BY RICHARD E. ANDERSEN
Tactical success in firefighting requires mastering a variety of skill sets that may be simple or complex, involve individual tasks or team operations, or be support functions or critical to mission success. The emergency scene is dynamic and uncertain, often requiring us to do more than basic fundamental operations. We often must improvise and adapt to succeed, finding a way to apply standard skills to nonstandard applications. Competence in the fundamentals better prepares us to handle the unexpected, enabling us to adapt our skills to solve a broader range of unusual situations and to achieve operational success.
In January 2009, after a series of walk-through familiarization tours at a local industrial facility, the Arlington (NY) Fire District identified the possibility that it might have to gain access to a victim who had fallen into a 30-foot-deep pit. One suggestion was to use a 35-foot ground ladder. So we trained on using standard equipment—a 35-foot, three-section extension ladder—in a nonstandard ladder evolution, placing the ladder from an elevation to access a lower level. Since our ground ladder inventory includes two- and three-section ladders, it was important that the solution work for both ladders. We developed the tactic using a 35-foot ladder, as shown in the photos. Any operational concerns relating to using a two-section ladder are noted.
To accomplish this task, we needed to address three challenges: keeping the ladder sections locked together, controlling the ladder’s 170-pound weight, and positioning the butt for a safe climbing angle. Additionally, the solution had to be workable in the field using typical ladder company equipment and had to address the safety concerns of working with a ladder near the edge of a 30-foot drop-off. The procedure developed requires a 35-foot, three-section extension ladder and two 100-foot ropes.
On-duty crews had the tactical challenge of accessing a below grade level. In a town building that the fire department uses for training, we developed a procedure to accomplish this task. The two-story structure has a flat roof that is 27 feet above the ground, which approximates the depth of the pit identified at the industrial site. After using a tower ladder to place the necessary equipment on the roof, crews used the 35-foot ladder and the two 100-foot ropes to safely and effectively accomplish the ladder placement. Personnel accomplished the goal using standard equipment, basic skills, and some ingenuity.
The operation uses two ropes. The lowering rope bears the ladder’s weight and controls the side-to-side positioning of the butt; the control rope regulates the position of the butt to achieve the proper climbing angle as the ladder is lowered. With the lowering rope supporting the weight of the ladder, pulling on the control rope moves the butt away from the wall, creating a shallower angle; releasing tension allows the butt to move toward the wall, resulting in a steeper angle.
Although we could have used a third rope to bind the ladder sections together, we chose to use the ladder halyard for this instead. Other binding methods include using tubular webbing or shorter utility ropes, items that may be readily available in firefighters’ pockets. The important thing is to make sure that you properly lock and secure all sections in place with the ladder pawls, which are secured to prevent disengaging. For a two-section ladder, secure the top fly to the bed; for a three-section ladder, secure the top fly to the intermediate fly, and then secure the intermediate fly to the bed.
PREPARING THE LADDER
Place the ladder flat on the working surface with the fly down. This places the halyard in an easy-to-access position. Pull the halyard to extend; in the fly-down position, the bed and intermediate sections will move. As you extend the ladder, lift up the fly sections slightly to avoid binding and allow easy movement (photo 1).
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| 1) Photos by author. |
When extending the ladder to the desired length, lock the sections using the pawls. Tip the ladder up on one beam, and use the halyard to bind the sections together. Form a bight in the rope, and tie a clove hitch around the rungs of adjacent sections to bind them together. Be sure to secure all sections—the top to the intermediate and the intermediate to the bed (photo 2).
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Here, as in all rope operations, knot fundamentals are important. Be sure to properly tie, dress, and back up all knots. Make the knots tight with no slack to reduce the chance of any undesirable movement of the sections. Lay the ladder flat, with the bed section down and the butt end toward the edge of the drop-off.
Another setup option is to place the ladder on the beam and have a firefighter walk the fly out. This prevents the friction of moving parts against the roof and the chance of either beam’s hitting an obstruction.
Be sure to place the ladder appropriately for the chosen setup position. In the fly-down flat position, the bed and intermediate fly (for a two-section ladder, only the bed) will move toward the objective when you pull the halyard. In the beam or vertical position, the fly sections will move away from the objective. Make sure you have positioned the ladder properly for the chosen option.
When pulling the halyard, pull it in line with the ladder. Avoid pulling at a sharp angle, which may increase strain on the pulley and apply a lateral force to the ladder.
SETTING UP THE ROPES
To attach the lowering rope, form a bight in the middle of the rope and tie two single-loop figure-eight knots about 24 inches apart. Make the loops large enough and space them appropriately so that you can slip one knot over each beam. Pass the knots down between the first and second rungs, and then slip the loops over the butt end of the beams. Passing the knots between the rungs captures the rope within the space formed by the rungs and beams and limits undesirable rope movement. Pull the working ends of the lowering rope (orange) out at 45º angles to the ladder (photo 3).
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| 3) |
Attach the control rope to the tip end by forming a bight in the center of the rope and passing it down between the top two rungs (photo 4).
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| 4) |
Pull the bight three to four rungs toward the base, and bring it up through the rungs. Pass the bight through a set of rungs that will be above the working edge when you place the ladder. This avoids rope abrasion against the edge and positions the rope where you can observe it and adjust it if necessary. Pull the bight to the top of the ladder, sliding it over the remainder of the rope, then over the top of ladder. Pull the ropes, and slide the bight down to the point where you first passed the bight through the rungs.
Photo 5 shows the attachment of the control rope (blue) after you have lowered the ladder. Other knots and methods will work to attach this rope to the ladder. This method is similar to that used in attaching a rope to hoist a ladder.
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| 5) |
The rope will be captured in the rung/beam quadrant with the working ends passing over the top rung. This keeps the ropes as high as possible, maximizing the advantage in controlling the in/out movement of the ladder tip. Pull the ropes straight back in line with the ladder. Photo 6 shows the control rope position after you have lowered the ladder into position.
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| 6) |
POSITIONING THE LADDER
Once you have arranged the ropes, carry the ladder toward the edge, placing the butt down at the edge. Use caution when approaching the edge. With personnel holding the lowering and control ropes, firefighters at the tip begin to slide the ladder over the edge, continuing until the ladder’s center of gravity passes over the edge, completely shifting the ladder’s weight to the lowering and control ropes. Personnel should not get close to the edge; they should use the reach that the lowering and control ropes allow (photo 7).
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| 7) |
Continue lowering, letting the lowering ropes bear the weight and control the left-to-right movement, using the control ropes to regulate the in-to-out movement of the tip and base to achieve the proper angle (photos 8, 9).
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| 8) |
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| 9) |
When the ladder reaches the bottom, check for ladder angle and stability, and secure the ropes, if necessary, to hold the ladder in position (photo 10).
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| 10) |
Manipulate the ropes to adjust the ladder angle. Pull the lowering ropes to lift the base, then use the control ropes to adjust the base’s position closer to or farther away from the wall. Pulling more on the control ropes moves the base out and creates a shallower angle. Easing up on the control ropes allows the base to move closer toward the wall, resulting in a steeper angle. This allows proper positioning for climbing, yet allows you to change the angle for a specific purpose—for example, making a slightly shallower angle to lower and haul a stokes basket along the ladder.
The surface on which the base is resting may require that you reposition it for stability. With steady pressure on the control ropes, lift the ladder with the lowering rope. After lifting, releasing pressure on one side will cause the base to move to the other side. Reducing pressure on the left causes the base to move right, reducing pressure on the right results in the base moving left.
Once the ladder is in position, you can remove either the lowering or control ropes or both from the ladder if you do not need ropes to secure it. You then could use these ropes to lower and raise tools and equipment to and from the work area if necessary. However, if stability is questionable, keep the ropes in place and tie them off to a substantial object. This allows you to reassign the personnel holding the ropes as needed.
SAFETY
Pay strict attention to safety when improvising or adapting operations to fit an unusual occurrence. Consider the following when performing this operation.
- Risk/benefit.Perform a risk/benefit analysis of the operation. This should include the characteristics of the space you are planning to gain access to. In our case, the pit is a permit-required confined space as defined in Occupational Safety and Health Administration 1910.146—Permit Required Confined Spaces. We are required to address the safety and operational concerns according to the appropriate regulatory standards and our department’s standard operating guidelines.
- Edge safety. Keep personnel back from the edge. They do not need to see the ladder reach bottom; they can feel through the ropes when the ladder butt reaches the lower level.
- Good footing.Ensure that the work area provides good footing for operating personnel. If the work area is slippery or unstable, consider having personnel tie off to a stable object.
- Spotter. Use a spotter from an adjacent position to observe the ladder’s descent. If someone needs to go to the edge to observe, it should not be a member holding a lowering or control rope.
- Test ladder stability before use. Test ladder stability and position before personnel descend. Ensure that pawls remain locked. Be particularly careful with three-section ladders; these ladders may not engage properly. Check your three-section ladders to confirm that the pawls operate together. Raise the ladder, then pull the halyard. As the fly sections extend, you should hear the simultaneous clicks of the pawls passing over the rungs. If you hear two distinct sets of clicks, the cable that operates the top fly is not adjusted properly—it no longer operates the flies in unison. Correct this immediately, since it will eventually cause a problem and possibly an injury.
- Secure an unstable ladder.If the ladder is unstable because of the butt or tip position, secure it with lowering and control ropes.
- Mechanical advantage. Learn and use mechanical advantage principles where possible. When the ladder’s center of gravity goes over the edge, the ladder’s base will swing inward. Positioning the control ropes over the top rung provides the maximum leverage to counteract this movement.
- Edge protection.Use edge protection as needed to protect the ropes and the ladder from abrasion when sliding over an edge. Use roof rollers to protect the ropes and a salvage tarp to protect the ladder from damage.
- Securing the ladder.The first firefighter descending the ladder must ensure that the fly sections are secured. The last firefighter to climb out of the area should check that the ladder pawls are still properly engaged and the sections are secure prior to raising the ladder out of the hole.
- Training.Practice to develop proficiency. Train in an area that allows you to control the hazards involved in this operation.
Although this was not a typical operation, we accomplished our goal using basic skills in new ways. As in all firefighting operations, some risk is involved. But with teamwork, effective communications, and appropriate risk analysis, you can manage this operation’s hazards. Allow your firefighters to use knowledge in innovative ways, and they will accomplish unimaginable goals.
RICHARD E. ANDERSEN, a 35-year veteran of the fire service, is the municipal training officer for the Arlington Fire District, a combination department in the mid Hudson Valley in New York State. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire service management from Empire State College and is a nationally certified fire service instructor II, instructing regionally and at the New York State Academy of Fire Science in Montour Falls.
