Talk:Turntable ladder

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Anybody have any thoughts about merging this into the fire engine page? Badger151 19:54, 4 December 2005 (UTC)

I am not sure if it would be appropriate to merge it into the fire engine page, since there is a distinct difference in US firefighting terminology. A "fire engine" is usually a pumper, where its primary duties are fire attack and supression. A "ladder truck" is usually a dedicated ladder company, where its primary duties are search/rescue and ventilation. Many departments utilize both of these in concert with each other. The "truck company" opens the building up for the "engine company" to bring the hose in and put out the fire, then they go up and look for victims as well as makes ventilation openings to support the engine company's progress.

Maybe a "Ladder Truck" heading may be more appropriate? Just a suggestion ... Firerescuelieut 02:04, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Manning

I would like to know how many firefighters man a US ladder - and is it different from the tiller? --|EPO| 21:38, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

I will address this as it is concerned with career departments only, as volunteer departments usually staff these units on an "as needed" basis.

This is strictly from my own personal experiences as I have ridden with friends who have worked for departments that utilize ladder companies. Ladder trucks, commonly called "truck companies" (which is what I am going to refer to these), are staffed routinely in the larger cities and metropolitan areas. As examples, FDNY (New York City), Austin (TX), Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles, and Boston all have dedicated "truck companies". Most of the time, these are staffed with a crew od between 4 and 7 people, usually comprised of an officer (Captain or Lieutenant), Driver, and 2 to 5 firefighters.

I have actually ridden with FDNY Ladder 34, which is a "tiller" ladder (see below for explanation), and Austin (TX) Ladder 18. The link to FDNY Ladder 34 is [1], where you can find a picture of a "tiller" ladder. At FDNY Ladder 148's site, [2], you can find some pictures of a "regular" ladder truck.

The "truck companies" usually do not perform fire attack functions, but rather focus on search and rescue, forcable entry, ventilation, high-angle victim rescue, vehicular extrication, and salvage/overhaul. At a large fire, the engine companies perform the fire attack while the truck companies look for victims and ventilate the building. There are other functions that both companies perform, but these are the basic ones.

A "tiller" is a term describing a tractor-trailer type ladder truck, where a firefighter sits on the back of the "trailer", and is able to steer the trailer to manuever the vehicle into tight spots. This firefighter is usually called the "tiller-man". These are commonly found in larger cities.

In our department, we used to have ladder trucks staffed with 2 firefighters, but they have since been replaced by Quint companies (see Quint). Many medium- and small-sized departments are doing this in an attempt to combine resources.

I hope this helps.

Lt. Craig Prusansky Palm Beach County (FL) Fire-Rescue Firerescuelieut 01:59, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

It did help actually. It's interesting to see how it functions in the US. In Denmark a ladder is only manned by two firefighters and functions both as a fire engine and rescue vehicle: If no need for the ladder they help extinguish the fire and work along with the engine company. But if the ladder is needed they will of course raise it upon arrival on the scene. --|EPO| 09:03, 8 August 2006 (UTC)