Fire Attack: Riding High

Developing ladder company riding position assignments

By GREG JAKUBOWSKI

In January, I reviewed the standard riding position assignments for engine companies ("Heat in the Seat"), and beginning this year, every issue of FireRescue will include a column on truck company operations. To continue the theme of riding position assignments and to complement the new column, this month’s Fire Attack column focuses on ladder (or truck) company standard riding positions at fire incidents.

WHY STANDARDIZE?
Standard riding position assignments improve the safety of operations by creating a kind of mini incident command system (ICS) that standardizes each crewmember’s responsibilities upon arrival on the fireground. These assignments allow the crew to go into service more rapidly at an incident scene; they also clarify expectations, allowing crews to perform assigned tasks more consistently. These assignments can be particularly helpful to volunteer or call departments in which personnel riding a piece of apparatus differ from call to call. To make this article applicable to a wide variety of departments, I’ve included standard riding position assignments for both a four-person and a six-person ladder crew.

PHOTO GLEN ELLMAN Standard riding position assignments allow the crew to go into service more rapidly at an incident scene; they also clarify expectations, allowing crews to perform assigned tasks more consistently.

LADDER COMPANY FUNCTIONS
Typically, ladder companies perform such tasks as ventilation (horizontal and vertical), forcible entry, laddering buildings, providing aerial master streams, search and rescue, utilities control, overhaul and salvage. However, different fire departments may assign slightly different duties to ladder companies, therefore their standard riding position assignments should reflect these variations. In addition, the duties of a ladder company may depend on whether the company is first- or second-due (or on a later alarm) or whether the incident assignment is shorthanded.

Because crews may vary from a two-person crew to a fully manned crew, their assignments must be flexible enough so that each crew can perform basic ladder company functions with the personnel available. Although these assignments ideally require a crew of four to six firefighters, the critical functions can be performed by as few as two crewmembers (albeit not as quickly, safely or effectively). Each department must determine which functions it’s initially willing to sacrifice if a full crew isn’t available, and it must determine other ways to accomplish functions that cannot be performed by minimally manned units.

FOUR-PERSON LADDER COMPANY ASSIGNMENTS
The four-person ladder company focuses on ventilation, with one firefighter supporting the engine company with forcible entry. However, depending on the incident and the arriving position of the ladder company, the crew may need to focus on search and rescue instead of ventilation.

Driver

Performs aerial operations, including all electrical and master-stream operations;
Oversees safety of personnel operating on the aerial;
Provides scene lighting;
Keeps track of logistics (equipment, inventories, etc.); and
Performs laddering of building if applicable.

Officer

Provides incident command;
Accounts for personnel;
Performs radio communications;
Handles utilities control;
Assists crew with ventilation or search and rescue, depending on the situation; and
Utilizes tools needed, such as SCBA, a portable radio, a handlight, a small hand tool and monitoring equipment/thermal imager (as needed).

Forcible Entry/Ironsman

Provides and utilizes irons (Halligan/flat-head axe), K-tools, hand hydraulic forcible entry tools (where needed);
Provides search and rescue tools (rope, door chocks/straps) to crew; and
Utilizes other tools needed, such as SCBA and a handlight.

Outside Vent Man

Performs vertical/horizontal ventilation;
Utilizes tools needed, such as SCBA, a portable radio and/or a handlight; and
Operates power tools, such as a power saw/pick-head axe and power ventilation fans (as needed).

SIX-PERSON LADDER COMPANY ASSIGNMENTS
On the six-person ladder, there are two teams: the Forcible Entry/Search & Rescue Team (FET) and the Ventilation Team (VT). These teams can interface with the engine company standard riding position assignments outlined in my January column. The two-team arrangement also assumes that only four SCBA-qualified personnel are available to ride in the crew area of the ladder. If five or six SCBA-qualified personnel are available, the extra members can fill in as firefighters on the FET or the VT. If your department has additional firefighters who may or may not be qualified to enter a burning structure, you may choose to assign an additional team to ladder the exterior of the building or assist with logistics, salvage or aerial master stream operations.

Driver

Performs aerial operations, including all electrical and master-stream operations;
Oversees safety for personnel operating on the aerial;
Provides scene lighting;
Keeps track of logistics (equipment, inventories, etc.); and
Performs laddering of building if applicable.

Officer

Provides incident command;
Accounts for personnel;
Performs radio communications;
Handles utilities control; and
Utilizes tools needed, such as SCBA, a portable radio, a handlight, a small hand tool and monitoring equipment/thermal imager (as needed).

Team Member FE-1 (Ironsman)

Provides and operates irons (Halligan/flat-head axe); and
Utilizes other tools as needed, such as a K-tool, SCBA and a handlight.

Team Member FE-2 (FET Leader)

Operates hand hydraulic forcible entry tools;
Provides and operates search and rescue tools (rope, door chocks/straps); and
Utilizes other tools needed, such as SCBA and a handlight.

Team Member V-1 (Outside Vent)

Performs vertical/horizontal ventilation;
Utilizes SCBA where necessary; and
Operates power tools such as a power saw/pick-head axe and power ventilation fans (as needed).

Team Member V-2 (Ventilation Team Leader)

Performs vertical/horizontal ventilation;
Utilizes a hook (pike pole);
Gains access to roof; and
Uses SCBA, a portable radio and a handlight.

These suggested assignments are just that — suggestions your department can modify to fit your local conditions or use to build your own program.

RULES FOR ALL CREWS
No matter the size of your ladder crew, all personnel must be seated with seat belts in place prior to moving the apparatus. The firefighter occupying the curbside seat is responsible for communicating the crew status to the apparatus officer, who then confirms with the driver when they can begin to move the vehicle. Once the driver and officer determine the crew is complete, the driver will sound the vehicle horn twice, signaling the vehicle is about to move forward. No additional personnel may board the ladder or enter the ladder’s bay space once the horn sounds, unless directed otherwise by the ladder driver.

While responding, the officer and the firefighter seated directly behind the officer should transmit all communications between the cab’s front and rear seating areas (unless you’re fortunate enough to have headset communications devices in your apparatus).
Ladder company firefighters should be prepared to perform their assigned duties upon arrival at each emergency incident. However, before exiting the apparatus, firefighters should confirm their assignment with the apparatus officer, who may make changes as necessary, based upon the specific circumstances of the situation.

If there aren’t enough crewmembers to fill each seat, and thus each task, the remaining tasks must be assigned to assisting units. One somewhat different approach to standard riding position assignments involves listing the standard tasks and equipment by type of incident inside the cab, allowing the crew to split up the tasks while en route to the incident.

Conclusion
Standard riding position assignments essentially preplan and develop a mini ICS for a single piece of apparatus. If your department currently utilizes standard riding position assignments, take a few moments to review your procedure to ensure it works properly. If you’re not currently using such a procedure, consider implementing these assignments. Once you’ve decided to do so, not only must firefighters be trained on the procedure, but they also need to practice it regularly.

Greg Jakubowski is a fire protection engineer and a certified safety professional with 27 years of fire-service experience. He is a Pennsylvania State Fire Instructor and serves as a captain with the Lingohocken Fire Company in Bucks County, Pa. Greg is also a principal in Fire Planning Associates, Washington Crossing, Pa., a company dedicated to helping fire departments and businesses preplan for emergency situations.