Tower Ladder Rescues

[bcarey]

Truck companies that utilize riding assignments know which member operates the tower and which member is in the bucket. These assignments may change based upon the company's due-assignment. For some truck companies, it may depend on the staffing available at the time of the alarm.

When faced with occupants needing removal from upper floors, and operating a tower ladder, who is responsible for reaching and removing those occupants?

"Heroic Rescues in W. Side Blaze"
New York Post
By Philip Messing
Last updated: 11:23 am
March 6, 2009
Posted: 2:45 am
March 6, 2009

"Firefighters used rescue buckets to pluck trapped tenants from their windows in a blazing building on the West Side early today after the stairway became engulfed in flames. The 1:30 a.m. fire at 509 Ninth Avenue between 38th and 39th Streets left at least six people, including a baby, with serious, but not life-threatening injuries, according to early reports. The building has a store on the bottom and four stories of apartments above."

Courtesy of New York Post

[nmfire]

Truck companies that utilize riding assignments know which member operates the tower and which member is in the bucket. These assignments may change based upon the company's due-assignment. For some truck companies, it may depend on the staffing available at the time of the alarm.

When faced with occupants needing removal from upper floors, and operating a tower ladder, who is responsible for reaching and removing those occupants?

Is this a trick question or something?

[nyckftbl]

Is this a trick question or something?

? Did you read the poll?

[nmfire]

? Did you read the poll?

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooh.
I'll go back to my corner now.

[JohnVBFD]

Know what is scary about this whole thread. Nine people need to wait to be told what to do and have not trained or drilled how their company will affect a rescue before it happens.

Think about that.

[nameless]

Know what is scary about this whole thread. Nine people need to wait to be told what to do and have not trained or drilled how their company will affect a rescue before it happens.

Think about that.

I think you are looking at it the wrong way. Although there may be standing orders based on riding position, the final call is the officer's, since after all he is the boss.

[nmfire]

You left out the option for
() We don't have a ladder truck.

[giweff]

Know what is scary about this whole thread. Nine people need to wait to be told what to do and have not trained or drilled how their company will affect a rescue before it happens.

Think about that.

We don't have a tower ladder, but we do have a straight stick and it would be up to the situation and the officer who went up to make the rescue. But we do train but at my dept sometimes we have a four or five man truck and other times only 3 so it is impossible to know for sure who is doing what job until the morning you arrive at work. Which is up to the officer.

[TechGuy]

Volunteer departments should use that picture for every fundraising event they do.

[nameless]

Volunteer departments should use that picture for every fundraising event they do.

works better if the mega whackers put that on their myspace with cool quotes about "walking where the devil dances" and such.

[TechGuy]

so you're saying i should remove the photoshopped picture with my face from my fire resumes?

[upstater]

so you're saying i should remove the photoshopped picture with my face from my fire resumes?

Depends- if you photoshopped your face onto the baby's, I would definitely leave it there.

[jonnyirons2]

It all depends on where the fire is, and if someone presents at a window as you arrive. Be more specific.

[LeatherHed4Life]

My logic.... which isn't normally very good

The roof is pretty important position to give up.

The driver cant do his job from the bucket.

I would have to say OVM or the "other", provided that "other" firefighter isn't assigned F/E for the first due ladder co or search with the officer

Wouldn't the OVM be making similar rescues opposite the fire with a ground ladder? Now he just uses a bucket.

all this can be done without direction from the Truck Officer who should be inside searching and giving interior conditions.

[Bones42]

... We don't use "OVM", our roof guy throws ladders with the inside hook, then takes windows on his way up. Inside hook meets up with the engine to pull ceiling, pack guy does a search, officer does what he does.

Interesting that your "inside hook" is outside throwing ladders as opposed to inside making entry. Who does your forcible entry? The "pack guy" by himself?

[LeatherHed4Life]

What exactly is the drivers job where you work? Not bashing you, just would like to know how Jacksonville does it. Our drivers job is to get there (duh) and put the main in service if possible. So naturally, he would be the one to go up in the event there was someone to be rescued. The officer might assist. We don't use "OVM", our roof guy throws ladders with the inside hook, then takes windows on his way up. Inside hook meets up with the engine to pull ceiling, pack guy does a search, officer does what he does.

I dont know how jacksonville does it. I just live there

I suppose if everyone else was too busy to do something yeah the driver could do it all by himself.

Told you my logic wasnt very good

[Bones42]

Yup, a maul and a halligan can get you through most anything. If you're lookin at a steel door we've got rabbit tools. Most of the time, on a row style dwelling, which is the majority of the city, the pack guy John Waynes it.

And the inside hook guy helps throw a 35 and gets INSIDE. No to many of us can just toss around a 35 alone.

If you've got a rippin 3 story row it could look something like this

On location heavy fire 2nd floor front. NO MAIN SHOT (wires)

Pack guy takes a 20 to the door, drops it and makes entry for prim. search, shuts down utilities after prim search
Inside hook and Roof take a 35 to the roof, inside hook and driver take 28 to 3rd floor, then inside hook finds the tip and pulls ceiling ect. as needed
Roof takes windows on the way up, and back windows from the roof if 2nd in ladder hasnt got there yet.
Driver puts 20 to 2nd floor, and 28 to 3rd floor, takes saws to roof if ventilation needed
officer gives interior conditions, gets reports from roof, pack and hook on progress.

Again, just an example, by the time all this is going on, another ladder would probably be there assisting, and vice-versa.

Ok, interesting setup.

[jakesdad]

Yup, a maul and a halligan can get you through most anything. If you're lookin at a steel door we've got rabbit tools. Most of the time, on a row style dwelling, which is the majority of the city, the pack guy John Waynes it.

And the inside hook guy helps throw a 35 and gets INSIDE. No to many of us can just toss around a 35 alone.

If you've got a rippin 3 story row it could look something like this

On location heavy fire 2nd floor front. NO MAIN SHOT (wires)

Pack guy takes a 20 to the door, drops it and makes entry for prim. search, shuts down utilities after prim search
Inside hook and Roof take a 35 to the roof, inside hook and driver take 28 to 3rd floor, then inside hook finds the tip and pulls ceiling ect. as needed
Roof takes windows on the way up, and back windows from the roof if 2nd in ladder hasnt got there yet.
Driver puts 20 to 2nd floor, and 28 to 3rd floor, takes saws to roof if ventilation needed
officer gives interior conditions, gets reports from roof, pack and hook on progress.

Again, just an example, by the time all this is going on, another ladder would probably be there assisting, and vice-versa.

How exactly does the roof firefighter take the windows on the way up?

Which windows is he taking? Is he waiting for a report from the inside, or just arbitrarily taking windows?

Which window/windows is he taking? On the fire floor? Floor above? Top floor?

Is the line in place before he takes the windows? Is his egress cut off by fire venting from the window he just took on the way up?

I am asking these questions with sincerity. I am always interested in how other departments operate.

Thanks.

[medic563]

For us it would be the "outside team". We have an interesting setup in that not every riding position is described a specific function but rather an inside/outside team. Are "truck company" doesnt all even come on the same piece of apparatus. In general our outside team is made up of engineer/position seated behind engineer/and driver of rescue. They would be responsible for any outside rescue/ventilation including the VES. The inside team consists of officer/rear seat behind officer/ and right seat of rescue. Each position is assigned tools based on ridiing position.

[LeatherHed4Life]

ps, how do you post a normal friggin picture? I had to set that to a 16 color bitmap in order to post it. I've seen HUGE pictures on here, and that one is still just under the kb limit for posting. ??

find one that is online, copy the URL

and paste it in between "IMG" tags with no space in between. the example with have a space so it doesnt think its a picture

[img]http://www.bigfirepicture.......jpg[/im g]