Essential Ladder Skills

Firefighters raising a ladder

The Firefighters Support Foundation’s (FSF) newest training program is now available.

Essential Ladder Skills is an in-your-face, no B.S. take on the necessity of ladder skills and a back-to-the-basics approach to them,” says FSF President David Kenik. The 50-minute program was filmed on-scene at a burn building, and is presented my Michael Wood, a big-city firefighter with one of the busiest ladder companies in the country, responsible for training and development.

The program delves into the essentials of ladder preparation, approach, placement, raising, climbing, and more. It talks about when to roll and when rolling is just laziness. The right and wrong way to do each skill is shown, and the common mistakes of each discussed. One- and two-fire fighter methods of each skill are demonstrated, always with the focus on both task efficiency and overall fireground effectiveness.

A feature sure to both raise hackles and be popular is the parody of some of the “new-fangled” ways of managing ladders at the beginning of the program, as well as Wood’s in-your-face delivery.

RELATED: Truck Company Basics: Ground Ladders | Throw Back to Basics: Roof Ladders | Throw Back to Basics: Ground Ladder Tip Placement

The program is free to all members of public safety and  emergency management agencies. Simply watch in the player below, or go HERE to download (either as m4v or mpg).

Send comments and feedback about these training programs to staff@ffsupport.org.

About the Firefighters Support Foundation

The Firefighters Support Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization dedicated to assisting firefighters, emergency management, EMS, and Search & Rescue personnel perform their jobs effectively and safely. They also set aside a portion of their funds to aid underfunded agencies and assist families of fallen firefighters. More at www.ffsupport.org.

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