Seeing an aerial device deployed with skill is a thing of beauty. Let me share with you such a vision: Approaching the scene, a monster aerial rig maneuvers through myriad parked cars, fire vehicles and people, some in turnout gear, some not. The officer, who serves as a guide for the driver, exits the cab and stands where the turntable should end up. After further maneuvering the rig, the driver stops in a location seemingly inhospitable for such a large vehicle; there are trees, overhead wires and closely spaced structures. The crew continues working, oblivious to bystanders’ nay-saying. They throw down plates in the vicinity of where the outriggers will come down. The high idle is kicked in, and the outriggers come down and hit the plates. The aerial operator approaches the turntable and grabs the correct control to bring the device out of its cradle. The operator conducts several maneuvers of raise, rotate and extend, allowing the ladder to weave in and out of overhead obstructions. The aerial reaches it target as planned, facilitating the crew’s ascent up the ladder.
Although this is a beautiful vision, it takes great skill to achieve such success. It is therefore critical that anyone who works on a truck crew or belongs to a department where they may be assigned the duty of spotting and/or operating an aerial device master safe aerial device operation. To do this, you must first know the organization and incidentals of the rig and practice spotting the rig and throwing the stick. And by practice, I don’t mean one person pulling the rig out on the firehouse apron, setting the outriggers and raising the aerial. This will only accomplish one thing: verifying that the aerial does in fact function. Instead, everyone who operates the aerial must know the ins and outs of the rig and possess a good understanding of what it can and can’t do and where it can and can’t fit and reach.
Review Your Owner’s Manual
All rigs come with an owner’s manual. If you don’t have one, get one. You can’t learn about your rig without the facts. Read it thoroughly and test the many different levers and controls. Don’t worry if you get confused while navigating through the many pages of disclaimers and poorly drawn illustrations. That’s normal. Take the manual to the rig and ask someone to read to you as you perform what’s being described. If that doesn’t work, call the manufacturer or the person who sold you the rig and ask them to explain things. No matter what, don’t stop until all of your questions are answered and you understand the material.
Read the Limit Load Indicator
Somewhere near your turntable is an instruction plate (the limit load indicator) that contains important information about how to safely operate your aerial. Depending on the manufacturer, this information is presented in a full range of styles, from simple and understandable to complicated and confusing. While reading some of these plates, I’ve often found myself thinking that one reason I wanted to be a firefighter was to avoid these types of mind-boggling details.
Specifically, the plate includes important loading information for the aerial device, such as how much the aerial will hold and at what angle. Although you may have seen it done, it’s imperative you don’t exceed the manufacturer’s load recommendations. If the aerial tips over-even while working at a minimal height-we could be killed. Additionally, if you’re using a ladder pipe, the numbers may change dramatically. Some plates are very straightforward about this. For example, one reads: “If you are using this aerial, it will hold 1,000 lbs. at the tip at any angle or extension. For ladder pipe operations, that load is reduced to 500 lbs.” These are very basic and simple instructions. Conversely, if you have one of the more complicated plates, try to paraphrase it so it reads as clearly as the example statement. If you don’t take the time to learn your rig’s limits, you can’t operate it safely.
Know the Dimensions
One of the most important things you can do to be a safe and efficient operator of an aerial device is to take some measurements. First things first: Get a measuring tape that’s at least as long as your aerial device. Take measurements of the truck’s length, width and height so you know where it will fit and what clearance you need when traveling under bridges or other overhead obstructions.
Next, extend the outriggers to determine how much space you’ll need for full deployment, per the manufacturer’s recommendations. Try to visualize the distance needed for each outrigger by comparing it to something you usually keep nearby. For example, if you’ve got an outrigger that’s 5 feet, you could use a 5′ hook as a guide to determine whether there’s enough room to deploy the outriggers. If there’s not enough room, you’ve got some choices: Give up on using the aerial ladder, use it short-jacked or move the truck to a new location (the last option is the best option).
While the aerial device is retracted, take a measurement that extends from the pin that holds the aerial on the turntable to the outermost point of the aerial device. This will tell you how much distance you need to raise your aerial out from the cradle and up through wires, trees and other obstructions.
Next, extend the aerial up as far as possible at the maximum recommended angle. Climb to the tip and drop one end of your measuring tape to the ground. This will give you the maximum obtainable height. I did this on our truck, and the height from the railing of our bucket to the ground was exactly 75 feet, the rated height. I?thought the 75′ mark would have been at the level of my feet on the floor of the bucket, but I?was mistaken. Remember: This measurement includes the distance from the ground to the turntable. Our turntable is 6 feet off of the ground, meaning the ladder is actually less than 75 feet. When using the aerial at lower angles, the horizontal reach will not be 75 feet because we lose the distance from the ground to the turntable.
The most common position for an aerial at an incident is in the street at somewhat of a right angle to the fire building. As such, the following measurement is very important: Retract your aerial and rotate it sideways in the horizontal position; take a measurement from the near side of your rig to the tip of the aerial device. This measurement will tell you how much distance you need between the truck and the fire building. If it’s 35 feet, then you’ll need at least 35 feet between the near side of the truck and the fire building. This is a good measurement to know if you want to use the aerial to reach windows or hit the fire with the ladder pipe at low angles.
After this, extend your aerial as far as possible, physically and safely, and take a measurement. This provides your maximum horizontal reach.
All or most of the previously mentioned measurements are probably included somewhere in the owner’s manual or on the plate attached to your aerial device. For many of us, reading the plate sounds like, “Blah, blah, blah and blah” in our heads. But using a measuring tape and taking real measurements will help you visualize spatial relationships between your truck and aerial device, and buildings and obstructions.
Reaching Out
Once you have documented all your measurements, drive around your response area and apply what you’ve learned. The bottom line: You cannot become proficient at spotting your truck and raising your aerial device without leaving the station. Get out and set up the aerial. Drive around and ask yourself, “Could we set up the aerial on that building? Would the aerial reach? Can we fit in between the overhead obstructions?” If you can’t answer those questions, pop up the parking brake and hit the PTO. Stabilize your rig and put up the aerial. Doing so will reflect well on you, your crew and the people you are sworn to protect. That way, when you pull up to the scene of a fire, you can confidently say, “Yes, Chief, we can use the aerial here.”
