Apparatus

The Apparatus Architect: Part 17

Feb. 1, 2004

Tom Shand and Michael Wilbur advise seeking the expertise of an apparatus architect for the first-time aerial apparatus purchaser.

Rear-mount aerial ladder units offer large body compartments without sacrificing fire pump, water tank and hosebed areas that are used on quint apparatus. Note the short ladder overhang in front of the cab on this Seagrave rear-mount ladder company apparatus operated by the Tenafly, NJ, Fire Department.

In the last installment of The Apparatus Architect (October 2003), we discussed the importance of planning and evaluation in the process of developing specifications for the purchase of a new ladder company apparatus. While we might possess the technical experience to develop specifications for a new pumper, many of us have never had the responsibility to act as part of a truck committee to spec out a new ladder truck. Learning experiences can be costly and difficult to correct, unless we