Feb. 03--New restrictions are in place for the use of the Detroit Fire Department's hydraulic aerial ladders because testing that was supposed to be done on them, never happened, officials said.
They should be tested or inspected annually and every five years an x-ray type test that looks for metal fatigue, fractures and stresses-- that can't be seen by the eye-- should be conducted, Detroit Fire Commissioner Donald Austin said.
"We haven't done either," he said. "Now that I have knowledge, I'd be remiss if I didn't do something about it."
Firefighter won't be on the ladders during water tower operations until inspections are done, he said.
"We don't want any accidents," he said. "We don't want any fatalities."
There are times when firefighters would be allowed to use the ladders, but Austin declined to discuss them with the Free Press.
In a statement provided by the city, Austin said, "no aerial ladders will have firefighters on them unless there is an immediate threat to life. If a ladder must be used, every effort will be made to properly support the ladder."
A private vendor will be used to inspect the equipment, which could be complete in six weeks, he said.
Austin said the restrictions would minimally impact firefighters' ability to extinguish fires, but union officials see it differently.
"What this means is it greatly complicates our work, and it really makes it difficult for any fire that's over a couple stories high," said Dan McNamara, president of the Detroit firefighters union. "It minimizes our ability to put the fire out and also minimizes us to be safe as we're doing ventilation and rescue operations."
He said the department's 19 ladder trucks are used to quickly get on roofs of commercial buildings and homes. McNamara said the hydraulic aerial ladders are about 65 to 100 feet in length when they're operating.
He said he's disappointed that the tests weren't done.
"It's not just our ladders," " McNamara said. "The real question should be, 'What else is there that the fire department is obligated to inspect and certify and they haven't?'"
It's unclear when the hydraulic aerial ladders were last tested.
"That's my concern," Austin said. "Our record keeping isn't that good on it."
His statement said the apparatus division's staff once was at 63 people but that number has dropped to 26. The timeline on the reductions is unclear.
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