Minneapolis Firefighters Escape Caught on Video

[FFD941 20]

I guess we're missing something here then. The ladder was not up until the firefighter was hanging from the window. Therefore it was placed correctly in the bail position. I was a little doubtful a few posts back when you said shorten the ladder up, now I'm very doubtful. Too steep and you will have a much harder time controlling the desent. And turning around on the ladder at the climbing angle is much harder. We teach when ladder are thown for entry you put them at climbing angles, but ladders thrown to windows for secondary egress are put up at shallower angles to facilitate a safer escape. 

I have a hard time seeing these guys get criticized over the technique chosen when fire was licking their tails. Maybe things shouldn't have got to this point, but these guys are safe and doing calls again on the same tour! EGH!! The first guy was coming out without the ladder so sitting around mulling which escape option was best didn't seem to be a factor for them. Thankfully someone was ready nearby to move the ladder to them. I wouldn;t for one minute criticize coming all the way down headfirst, his butt was burning and he knows his partner is behind him! And the window drop is nice when you're the only one around but the few guys I've talked to or read about who have been in simialr situations say they were bailing out headfirst and didn't care if there was a laddder, roof  or anything to catch them! It hurts that much!

Let's be realistic, unless you're in the sh*t with those guys you don't criticize how they saved their own bacon!

And in the perfect world that would have had the ladder ready in the perfect position (low and long) the firefighters wouldn't have needed to bail. They would have come out the way they went in. If you want to critque the incident lets work on how the brothers got into that predicament in the first place.

Lastly, I'll try to find the true story on the Capt. who broke his neck. From what I remember his bailout was imprompto onto a ladder that was set at theclimbing angle and his exit was too fast and he couldn't grab the rungs with his hands or feet. But it was not a sanctioned training exercise.

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...My Point Exactly...

[Guest alsfirefighter]

I believe someone may have mentioned it already, but in the event it wasn't mentioned:

The incident where the Captain did a ladder bail and fell was an impromptu manuever during a cmopletely different training event. He had just learned the technique and basically did a "watch this" which is words you never want to say or hear. At one point I remember being told that because of that incident there were several states that were considering taking the ladder bailout out of the their curriculums. Talk about throwing the baby out with the bath water.

[robert benz 344]

I guess we're missing something here then. The ladder was not up until the firefighter was hanging from the window. Therefore it was placed correctly in the bail position. I was a little doubtful a few posts back when you said shorten the ladder up, now I'm very doubtful. Too steep and you will have a much harder time controlling the desent. And turning around on the ladder at the climbing angle is much harder. We teach when ladder are thown for entry you put them at climbing angles, but ladders thrown to windows for secondary egress are put up at shallower angles to facilitate a safer escape. 

I have a hard time seeing these guys get criticized over the technique chosen when fire was licking their tails. Maybe things shouldn't have got to this point, but these guys are safe and doing calls again on the same tour! EGH!! The first guy was coming out without the ladder so sitting around mulling which escape option was best didn't seem to be a factor for them. Thankfully someone was ready nearby to move the ladder to them. I wouldn;t for one minute criticize coming all the way down headfirst, his butt was burning and he knows his partner is behind him! And the window drop is nice when you're the only one around but the few guys I've talked to or read about who have been in simialr situations say they were bailing out headfirst and didn't care if there was a laddder, roof  or anything to catch them! It hurts that much!

Let's be realistic, unless you're in the sh*t with those guys you don't criticize how they saved their own bacon!

And in the perfect world that would have had the ladder ready in the perfect position (low and long) the firefighters wouldn't have needed to bail. They would have come out the way they went in. If you want to critque the incident lets work on how the brothers got into that predicament in the first place.

Lastly, I'll try to find the true story on the Capt. who broke his neck. From what I remember his bailout was imprompto onto a ladder that was set at theclimbing angle and his exit was too fast and he couldn't grab the rungs with his hands or feet. But it was not a sanctioned training exercise.

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you guys are killing me i am not saying the guys didnt do what they had to do any moron will tell you they got out and did the best they could. if they were taught that way AND THAT WAY ONLY they MAY BE in deep sh*t if they come across a ladder that is set up correctly or worse yet too steep, icy, wet, they are tired whatever. MY POINT WAS WE TEACH THE CORRECT WAY, IF I AM PERFORMING VES AND I AM CLIMBING THE LADDER I AM GOING TO SET IT UP CORRECTLY. IF I NEED TO GET BACK ON THAT LADDER I AM HOPING TO DO SO FEET FIRST. IF I NEED TO BAIL I KNOW HOW TO DO IT ON AN ANGLE THAT IS SET UP FOR CLIMBING NOT JUST A LADDER SET UP LATER BY A FAST TEAM THAT IS FLAT ENOUGH THAT ANYBODY TRAINED OR NOT COULD GET DOWN. AND THAT IS NOT A BAD THING TO DO, BUT IF THAT IS ALL YOU KNOW GOOD LUCK ON THE RIGHT ANGLE.

i have performed the manuever a couple of hundred times at least, all in training without an incident. I HOPE TO NEVER HAVE TO USE IN ANGER