5- Truck Company S&T- Ground Ladders Flashcards
Many truck company activities involve the use of ground ladders. In a structure fire incident, ground ladders may be needed for any or all of the following:
*4 answers
-Gaining access to the outside of a burning building
-Reaching lockboxes to facilitate rapid and nondestructive entry
-Reaching windows to facilitate entry, horizontal ventilation, or rescues
-Accessing the roofs of some structures for vertical ventilation
To perform ground ladder evolutions when needed, firefighters must be physically fit- with special emphasis on ___ ____ strength- and employ proper body mechanics and ladder handling techniques.
Upper Body
Unless the situation dictates otherwise, the _____ ground ladder on scene should be deployed first, then the next, then the next, etc..
Longest
The most critical factors when selecting and positioning ground ladders are:
*3 answers
-Primary objective (rescue, window, or roof access, etc.)
-Fire size and location
-Current and expected fire behavior
The effective length of a ladder is always SHORTER than its actual length because of the safe ____ and ____ angle.
Climbing and Working
The ideal climbing angle for ground ladders is __ degrees from horizontal.
75
The proper distance from the building that the butt (base) of the ladder should be placed can be determined by dividing the used length of the ladder by ___.
*Used length = vertical distance above the ground where the ladder contacts the building - NOT the full length of the ladder
Four
The ladder selected must not only be long enough to reach the objective at a safe climbing angle, but must also extend __ to __ rungs above any parapet or roof eave.
3 to 5 rungs
____ _____ are equipped with staypoles (tormentor poles) for stability. The staypoles are used to assist in lifting the ladder vertically and in leaning the ladder into the building. When the ladder is in the vertical position and the fly section is being extended or retracted, the staypoles also provide lateral stability.
Pole Ladders
Pole ladders are equipped with _____ (tormentor poles) for stability. The _____ are used to assist in lifting the ladder vertically and in leaning the ladder into the building. When the ladder is in the vertical position and the fly section is being extended or retracted, the ______ also provide lateral stability.
Staypoles
A minimum of ___ firefighters are required to raise a pole ladder.
Four
*but adding a 5th or 6th firefighter increases safety and efficiency
If a ladder is to be used for positioning a firefighter to break a window for ventilation, it should be placed alongside the window to the _____ side. The tip should be _____ the upper portion of the window.
-Windward (upwind) Side
-Tip should be even with the upper portion
*Same position can be used when firefighters need to climb in or out of narrow windows or direct hose streams into them.
If a ladder is to be used for entry or rescue through a window, the ladder tip is usually placed on the ____ of the window, slightly ___ the sill.
Mid-Line of the window
Slightly below the sill
While ____ _____ is not the only reason for using ladders to access the roof of a burning building, it is the most frequent.
Vertical Ventilation
In the absence of an aerial device, ground ladders are the primary means of gaining access to the roof of structures up to __ stories in height.
Four
While ladders can be used to construct a variety of water removal contrivances, they are most often used to construct ____ ____.
Water Chutes
Water chutes are constructed on the floor:
Below the one on which the water has accumulated.
*They are positioned directly beneath holes cut in the upper floor to allow the water to be drained.
To construct a water chute, use the following 5 steps:
- Open a window in an outside wall
- Position a step ladder or A-frame directly below the drain hole (or where the drain hole will be created)
- Place pike poles at the edges of a salvage cover with the pike extended off the end of the cover
- Roll the edges over the pike poles toward the middle until there is a 3ft width between the rolls
- Hook the pike ends to the ladder and extend the poles out the window to create the chute
When necessary to save lives, ladders can be used to bridge the gap between two points. If the gap between buildings is not more than _____ the ladder’s length, a single ladder can be laid on the roof of one building and the tip simply slid over to the other building.
One-third
*same technique can be used from window to window, roof to window, or vice versa between buildings
If the gap between buildings is more than _____ the ladder’s length, a different technique must be used to bridge the gap. (it must be lowered into position from the vertical using guide ropes)
One-third
