Aerial Apparatus Leveling w/Cribbing?

My station is currently running a 75' quint. As this piece is rather new, I ran into a situation I never encountered before. While operating at a residential structure fire, we were ordered to open the roof. I spotted the truck with regards to my target area on the roof. However, when I threw the jacks, I was unable to fully level the truck because of the angle of the road(running towards the house). I was borderline between the 100% and 75% load rating as per our manufacturer. I really didn't think this road had that much crown to it. Has anyone else had this problem? I had my lower side jack fully extended and my upper side minimally deployed. We were operating off the lower side so shortjacking wasn't an option. Would 6x6 cribbing have served to widen my footprint as well as given me the added height? Please either reply here or email me direct at fireguy129@hotmail.com . Thanks in advance, John Berti, Asst. Chief Shavertown (PA) Volunteers

I have never used cribbing to add height for stabilizers, but I have used long cribbing in areas where the ground was too soft to support the jacks. It worked well under those circumstances.

[This message has been edited by morriss (edited August 11, 2000).]

Never, never, ever shore up an outrigger on an aerial device with cribbing or anything else, even though it may seem harmless enough, sturdy enough, necessary enough, etc. The real effects of the shoring on stability, capacity, etc. of your aerial device is most likely to be a complex issue that is best left to an engineer and certainly not to be guessed at by anyone on the fireground. Essentially, if you do this, you're compromising the safety of the apparatus and crew (and, probably, your insurance coverage, apparatus warranty, and all sorts of things) by operating it improperly.

If you can't position your aerial properly and stablize it sufficiently within its normal operating parameters and procedures on a given fireground, then it's time to start throwing good, old fashioned ground ladders. It's as simple as that.

I recently saw a FDNY Ladder utilizing cribbing, to fill a gap created by a curb, in a recent article in Fire Engineering (sorry I don't remember what month.
I'd ask the ladder manufacturer about your spacific unit.

As for my oun feelings, it all depends on the situation and what kind of truck you operate. I probably would not use cribbing if my truck's wheels lift off of the ground when set up. (like E-One)It seems like too much weight just on the jacks not to have a solid base. But if your ladders outriggers are just stabilizers, and all 6 or 10 wheels stay firmly planted on the ground, (like the old Pirsh) then I might consider it, but not more than one row of cribbing.

I think the prudent thing would be to call your manufacturer and ask them.