leave in a hurry. When laddering a roof, the tip should be five rungs above the roofline. This allows for visibility and provides something to hold onto when shifting your weight to and from the roof surface.

The recommendations for placement of portable ladders at windows have changed over the years. The current thinking is to place the tip of the portable ladder even with the window sill when positioning the ladder to remove an occupant or enter the window to make a search. Heat and products of combustion will rise from the upper portion of the window first. Therefore, it is safer for members to enter and exit the window as low as possible. Placing the tip of the ladder level with the window sill allows you to stay low. Hold onto the window sill and frame when shifting your weight to and from the ladder. When entering a window remember to take out the sash and child guard.

When positioning the ladder to ventilate a window, it should be placed on the windward side of the window three to four rungs above the window sill. This allows you to swing the tool either horizontally or at a slightly downward angle so that glass chards do not travel down the tool causing injury.

When laddering a fire escape, place the ground ladder alongside the fire escape on the building wall one to three feet above the fire-escape railing. Ideally, this will allow fleeing occupants to use both the drop ladder and the extension ladder, thereby allowing faster evacuation.

Whenever placing a portable ladder, care must be taken not to bring the ladder into contact with overhead electrical wires. This is true regardless of the material the ladder is constructed of, especially if the ladder is wet. Members must look overhead before raising the ladder in order to avoid obstructions.

PLACEMENT OF LADDERS SUMMARY
Window:	Level with the window sill
Window ventilation:	Three to four rungs above the sill, windward side
Roof:	Five rungs above the roof line / parapet
Fire escape:	Along the fire escape, 1-3 feet above railing

Load Carrying Capacities

The steeper the angle of the ladder, the more weight it can hold. It makes no difference whether the fly is above or below the bed ladder. Placement of portable ladders is a trade off between strength and safe climbing angle. Care should be taken not to overload them. The recommended safe angle for ground ladders is 75 degrees. This means that the butt should be placed out, away from the building approximately one-fourth of the height to which the ladder is extended. For example, if the ladder tip is 20 feet above the ground, the butt should be approximately five feet out from the building wall. When placed properly, the following load capacities should considered:

Collapsible and scaling ladders:	300 lbs.
Roof, straight, and extension ladders 26 feet or less:	500 lbs.
Extension ladders more than 26 feet:	600 lbs.

As can be seen, it is possible to overload ground ladders. However, when used within their capacities, ground ladders can provide an extra measure of safety to all members working on the fire as long as they are taken off the rig.

*Note: This writer is not advocating the use of a 24-foot extension ladder for use at three-story windows in place of more suitable ladders. The other ladders listed are far better for the job. Using a ladder that does not conform to the recommended NFPA guidelines for a particular use places both the rescuer and rescuee at additional risk. (Return to text)

**Note: This is for the typical strip-mall type taxpayer. A taxpayer with an atypical mansard or parapet wall may require a taller ladder. (Return to text)