Heights...

Practice, practice, practice. Also, FD ladders are much more sturdy than ladders that you buy at Home Depot, so most will bounce less. If it is any consolation, a ladder that "bounces" is more stable than one that does not, everything else considered. You want the ladder to give a little so it doesn't give a lot.

Also, I did the 50' at a 90 degree angle, but we called it the church raise. I really had a ladder phobia, but this wasn't too bad at all.

The more time you get on ladders, the better you will get.

Eri

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...don't look down.

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Sorry, but you'd better learn to look down if you plan on using ladders in the fire service. My advice is to climb as high as you feel comfortable, lock in, and complete some "task" like inspecting or cleaning the ladder. You should be comfortable looking up, down, and all around. Try to go a little higher the next time, and higher still each consecutive time you practice. Stay up there for a while each time, if you can. Staring straight ahead may get you to the top, but you need to be comfortable at any height while working. You may have to look down sometimes to complete a task, such as a ladder rescue. Operations at heights should be respected, but not feared. Trust your equipment and practice. You'll be suprised how quickly you'll overcome your fear if you do it often enough. Don't get sloppy, though; lock in! Also, practice getting off the thing on a roof or window. I have more people afraid to do that than to actually climb it in the first place. ;)

I think it is also called a church raise. :p

bring one of those 100' arials out into the country, they make one hell of a tree stand for hunting;)

If you have an Aerial already, have some one take you out and Set it up. Put the ladder all the way out. With a Ladder belt and Full gear climb to the top of the First Fly Lock in and Relax. Look down look up shake the ladder enjoy yourself. Tell Yourself “My Body isn’t going to throw me off of here”. If you’re comfortable at that Height do the Next fly then the Next until you’re at the top. If you can’t go past the first fly. Try it the next Week or when ever you take out the truck again. Keep doing this until you can go all the way to the top and lock in and lean back and let the ladder belt support your weight. Being up in the Air is a learned thing. Very few people are born Naturals with working in the air. Stick with what I did and you’ll be climbing to the top in no time.
To be truly cured of your fears get on with a roofing crew and work a few months doing that kind of work. Knowing your body and Transitioning from roof to ladder or scaffold to ladder is where the tricky part lies. Good luck!

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They have to climb the ladder in full turnouts and go "up and over and down again"! Both the aerial climb and the auditorium raise a requirements for graduation.

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We had to do that drill! By the time I got to the top, I was so scared I had to use one hand to lift my leg over the top of the ladder! :eek: By the time I got to the bottom again, my fear was cured.:D It was a confidence building drill that sure worked for me.

Like everyone says, get as much practice time in as you can before the test. One final suggestion: If you have a choice, be the first in line so you don't get a chance to stand around, think about the drill, and get all worked up about it.

Thanks for all of the tips guys! Unfortunately, I'm not on a department yet, so I don't have access to an aerial to practice on... and I think if I went down the street and asked the guys at the firehouse if they'd pull the truck out for me and set it up so I can climb it, they'd remove my application from the file cabinet. So... I'll see if I can maybe set up a ladder in the shop at work again, and climb it again. I'm guessing the aerials are much more solid feeling than an aluminum extension ladder, so if I can do this one, I think it'll help greatly with the truck on test day.

Thanks again guys!

If you did a ride-along with a truck company (especially one that wasn't as busy) and told them your situation, I bet they would be happy to raise the stick so you could climb. I would also bet that most of the other guys on the truck would climb up to give you some pointers on climbing technique. I was in the same boat and a truck crew asked me if I ever had climbed an aerial, I said no, they asked if I wanted to, and I did. It was great.

Eric

I haven't asked EVERYONE, but I have asked around a bit in my area and it sounds like most departments shy away from ride-alongs now for "Insurance Reasons"...

Well, after some lengthy searching, I found a pretty good link to a view-from-the-top.

http://www.fullcircleimaging.com/industry/virttours.htm

Just out of curiosity, how stable is it up there? Is that bucket moving around a lot?

And thank you all again for all of your replies!

Well that all depends on hpw windy it is, and if the operator keeps moving around or not

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Originally posted by Ratchet
Well, after some lengthy searching, I found a pretty good link to a view-from-the-top.

http://www.fullcircleimaging.com/industry/virttours.htm

Just out of curiosity, how stable is it up there? Is that bucket moving around a lot?

And thank you all again for all of your replies!

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