By Tom Brennan
We have often discussed the positioning of ladder trucks on the fireground. Yet, it is the subject most commonly raised by those in the field-as recently as last month in Texas and Florida, for example. Here are some opinions I have formulated over the years. Again, remember: If you have more reasons to operate differently than suggested here, you are probably correct!
Simple, But Important, Rules. First, I am reiterating a couple of simple rules that are so important that the truck will never be able to get in the most adequate position if they are ignored:
- The truck should be the first or second piece of apparatus to enter the fire block (street, alley, thoroughfare)-it should not be any farther back. This means that second-arriving engine companies, rescue boxes, ambulances, support vehicles, and anything that cannot duck into an alley or driveway should remain at the intersection until the aerial apparatus arrives.
- Slow down. This has been said so often that I hesitate to say it again. But, it is so effective a behavior pattern for the chauffeur (driver, engineer, foreman) to adopt that it is worth mentioning again. The operator of an aerial device has so much to think about, absorb, decide, choose, outguess, and plan that it is impossible to accomplish all this while moving at a standard response pace.
There are more of these “rules,” but they will wait for another time. Our focus now will be turned to the questions from the field concerning specific types of structure fires in our response districts.
Q. What is the apparatus’ position at a one-story, strip store complex?
A. The answer here lies in what you are driving up with. If it is an aerial ladder, stop on the exposure side of the fire structure, just past the involved store(s). Its objectives are to deliver tools and gain roof access for vertical ventilation crews. You can use its aerial and portable ladders, ensuring that portable ladders will be “stored” out of the way and available for all the varied uses cited in the training manuals without causing confusion and creating tripping hazards presented by heaps of hose.
It is another story if it is a tower ladder. The turntable should be in front of the store with the most serious fire. The tower has all the benefits listed in the preceding paragraph and offers aggressive large-caliber stream capability at the seat of the fire should it be needed momentarily or for a defensive operation. The distance from the tower to the building is always decided by the distance from the center of the turntable to the outmost projections on the bucket. The value here is that the tower can be operated at sidewalk level, providing a heavy-caliber stream-a 700-gallon-per-minute handline.
Q. Where would you position at a reported fire at a multiple dwelling of ordinary construction?
A. Ordinary (or combustible) construction is the key word here. These buildings are always built at a height lower than the height at which an aerial device of 100 or so feet can be used effectively. Position perpendicular to the fire/objective seen on arrival, given that the tip of the device can access the target. Terrain, wires, and trees will alter that slightly. The wind’s causing the products of combustion to take oblique courses is another problem. The tip of the device should be placed so that the objective is approached from the side from which the wind is blowing-the windward side for the students.
Q. What if no emergency is showing?
A. Stop the apparatus short of the building with the turntable on the nearest building corner. If something should erupt, you will have covered two out of three objectives. If it is necessary to move to a location farther into the fa
Q. How about high-rise multiple dwellings?
A. The key here is, Where is the fire? (It is always the key to tactical planning, personnel preparation, and operations in general.) A high-rise residence is of different construction than ordinary dwellings. Floors are usually separated from each other, making autoexposure the only method of vertical extension. The major firefighting key-the strategic factor here-is effecting horizontal ventilation on the fire occupancy as soon as possible. That assignment is usually given to the chauffeur (driver) of the aerial and his partner, especially in today’s “arrive with not enough people” trend in our departments.
With that said, the position of the aerial device is out of the way when the fire is above the reach of the aerial. This frees the outside team to get to the floor above the fire, gain access to the occupancy above the fire, and vent (break) the windows below for the uncomfortable entry team and nozzle operations.
Consequently, if the fire is within the reach of the aerial device, this driver team must try to position the apparatus directly below the objective. This effort has as many tricks to it as Houdini had.
Q. What floor can a 100-foot aerial device reach in today’s newly constructed high-rise residence buildings?
A. Here, the answer differs from that given in the older tactical texts and training outlines. The old 10-foot-per-story rule is out. A properly positioned aerial can reach and provide effective outside ventilation and entry tactics at the 11th-floor level. Houdini 1 and 2 must figure the real location from the ground by counting with the old fingers and not the radio transmissions!
TOM BRENNAN has more than 35 years of fire service experience. His career spans more than 20 years with the Fire Department of New York as well as four years as chief of the Waterbury (CT) Fire Department. He was the editor of Fire Engineering for eight years and currently is a technical editor. He is co-editor of The Fire Chief’s Handbook, Fifth Edition (Fire Engineering Books, 1995). He is the recipient of the 1998 Fire Engineering Lifetime Achievement Award. Brennan is featured in the video Brennan and Bruno Unplugged (Fire Engineering/FDIC, 1999).
