Quint Ops

My department recently purchased a quint. We have never had a truck with a ladder before and I am worried that the ladder will go to waste. Right now it is slated to be second due on all structure fires. That would put it in a good position for truck work. The problem is that only one officer in my department has every worked with an ariel apparatus. He is our training officer so that's a good start, but I would like to know if anyone could give me some good advice or point me to somewhere I could find some.

Well, in all honesty, you're kind of late. Once the truck was approved for purchase, you should have begun training. Look for Truck/Ladder classes at local academies, mutual aid drill with nearby companies that have ladders, etc. To have a truck like this come into your firehouse with no one really knowing it's uses is going to lead to a waste of the ladder. You're going in the right direction now, keep it up. Again, try neighboring departments, someone has to have a ladder somewhere nearby. Try and do some training drills with them.

Good luck and enjoy your truck.