Crews will spend most of the day between emergency responses completing yearly ladder testing. This annual procedure checks the condition and functionality of all the parts that make up a ladder.
Fire department ladders are weight rated for rescue so each will be subjected to a static load that is approximately the same as a typical fully dressed firefighter and a victim that may be occupying the ladder at the same time during a rescue.
Because the ladders are used during firefighting operations, heat sensing labels, roof hooks and locks are also tested and inspected.
Any ladder that fails the testing process is removed from service, repaired and then retested before being return to service.
Our department has ladders that range in length from ten feet to forty feet.
Based on the average cost of ladder testing by contractors, our personnel are saving the district approximately $1,000 by testing our own ladders. We also have the added benefit that our firefighters are carrying, extending, inspecting and cleaning the equipment they will be expected to use when emergency calls are dispatched.
Just one more example of how we work to reduce the costs to our citizens.
To learn about ladder testing or anything else the department is doing, like us on Facebook or contact one of the stations.