FF1 Chapter 12 : Ladders

Advantages and Disadvantages to Metal Ground ladders :

A : Light weight, inexpensive, easily repaired

D : High heat failure, conducts electricity

Advantages and Disadvantages to Wood Ground ladders :

A : Doesn’t conduct electricity , retains more strength with heat, more flexible

D : Higher cost, more maintenance, heavier, combustible

Advantages and Disadvantages to Fiberglass Ground ladders :

A : less likely to conduct electricity, stronger

D : more chance of failure if overloaded, potentially combustible

A, B, C, D, and E

Name and describe the function

A : Top rail (on a trussed ladder) part of the beam of a truss ladder

B : Rung, on all ladders, crosspiece between beans serves as a step, they are required to be skid resistant

C : beams, main structural component, rungs length of ladder

D : Truss block : holds rails together

E : Bottom rail

Describe a trussed beam ladder

• constructed of what materials usually?

• what type of ladders are these usually?

• Why?

rails connected by truss blocks as beams

• typically aluminum or wood

• longer extension ladders

• because this construction typically results in a lighter weight ladder (less material needed)

Describe a I-beam ladder

• constructed of what materials usually?

• describe the anatomy of the I shape

• where are the runs attached to the I

continuous pieced beams shaped as I’s looking down the beam

• typically made of fiberglass or metals

• The tops of the I’s are considered FLANGES and the long part the WEB

• The rungs attach to the WEB

Describe a Solid beam ladder

• constructed of what materials usually?

• what 2 other types of beams are also classified as solid beams?

rectangular continous peiced beams

• constructed of wood, metal or fiberglass (wood typically is this type)

• Hollow or C shaped rectangular aluminum beams are also classified as solid beams

B and E ?

B : TIP

E : BUTT

C and I ?

give an example of a 3 section ladder.

C : FLY (raised/extended from bed section)

I : BED (supports one or more fly sections)

a 3 section ladder has a bed and two flys.

G and J ?

G : Pulley

J : Halyard

K - Name all 4 named for this

• dogs

• pawls

• rung lock

• ladder lock

H and D ?

H : RUNG

D : BUTT SPUR

A

A : guides, strip of metal, wood or fiberglass that wraps the fly section and the section below that guides the fly section as it is extended

What is a heat sensor label?

• do they expire

• what type of ladders have these

changes color when the ladder is exposed to 300 degrees F , plus or minus 5 percent.

they have an expiration date where they need to be replaced

on metal or fiberglass ladders

what’s a butt plate

alternative to butt spurs, flat plate attached to the butt of ladder that swivels to maintain contact with the ground and has spurs on the bottom of the plate

whats this?

TIE ROD, typically seen on wooden ladders, metal bar under each rung that run from one beam to another, helps prevent separation of rungs

What are protection plates (what types of ladders have them+ definition)

reinforcing plates on metal and fiberglass ladders that are at chafing and contact points to prevent damage from friction with other surfaces

definition of ground vs. aerial ladders

ground, portable ladder carried on engines and removed as needed

AERIAL :

perma- mounted POWER OPERATED ladder on an apparatus with a WORKING LENGTH OF 50-137 feet and operated from that apparatus

what is a roof ladder

roof hooks?

length?

also called a hook ladder, it contains roof hooks on one OR BOTH ends (butt and tip)

roof hooks are spring loaded and retractable and used to hang a roof ladder flat off of a pitched roof

typically 12-20 ft

straight ladder definition :

• length

lightweight SINGLE SECTION ladders with a fixed length, also called a single ladder or a wall ladder

typically 12-14 ft but can go up to 20 ft.

Fresno ladder definition and what are they specifically designed for?

length?

distinction between a typical extension ladder?

narrow, two section extension ladder WITHOUT A HALYARD thats extended manually

specifically designed to provide attic access and to be used in tight spaces

10-14ft

Bangor ladders , definition, go into anatomy

length requirements for tormentors?

also called tormentor , extension ladder with stay poles

stay poles (also called tormentors) long metal pole attached to a swivel joint to the beams of the top bed section of ladder. Each one has a spur similar to the butt spur but on the other end. POSITIONED AT 45 DEGREE ANGLES

(good tormentor memorization hack - it looks like their tormenting the extension ladder by holding it down)

stay poles are required for ladders 40 ft and over and sometimes found on 35 ft ladders

A frame ladder, A frame hoist

• 2 ladder sections joint together at a joint so that it forms an A shape (stepladder)

• A frame hoist is when using a rope to attach two straight ladders at the tip forming an A frame, can be used as a makeshift lift when raising a trapped person

combination ladder / multipurpose ladder

• lengths in both configurations

can be used as an A frame OR an extension ladder

typically 6-10ft in A frame configuration and

10-15 when in extension configuration

folding/attic ladder + length

narrow collapsible ladder to allow access to attic/scuttle holes and confined areas. 2 beams fold to enhance portability and are typically

8-14 ft

Most engines carry _______ ft ladders

fire service ground ladders are limited to a max length of __________

truck companies carry ___ or ________ ft ladders

engines : 24-28ft

max : 50ft

trucks : 35-40ft

what’s a tiller truck?

tractor drawn aerial, tractor trailer apparatus requiring a second operator to steer back wheels

elevated platform truck?

what’s a boom, bucket, and what is the length of these, and the two water related requirements

aerial device with a passenger carrying platform (BUCKET) on the tip of an aerial ladder or a BOOM : (series of telescoping tubes that extend and retract)

110ft or less in length and has a permanently mounted waterway and a monitor nozzle

whats a water tower

aerial device which streams water out of high capacity prepiped waterways, directed from the truck NO LADDERS OR PLATFORMS

Ladder performance requirements are listed under what NFPA number?

What about Use of ladders?

NFPA 1960

use : NFPA 1932

do not get any _____ on the halyard of an extension ladder

solvent

ladders must be inspected how often?

once a month, after each use

metal ladders should be checked for what during maintenance ?

how about fiberglass ladders?

• signs of corrosion

• loss of gloss

ladders should NOT be painted except for the ______

top and bottom 18 inches

_______ ladders can be damaged due to excessive exposure to sunlight

fiberglass

residential floor to floor height (bottom of sill)

8-10ft

residential floor to windowsill height (bottom of sill)

3ft

commercial floor to floor height (bottom of sill)

10-12ft

commercial floor to windowsill height (bottom of sill)

4ft

how many rungs above the roofline should the ladder be?

5

describe placing ladders in the event of :

• venting

• helping a victim out

• victim : directly under windowsill

• venting : left or right of window (consider wind direction)

typically a ladder is thrown below the window in order to not have to consider wind direction

Vertical ladder reach

the height a ladder can reach when being used, typically less than the length of the ladder

climbing vs. a rescue angle

climbing : 75 degrees

rescue : 60 degrees

what is the base distance and what is a rule for how large it should be for a climbing angle?

base distance : distance from base of building to butt of ladder

when at climbing angle this should be ¼ of the ladders height. (20ft ladder base distance should be 5 ft)

at a rescue angle of ____, the vertical reach is ___ ft shorter than the length of the ladder for every ___ ft of vertical height

60 degrees, 1ft, 10ft

most ladders are carried with the _____ end forward and pointed slightly _____, the only exception is ______ ladders

BUTT, DOWNWARD, ROOF

one firefighter shoulder carry is used for what type and length of ladders?

straight and roof ladders less than 20ft

two and three FF shoulder carry can be used with _____ ladders up to _____ feet long, the ______ and _____ of the ladder determines if there are more FFs needed to carry them

extension

35ft

length

weight

always maintain at LEAST _____ feet of clearance between a ladder and utility lines to prevent electrocution

10 feet

when can fiberglass or wood ladders conduct electricity

when wet

conductivity of the air is increased when what happens?

when relative humidity increases

list and describe the purpose of the two techniques for raising ground ladders

• flat raise (or rung raise) : used when ladder can be safely raised perpendicular to the target structure

• beam raise : lifting tip on a single beam when there is little space (alleyways) parallel to the structure

manufactures of metal or fiberglass ladders usually recommend that the ladders fly is facing ____ from the structure

wood ladders are designed to be used with the fly facing _______

metal and fiberglass : OUT

wood : IN

one firefighter flat raise is used for what type and length of ladders

straight, 14 foot or less

two firefighter flat/beam raise is used on what kind of ladders and their lengths

extension, up to 35 feet

most fire department ground ladders should be required to support a weight of…

750lbs

ground ladders at home are typically rated for as little as ______ lbs

225

where should your eyes be when climbing a ladder?

FORWARD, prevent glass, materials, etc, from falling into the eyes

what are two methods of securing yourself to a ladder?

• leg lock

• ladder belt

what does sounding the roof mean

striking the roof with a tool in order to check for stability and find signs of collapse before standing on the roof

how many points of contact should you have on the ladder

3

what does it mean to heel the ladder

using your weight to keep the base of the ladder from slipping, also called footing the ladder

the rope or cable used to extend the fly is called

the fly

ladders are designed to allow access to attic scuttle holes and confined areas are

folding ladders

when a firefighter uses their weight to keep the base of the ladder from slipping it is called

heeling the ladder

the most important safety check is confirming the

location of overhead utility lines

establishing verbal contact as quickly as possible is important when rescuing what kind of person

any person

a ladder that has no halyard is generally short and is deigned for attic spaces

fresno ladder

a ladder a frame is used to access

below grade sites

the ______ is small, grooved wheel that is used the change the direction of the halyard pull

pulley

transferring the weight of the user to the beams is done through the

rungs

stay poles are required on ladders over

40ft

most ladders are carries with the

butt end forward

do not place a ladder where it will be exposed to

direct flames or extreme temperatures

butt spurs prevent the ladder from

slipping out of position

ladders with stay poles or tormentors are typically referred to as

Bangor ladders

what is the general rule when identifying the length of ladder to use on a structure

at least 5 rungs should show above the roofline

straight ladder equipped with retractable hooks to secure tip of ladder to pitched roof is a

roof ladder

in most cases a single firefighter can safely carry a roof or straight ladder less than

20ft long

the rail is the

top or bottom section of a trussed beam on a trussed ladder

part of an extension ladder that is raised or extended from the bed section is the

fly

a truss block is a piece that connects the two

rails of a trussed beam