We put photographs of firefighters at real incidents on the cover of Fire Engineering. There are many reasons specific photos end up on the cover while others do not. We constantly get letters and e-mails concerning the content of photos on the cover. Many comments center on the firefighters’ actions and operations captured in the photo from the perspectives of safety and generally accepted practices.
Don’t think for a minute that we blindly allow photos of unsafe acts to slip by us in our quest for exceptional action shots of firefighters being firefighters. Quite the contrary is true! For the most part, photos are presented to solicit conversation at the station kitchen table. Most of the best informal drills I have participated in while visiting stations was to discuss the cover photos of Fire Engineering and other fire-related magazines.
A word of caution to the young firefighters who take it upon themselves, and rightfully so, to read fire-related magazines and look at training and other fire videos: Please do not get lulled into the trap of believing that what you see on the cover photos and those inside magazines and scenes in videos are always safe and generally accepted practices. One instance comes to mind. Most of us have seen pictures of firefighters operating ladder pipes atop the tip of a straight-stick aerial at fires. I can only think of one reason (other than the obvious–it looks cool and macho) reason for a firefighter to be at the tip of an aerial flowing water. That would be to best direct the stream. The old-timers in Toledo had a saying: “When the stick goes up, the building usually comes down!” How true.
In light of the last-ditch efforts of ladder pipes, how much difference does our perfectly directed stream make? In contrast to the one advantage of allowing a firefighter to direct a stream from a ladder pipe, I can think of five or 10 bad things that can happen by allowing a firefighter to be up there. Aerials can tip, whip, fracture, and fail. Firefighters can slip, trip (on rungs), and get appendages caught between rungs. Explosions from below and flames and wind shifts can also put the firefighter in jeopardy. None of these is worth the risk when chances are great that the building will be a total loss. —John “Skip” Coleman, retired as assistant chief from the Toledo (OH) Department of Fire and Rescue. He is a technical editor of Fire Engineering; a member of the FDIC Educational Advisory Board; and author of Incident Management for the Street-Smart Fire Officer (Fire Engineering, 1997), Managing Major Fires (Fire Engineering, 2000), and Incident Management for the Street-Smart Fire Officer, Second Edition (Fire Engineering, 2008).
Question: Does your department allow firefighters to be at the tip of a straight-stick aerial when water is flowing?
Rick Lasky, chief,
Lewisville (TX) Fire Department
Response: Placing a firefighter at the tip of an aerial ladder while flowing water is not common in Lewisville. The majority of our aerial operations involving elevated stream applications are done from our tower ladder’s bucket. Our “straight sticks” are 75-foot quints; only under an extreme circumstance would a firefighter be at the tip. It’s not a safe or necessary practice. Most new apparatus have remotely operated nozzles, and the majority of the others are controlled by a halyard. Placing a firefighter at the tip is not necessary and subjects the firefighter to potential serious (if not fatal) injury should the pipe fail. It also often places the firefighter in the smoke and in some incorrect placement situations over the fire. Back in the “old days,” you rarely saw a picture of a fire scene where aerial ladders were used for elevated streams that didn’t have a firefighter at the tip. It is time to discontinue this practice and make our elevated stream operations safer.
Thomas Dunne, deputy chief,
Fire Department of New York
Response: Close to half of the ladder companies in the FDNY (60 out of 141) are tower ladders. These units are spread throughout the city and can be rapidly deployed when a heavy-caliber stream is needed at an operation.
Our straight-stick aerial ladders do not have prepiped waterways. They can be used to apply water by clamping a ladder pipe at the tip and stretching a supply hose up the ladder. Given the complexity of this evolution and the ease of placing a tower ladder in operation, our aerials are seldom used to flow water.
However, we still have written procedures for using an aerial as a water tower. If a ladder pipe must be placed in operation, the stream direction is controlled by maneuvering halyards from the base of the ladder. If the pipe requires adjusting, we permit a firefighter to climb the ladder with water flowing, provided the ladder angle is maintained between 70° and 80° .The intent is to have the firefighter return to the safety of the street after making the correction instead of keeping him at the tip of the ladder.
Our tower ladders for the most part have eliminated the danger of this evolution and have made for safer and more efficient operations.
Michael T. Metro, assistant chief,
Los Angeles County (CA) Fire Department
Response: Our department gives the truck or quint company captain the discretion to make that choice. The heavy appliances of most of our trucks and quints are remotely controlled from the ground.
Brian Cudaback, battalion chief,
Arlington (TX) Fire-Rescue
Response: We allow firefighters to be at the tip of an aerial ladder when flowing water; in fact, we encourage it. All of our aerials have electric guns and nozzles, which makes it easy for apparatus operators to operate them from the turntable. However, an operator’s ability to direct and apply an elevated master stream effectively from the turntable is hampered by the fact that he is unable to see exactly where the stream is going in most cases. A firefighter at the tip, in full control of the gun, has the best vantage point from which to mount an all-out aerial assault most efficiently.
Having said all that, safety has to be considered. Our truck captains are charged with making sound decisions when it comes to putting firefighters at risk. This operation begs the question, what’s best for the safety of my team? We discourage the extension and retraction of an aerial with a firefighter at the tip even though all of our aerials have folding steps that provide a standing surface in place of rungs. We require full personal protective equipment (PPE) and a truck belt so firefighter can “lock in” when in position. Communication systems are installed at the turntable and tip of the aerial to ensure effective communication between the operator and firefighter. If we can’t do any of this safely or if the risks outweigh the benefit, we don’t do it at all.
Bobby Shelton, firefighter,
Cincinnati (OH) Fire Department
Response: We have trucks with no pumps, and we recently purchased four new trucks with pre piped waterways-again, with no pumps. Having the prepiped waterways obviously makes ladder pipe operations significantly easier. In the past we used control ropes for directional control of the ladder pipe. At times, however, because of certain circumstances or changes in conditions, we have had a firefighter at the tip while flowing water for the purpose of greater directional control. The truck company officer generally makes this decision; if the incident commander (IC) determines there is a need for it, he can order the tip to be staffed. As with all fireground operations, safety should be of primary concern; therefore, firefighters who will be at the ladder tip for a prolonged time while water is flowing must be secured.
Gary Seidel, chief,
Hillsboro (OR) Fire Department
Response: The heavy appliances on aerial ladders today allow for remote control of the nozzle from the ground or at the tip of the aerial ladder. The decision is left to the company office. If a firefighter is assigned to the tip of the aerial ladder, we ensure several safety measures are in place: (1) only one member is allowed on the fly section during the ladder pipe operation; (2) the member is secured to the ladder with a life belt in two places; (3) the apparatus operator will remain on the pedestal at the controls and be in communication at all times while the firefighter is at the tip; and (4) a 2 ½-inch protection line supplied from another apparatus is in position from the ground. .
Craig H. Shelley, fire protection advisor,
Saudi Aramco
Response: Our department has no formal policy on operating on the tip of the stick while water is flowing; we have only one straight-stick ladder. For safety and operational efficiency, we use aerial platforms. In the industrial setting, it may even be unwise to place members in the basket at large industrial process fires because of the possibility of explosions. An explosion would seriously compromise the safety of the people in the basket. It would be best to position the basket unstaffed and use the monitor streams, maneuvering them by moving the basket arm or, if the capability is there, remotely. When I started in the fire service, straight-stick aerials were the predominant apparatus used for elevated work, rescue, or master stream delivery. At no time did my department allow personnel on the ladder while water was flowing. Halyards were used to direct the stream fairly accurately. To this day, we still see firefighters directing the stream from the tip of aerials at major fires. Why? How many firefighters have been injured or killed by this practice? It is unsafe, and policies should be in place to prevent the practice.
Elby Bushong III, deputy chief,
Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department
Response: Our department does not allow firefighters on the end of a stick during fire operations. About eight years ago, one of the local fire departments had a firefighter operating from a stick when wind conditions changed and caused the firefighter to be in the heat of a large defensive fire. The firefighter received some burns but was very calm in his descent under extreme conditions; he did not fall.
That event caused the departments in the Phoenix area to reevaluate and, in some cases, change their policies on aerial ladder operations. The protection provided by the bucket of a platform ladder is best suited for our department’s operations. We also reinforced the procedure of having an operator at the pedestal any time a firefighter is in the bucket or on the stick.
The firefighters in the bucket or the operator at the pedestal can control our platform if conditions change. We order our platforms with preplumbed, manually operated sprinkler systems to assist in protecting the firefighters while operating. The increased firefighter safety makes the platform ladder our best option.
We have some reserve sticks that may be in service and would be used for rescue and overhaul as needed. The platform ladders would be used in defensive fires as our first option because of the added protection of the bucket and its safety systems.
John Salka, battalion chief,
Fire Department of New York
Response: FDNY does not operate with a firefighter at the tip of the aerial when it is being used as an elevated stream. The reason is simple, SAFETY! Let’s look at just exactly what is happening in the first place. The fact that we are using elevated streams already suggests we are not going to save this building or even salvage it. Elevated master streams are generally and almost exclusively used for defensive, surround-and-drown operations. Why would any sober fire chief have a perfectly healthy firefighter climb to the tip of an unsupported aerial, which is also carrying the weight of water and hose, to operate or direct the stream of a ladder pipe? There is just about no sane reason for this if viewed from the risk vs. reward perspective.
The horizontal and vertical movement of the pipe can be accomplished by rotating the turntable and operating the halyard ropes. If you are worried about the accuracy of the stream, that it might not be flowing into the area where you desire, don’t. The time for worrying about accuracy was 20 minutes ago when you had firefighters inside conducting interior operations. Now that you have been driven outside and are set up for defensive operations, keep all your people on the ground, where they are safe and will be able to fight another more successful operation tomorrow.
Jeffrey Schwering, lieutenant,
Crestwood (MO) Department of Fire Services
Response: My department does not operate a truck company; however, our members have been called to operate at the top of a neighboring department’s stick in recent years. All of the firefighters in St. Louis County get some ladder experience in the academy.
In our area of St. Louis County, most ladder companies are quints and are used both as an engine and as a truck company. On a large incident, where ladders are up and operating, it becomes necessary at times to operate at the tip of the ladder. In my department, the company officer is responsible to know who on his engine company is able and best experienced to be placed in that position. The engine officer works with the truck officer to ensure the safety of all members operating.
Joel Holbrook, captain,
Washington Township (OH) Fire Department
Response: My department does not have a policy or standard for the placement of personnel on the aerial tip while in use as a waterway. We operate two aerials, a 1969 Pirsch (reserve) that uses a leader line and halyard system. This system obviously requires personnel to operate on the aerial in the setup phase. Our frontline aerial is a 1999 Pierce, with a prepiped pinnable waterway. This aerial has a remote-controlled 1,000-gpm tip, with controls at the tip as well as on the pedestal. In the instances where either aerial has been put in service as a water tower, I cannot recall any time when a member was positioned on the tip while it operated (not to say it has never been done). I, as a shift commander, would have several reservations in placing a member on the tip, especially since we have tip controls on the pedestal. My first concern would be that of the firefighter’s limited air supply (30-minute SCBA), exposure to radiant heat, and limited escape capability if something went wrong or if an aerial failure were to occur. Personnel safety is the priority, and a lone member on the pedestal will have as much control of the water stream as the lone member on the tip.
Mike Bucy, assistant chief,
Portage (IN) Fire Department
Response: Our department doesn’t have a specific policy, but the practice is discouraged. However, we are aware that there may be a time when someone may be needed at the tip. We also run a 100-foot platform, so that is our better option.
Phil Johnson, deputy chief,
Soddy-Daisy (TN) Fire Department
Response: Our SOP does not place a firefighter on an aerial during master-stream operation because of firefighter safety and the capability to operate the aerial into/through first- and second-floor doors and windows aggressively. The operator can control the nozzle at the ground station or by a 50-foot remote control from a location other than the apparatus.
Mark Cummins, firefighter,
Steele Creek Acres (TX) Volunteer Fire Department
Response: Straight-tip water flow has always been dangerous for firefighters working in the line of fire. The only exception is if a straight tip is flowing CAFS foam. The foam is more like a giant cream pie than a hydraulic mining machine. No one, including the citizens, will be hurt with the stream flow of CAFS foam, and the foam is 20 times more effective than the straight stream of water.
Jeff Bixby, captain,
Bay District (MD) Volunteer Fire Department
Response: With our old truck and its manually operated master stream, we used to place a firefighter at the tip to control the direction. It is now done with ropes because it is safer. Our new truck is being delivered next week; the master stream is remote controlled.
Todd McKee, firefighter,
Eastern Knox County (OH) Joint Fire District
Response: Our department has a 100-foot stick, which is a 1990 Pierce/American La France with a manual waterway. Our gauges will allow firefighters at the tip, depending on the angle. For safety reasons, we do not put firefighters at the tip when water is flowing.
George Potter, fire protection specialist,
Madrid, Spain
Response: It depends on the situation and the risks involved. If there is any probability that the person at the end of the ladder may be exposed to danger, then a firefighter should not be there.
Many situations at fires may require someone on the end of the aerial–directing the stream, “overhead” visual observation of the incident, etc. If someone has to be up there, the firefighter must have all PPE correctly in place, including SCBA
The IC will have to perform an adequate evaluation of the incident and a proper risk assessment, weighing the possible hazards against the expected benefits. If the risk potential outweighs the probable benefits, no one should be at the ladder’s tip. There was a tremendous film on a hazmat incident some 30 or more years back. The firefighter on the end of the ladder disappeared completely when whatever was burning in front and under him generated a massive fire ball.
Peter Vandall, captain,
Coeur d’Alene (ID) Fire Department
Response: We operate a quint with a 100-foot straight stick and a preplumbed waterway. When using the nozzle on the tip, we typically put a firefighter on the tip to spot and control the nozzle stream. Of course, the firefighter has full PPE, including SCBA, and uses a ladder belt.
William Brooks Jr., captain,
East Wallingford (CT) Volunteer Fire Department
Response: Our policy is not to allow anyone on the straight-stick aerial tip during water tower operations (flowing water). The front line aerial apparatus is a platform ladder with the capability of flowing water with several firefighters in the “bucket.” There would always be a firefighter at the turntable controls as well as one or more firefighters in the bucket, depending on operational tasks.
The reserve aerial apparatus is an 85-foot straight stick. This aerial is a light-duty stick with a 250-pound tip load. This piece is assigned to a volunteer company for backup truck company status. This apparatus is dispatched when the front-line piece is already committed to another scene. In addition, it is placed in service for front-line status when the front-line piece is taken out of service for any reason. When water tower operations (defensive mode) are needed and this piece is called, the “pipe” is attached to the tip of the ladder along with supply hose. In addition to the tip “pipe,” a fog nozzle is permanently attached to the tip of the bed section, which is prepiped and remotely controlled (stream attitude and pattern). The tip “pipe” is controlled by the use of rope halyards from the ground (stream attitude). This places the firefighter controlling the stream altitude in a relatively safe location. Side to side is controlled by a firefighter at the turntable in coordination with the firefighter on the halyards.
Lenny Sanders, chief,
West Burlington (IA) Fire Department
Response: I cannot think of any compelling reason to place a firefighter at the tip of a straight stick while water is flowing. The elevated master stream is controllable from the pump panel, and there are much safer ways to determine whether or not water is reaching the base of the fire–smoke turning white, reduction in the amount of visible fire, visualization from the ground, for example. Platform-type aerial devices are much safer and provide a greater level of safety when performing roof operations as well.
Patrick Brown, firefighter,
Chicago (IL) Fire Department
Response: We are not allowed on an aerial ladder when it is flowing water. Being on a ladder while flowing water is dangerous. Risk vs. benefit assessment dictates that this maneuver should not be done. We use ropes attached to our ladder pipe to control the direction of the stream. It works well.
Tom Heckman, engineer,
Indianapolis (IN) Fire Department
Response: Our department allows firefighters at the tip of a straight stick while flowing water. The firefighter is tanked up and in communication with the aerial operator. We run with other departments that do not allow firefighters at the tip. This usually results in their asking us if they are hitting the fire with their streams.
Joseph V. Plewinski Jr., firefighter,
Round Lake (NY) Fire Department
Response: Our standard operating guidelines prohibit placing a firefighter on our straight-stick aerial device when water is flowing. We have the capability of a 500-pound tip load when water is flowing (600 when no water flowing). Our rationale is that many aerial failures occur during such operations.
William Bills, lieutenant,
Westfield (NY) Fire Department
Response: Our department is a totally volunteer department. We are in what is considered to be a rural area in southwestern New York State, along Lake Erie. We maintain a ladder and three engines as well as two ambulances, a rescue, and two utility vehicles. Our ladder company operates a 1975 American LaFrance straight-stick ladder. Throughout the longevity of this vehicle, which we have had since it was new, the ladder pipe has not been prepiped and the nozzle has been operated manually. Simply stated, a three-inch-hoseline runs up the ladder to the master stream nozzle, which is mounted on a shaft that can only articulate the nozzle vertically up and down. The nozzle on this appliance is a combination nozzle that can be manually turned from a fog pattern to a straight stream. The nozzle can be removed, and straight tips can be applied. For the ladder pipe to be articulated left to right, the entire turntable must be rotated. So it is critical that a person be at the tip when water-tower operations are needed.
I have often thought about the safety of this operation and considered it to be relatively safe, as the firefighter at the tip is required by our standard operating procedure to be belted in when operating from that position. However, this situation is not ideal. The fatigue factor that sets into the firefighters operating at the tip becomes a real concern. Our general guideline has become that a firefighter must take a rest after climbing the ladder/operating from the tip of the ladder during master-stream operations after one SCBA air bottle has been consumed. This, of course, provides its own challenges in that not all firefighters are interested in this role. Frequently, we have relied on firefighters from mutual-aid companies to assist us with such demanding operations; fortunately, they always rise to the challenge.
The good news to report regarding this situation is that we are expecting the delivery of a new quint. Of course, this will be an enormous technological update for our ladder company as well as the department. One of our members, the ladder company captain, and I applied for a Fire ACT grant, and we received a grant to replace our ailing ladder truck. Our community could not have replaced this truck without this grant. The ladder on the quint is prepiped and has an electric-controlled monitor. Some of my concerns will be put to rest when this new apparatus is put in service.
Nick Morgan, firefighter,
St. Louis (MO) Fire Department
Response: It is standard procedure to have a firefighter on the tip of a straight-stick aerial with water flowing. Since all of our engines and ladders are quints, they all have prepiped waterways and are designed to be operated with or without a firefighter at the tip when using aerial master streams. All of our aerial ladders have electric nozzle controls at the tip of the ladder specifically for this purpose. There are two main advantages to having a firefighter at the tip when using the aerial master stream. The first one is that a firefighter at the tip is in a better position to properly direct the aerial master stream toward the fire instead of the person operating from the turntable or ground. It can be very difficult to direct the aerial master stream from the ground, especially when darkness, smoke, and other obstructions to the operator’s vision exist. The second main advantage is that it reduces the likelihood of an improperly directed master stream. An improperly directed aerial master stream can cause partial or total collapse of the burning structure and can dislodge loose bricks and roofing material, collapse parapets and chimneys, and blast loose debris on top of firefighters operating on the ground. Having a firefighter operate from the ladder tip greatly reduces these possibilities and helps prevent shooting the stream of water over or through the burning structure.
Three major safety considerations must be kept in mind when firefighters operate from this position. First, the turntable operator should never extend or retract the ladder with the firefighter operating on it. Second, the firefighter must be secured to the ladder with a “pompier” or ladder belt and keep his feet firmly on the footplates near the ladder tip. Third, the firefighter must have on full PPE, including SCBA, since there will be times when wind shifts and other circumstances may cause the firefighter operating from the tip to be enveloped in heavy smoke conditions for a brief time. Also, during very hot, cold, or rainy weather, it is a good practice to frequently rotate the firefighters operating from the aerial ladder tip at 30-minute intervals, or according to available personnel. Since communication between the firefighters at the tip and at the turntable is necessary, it is highly recommended that the aerial ladder have a working two-way speaker system or that each firefighter has a portable radio set on the correct fireground channel. We use both in our department.
Richard Wilson, lieutenant,
Bartlett (IL) Fire District
Response: We do not have a policy on this issue. The truck we had front line was a 1996 75-foot E-ONE quint, which is now stationed at our house 2 in semi-reserve status. We placed a 2008 100-foot Pierce in front-line status in December 2008. Now for the truck, we will allow members to be at the tip flowing water as long as they meet the manufacturer’s recommendation (found on the aerial bed section) as to number of firefighters at the tip while flowing. The engineer-operator is the gate keeper, since he is responsible for that apparatus and for reminding the firefighters of safety.
It is not our practice to just place a firefighter at the tip to be a spectator. This firefighter is the eyes for the operator with regard to where the water will be most needed and to direct the stream to that area. During training, we have set up some scenarios that will help the firefighters to be more comfortable being on the ladder tip while water is flowing. Firefighters at the tip wear an SCBA and are ready to go “on air” if the conditions change or if they are placed in close proximity to smoke and heat. Our administration is working on general orders and policies to govern this new piece of equipment and aid us in doing our jobs efficiently and safely.
Andrew Economedes, driver/engineer,
Grapevine (TX) Fire Department
Response: We typically base it on the fire and if we need someone to direct the stream from the top. Sometimes it is necessary to have someone on top to direct the stream to use an aerial device aggressively, especially if you are trying to get at the heart of the fire to achieve a good knockdown so interior operations can begin-of course, we take into consideration the condition of the building. Obviously, a ladder belt is required while up there. Of course, weather and wind conditions are factors also. At a fire about a year ago for which I was the engineer of the aerial unit, this operation was done very effectively and resulted in confining the fire to the portion of the structure involved, which amounted to less than 20 percent of a 10,000-square-foot building.
Subject: Aerial waterways, firefighter safety
