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
TOM SHAND, who is a Firehouse contributing editor, is a 36-year veteran of the fire service. He works with Michael Wilbur at Emergency Vehicle Response, consulting on a variety of fire apparatus and fire department master-planning issues. Shand is a member of the Firehouse Hall of Fame.
MICHAEL WILBUR, who is a Firehouse contributing editor, retired as a lieutenant in FDNY, where he was last assigned to Ladder Company 27 in the Bronx. He has served on FDNY's Apparatus Purchasing Committee and consults on a variety of apparatus-related issues around the country. Wilbur is a member of the Firehouse Hall of Fame. For further information, access his website at www.emergencyvehicleresponse.com.
