Apparatus Placement
Apparatus placement responsibilities for the ladder company at the scene of a structure fire will focus around a number of size-up factors that will be present at the incident, or for the promotional test-taker, in the exercise. The most notable factors will include such things as the building type, height, and square footage, the accessibility to the front and possibly sides of the building, the occupant life hazard, as well as the location and extent of the fire. Seem like a lot? It isn’t!
To give you a brief example of what we mean by this, if you have a fire on a lower floor in an occupied multiple dwelling, the first arriving ladder must attempt a position in front of the fire building to provide immediate access to the roof for ventilation of the building’s interior stair. This is a critical requirement in a building of this type. In another example, consider a similar type structure where an occupant is trapped in a window on an upper floor that is in need of immediate rescue. In yet another, depending upon the size of the building and accessibility to the front and surrounding sides, the first, and even possibly the second arriving ladder company may have the opportunity to place their apparatus turn tables on the building’s corners (AB corner, AD corner) so that they can reach multiple sides for either a rescue attempt(s), roof access, or master stream operations. The point that needs to be made here is that ladder company placement is critical. For an actual fireground operations, as well as promotional assessment exercises, ladder companies must be placed to max out their scrub area (reach potential) for any potential objective. Performance dimensions in a promotional exam will measure your technical knowledge, adaptability, initiative, and overall safety with this responsibility. Expect your peers to measure the same.
Stay Safe!
Michael A. Terpak
Deputy Chief, City of Jersey City
JCFD
