Boston Ladder Culture

[x635 4,066]

Excellent article. What do you think?

http://firefighterbasics.com/2013/05/bostons-ladder-culture/

Boston Ladder Culture

Why does Boston throw so many ladders?

Mainly because it’s better to have them and not need them.

If you ask around Boston Fire you will get 4 common answers. Most likely after they ask you why a firefighter would even ask a question like that.

1. Why not?

2. It’s a good practice

3. We have to.

4. The Engines can be more aggressive because they know ladders will be in place.

The number one answer was no surprise to me. But I’ll mix 1 & 2 as essentially the same thing. Why not throw a lot of ladders? It’s good practice. Throwing ladders at a fire that is under control gives the real world practice that cannot be duplicated on the training ground....................

(IN DEPTH ARTICLE CONTINUES AT LINK BELOW)

Full article:

http://firefighterbasics.com/2013/05/bostons-ladder-culture/

[TSull 33]

I would think the 5th reason is because the streets are so tight that aerial ladders are next to impossible to get into proper position.

[sfrd18 360]

Nobody throws ladders like Boston Fire, whether they are ground or aerial. I feel they set a great example of a task that should be done at every fire scene in multitude. By not only providing the obvious means of egress and rescue at every exit point, putting up as many ladders as possible makes everything else on the fireground go smoother, as far as I can tell. You can get more Truck Co. guys to the roof or to windows to ventilate, you can allow for more VES opportunities, and with more ground ladders up, you can get into many places aerial ladders can't, a huge plus for Boston with it's tight streets, alleyways, double-parked cars, and old frame buildings built close together. If the Truck Co. does it's job smoother and faster, it makes it that much easier for the Enginemen to advance lines and get water on the fire. I remember a retired FDNY Engine Co. Capt. saying that you always knew if the Truck Co. was doing their job if, when you were crawling down a smoke filled hallway on your stomach under the intense heat and smoke, trying to get advance a line inch by inch in tough, snotty conditions, you suddenly felt the heat and smoke lift and escape and you could go on stretching faster and easier.

[everybodygoes 331]

They do it cause its the way out. Those triple deckers are all built front to rear with a stairway on the left or right front side and a rear deck as second means. Half the time fire blows out the rear deck and then you only have your primary means of egress as your way out. They are taught to use ladders, not many people use them as much as they should.

[CFI609D 119]

The question is why in Westchester do we throw so few?

[JackEMT 77]

I am not a firefighter. But is this an "old school" practice?

Watching "dramatic" fire scene videos, you often see firefighters hanging or jumping out windows to escape room and follow firefighters scrambling to put up a ladder to help. Why not throw up the ladders so you have the additional egress options?

[robert benz 344]

The question is why in Westchester do we throw so few?

Lets see if I can answer that

1. they are too heavy

2. we don't have enough people on the fire ground to do it

3. last time we did it, the guys complained that it was too much work.

4. we almost dropped it so we put it back.

5. I don't like heights.

prob the most under utilized tool on the rig. When I watch a dept to throw up ladder at the fire academy you can always tell who trains with them, and who looks like a monkey #$%%$$#@ a football.