Laddering-Cover All Sides
Volunteers Corner
Multi-story private dwellings bring with them a laddering nightmare irrespective of the fire floor. All too often, ladders are raised on private dwellings only when the fire is on a floor above the ground floor, or when there is an obvious life-hazard showing. And, all too often, the ladders are placed in the front of the building ONLY.
Think about the multi-story private dwellings in your district. Think about the staircases involved. In most of these buildings, we will find the staircase to the cellar and the staircase to the second floor sharing the same shaft. These stairways are usually unenclosed and, more important, unprotected. An unenclosed staircase is one that is open, in other words, there is no need to open a door at the base to go from one floor to the next. An unprotected stair is defined as one that does not have a fire retardant such as Sheetrock or lathe and plaster protecting the underside of the treads and risers. This interior shaft is one of the most critical areas in fighting private dwelling fires.
Put the fire where you want, but keeping the importance of this shaft in mind and the knowledge of living space location on the second floor, you will see that ladders are always a must. With a fire on the first floor, the open stair shaft from the first to the second floor allows smoke and fire to enter the second floor unimpeded. With a cellar fire, the unprotected stair from the cellar to the second floor will permit the staircase to burn out at the upper level, allowing for extension and the possibility of trapping civilians and firefighters.
Then why is it that we sometimes notice a lack of portable ladders on the fireground? Can it be a lack of manpower? We hope not. [Dick Sylvia (FIRE ENGINEERING, April 1978) aptly addressed this subject.) Or is it because incoming units (including chief officers) see ladders on the front of the building and assume that the back and sides are also laddered. Or is it (excuse me for using my favorite term) a lack of training?
A good rule of thumb would be to place two ladders initially at all working fires: one at the rear of the fire (the side opposite the advancing nozzle), and one in a remote location from the first. As the fire and manpower commitment escalates, so will the need for portable ladders increase.
In my experience, the importance and use of portable ladders often takes a back seat in training programs. Hose stretching, pump operations, nozzle maneuvering and large caliber stream setup is where training time is usually consumed.
Straight ladders, 20 or 22 feet, although very easy to raise, often give us a very flat climbing angle at private dwellings, and, of course, make removals much more difficult. They also have a “fixed” length. Think of all the windows of all the houses in your neighborhood. How many have windows at similar distances from the ground?
In most cases, the 24-foot extension will fit your needs perfectly. Light enough to be handled by two men (one if need be), this ladder also has all the advantages of larger extension ladders, i.e., it can be raised to the perfect height and give you a good climbing angle (70° to 75°).
Some say that the location of the ladder at the window differs with the job we expect to do. We have been told to place the ladder on the windward side and even with or above the top of the window if we intend to vent. To make entry, the ladder should be placed at or just below the window sill so that the beams of the ladder are not protruding into the window opening itself. This position allows the firefighter to probe the floor with a tool or, in some cases, an arm. It also allows him to enter the window at the lowest spot, the sill. Often, if the ladder position forces him to enter high in the window opening, the heat at that level may make entry impossible. Exits are more simple. There are no beams or protrusions of the ladder structure to snag clothing, SCBA, etc., during hasty exits if conditions get too intense. Removal of victims is easier (a most difficult operation under the best of conditions). Moving conscious or unconscious victims out of a window by using an unobstructed sill is easier than negotiating beams of a poorly placed ladder.
Why have both methods?
Consider what we are doing with the ladder. In the first case, we are initiating horizontal vent. In the latter, we are making entries for search. In both cases, we need a vent, and we need it quick. Ladders can be raised close to the building and dropped into the top of the window; the base of the ladder is then moved out; the ladder goes through the bottom of the window and then sits at or below the sill. The firefighter can now ascend and clean the window opening of screens, drapes, shades, etc., in relative safety because he is below the opening. And one window completely cleaned will give you a better vent than four windows with the interior coverings still in place.
Think of the victim lying on the floor waiting for you to raise your ladder, ascend, place a leg-lock or ladder belt on, and then start to break the windows. This person needs air; and if he hasn’t been removed by the interior team you will be his only link to this precious commodity-and the faster he gets it, the better his chances of surviving. Slamming the ladder through the window will accomplish this quickly. I have been in rooms that were vented this way, and noticed the smoke almost jump off the floor 2-3 inches. This might be just what the victim needs. This type of ladder venting also allows the room to “blow” for the 10 to 15 seconds you are ascending. This can make the room much more tenable for your entry.
Private dwellings are filled with vertical arteries such as stair shafts, pipe voids, heating and air conditioning ducts, and I have even seen where the homeowner has cut holes in the ceiling on the first floor to allow the heat from a coal or wood stove to heat bedrooms. Fast, vertical venting in most cases is not possible, and we are relying on a horizontal vent from our outside team. In multi-story homes, this is best accomplished with portable ladders. Remember that just as a second or third line might be needed for extinguishment, so might the third or fourth ladder be needed for vent, entry, search, and rescue.
