Ladder Work

It was never really a secret that I wasn't a big fan of ladders. I don't think it was ever a case of being afraid of the heights, it was more concern for my lack of balance when standing on a 1" x 1" rung up in the air. So in any case, if my assignment had to do with a roof operation or up on a balcony or ladder, it would get done, but maybe a little slower than others doing the same because one hand would be locked tightly on to something in case I lost my balance. If I could get on to a stable roof or position, I would then work like a banchi. I didn't mind cutting roofs open, taking second or third floor windows out, or checking the top of the chimney after a chimney fire...once I got there.

I do believe I have one particular incident to blame for my lack of full confidence while working on ladders. One evening, I was at the firehouse when we were dispatched to the Granite Run Mall for a fire alarm. This was no stranger to us since almost every weekend we were sent there for the faulty fire alarm, and maybe once during the week. We all stood immediately and walked to the engine bays, assuming this would be a run up the road and eventually turned around when someone got there to confirm it was another faulty alarm.

As we pulled out of the station, me in the jumpseat behind the driver, and Greg in the jumpseat next to me, I debated whether to pull the airpack on yet, or just enjoy the ride up and back. I decided to hold off and just go for the ride, after all, usually within a few blocks we would kill the flashing lights and siren, and just head back at normal speed. Riding in the open jumpseats of the pumper made it very difficult to hear the radio, if at all sometimes. We had to keep an eye on the officer up front to signal us with either a thumbs up, or down, depending on what reports he was getting from other units or the dispatcher. The cold winter night air kept me tucked into the engine as tight as possible, and I felt bad for the guys standing on the backstep getting a face full of cold wind until we arrive. I was expecting the speed to decrease any minute now and the truck to turn around. Instead, the officer stepped on the siren and if anything, we sped up entering into a six lane intersection against the red. Greg and I both turned and looked through the back window of the cab to look ahead of us, and then looked at each other. We could tell, if we were speeding through this intersection, it wasn't just a faulty alarm.

Both of us turned and sat up in the seats, pulling the shoulder straps down over us. In unison, we tightened the shoulder straps, buckled the waist belt, giving it a quick tug to tighten, reached up for the air mask and threw its strap around our necks. I pulled my gloves from my coat pocket and glanced over at Greg pulling his gloves on. We were now ready to work. While this donning procedure was going on, we barely noticed the sirens and airhorns as we negotiated highway traffic in front of the mall. In my head, I recalled the predesignated assignment our apparatus had been given, and had practiced time after time. Within seconds, we were arriving at the fire hydrant in the parking lot we were usually assigned to. Greg and I looked around and saw no other fire apparatus. I looked up to the officer and saw him talking on the radio just before the engine roared again, and we were moved to the rear of the stores.

As we turned the corner I saw the ladder truck from Lima Fire Company nosed into the building, and the driver was swinging the main ladder around and raising it up to the roof. We came to a stop across the lot at a secondary hydrant.

"I need two guys to hook up to the hydrant and two to go to the roof on the Ladder Truck!" the officer yelled down the side of the truck as he jumped out of the cab. Greg and I reached for the tools on the engine cover. I grabbed the axe, he grabbed the haligan tool, and we were off to the Ladder Truck, air packs on our backs and airmasks dangling from our necks.

We met up with the operator of the Ladder Truck and he showed us how to get up onto the ladder, since this wasn't our apparatus. The chief of Lima walked over to us as Greg and I began climbing onto the truck.

"We have a strong odor of smoke inside the store, we're looking for maybe an A/C unit on the roof burning..." he explained as we kept moving.

I followed right behind Greg as we held our tools in one hand and climbed the ladder with the other. As we reached the top of the facade above the large JC Penny sign, Greg stopped and sat on the laddder.

"We'll need a roof ladder to get down from here." he said turning back to me.

"Take this, I'll grab it." I handed him the axe and began to climb back down. "We need a roof ladder!" I yelled down to the truck operator.

I stood on the turntable and waited as he pulled it off the truck and handed it up to me. I positioned it over one shoulder and began my climb back up to Greg waiting at the top.

"Sorry, I forgot, you're the one with the bad back, I could have gotten it..." Greg said as I approached him carrying a ladder over my shoulder. It took me by surprise because I really don't have a bad back, but I was getting used to people guessing what was wrong with me. I brushed it off without a word.

"No problem, can you reach the roof with this?" I slid it up into his hands and he positioned it down from the top of the false front to the actual roof level, about six feet below us. I took the tools from him to allow Greg to switch from the main ladder to the roof ladder, and climb down onto the roof of the mall. I watched closely to see how he was doing it, so I could do it the same way when he was done.

Once Greg was up and over on to the roof ladder facing me, I climbed up further to the top of the ladder. Once there, I could see across the roof of the mall, and it seemed like we were about to land on the moon. The roof was covered with a thick layer of untouched snow from a snow fall days before. I handed the tools over to Greg and he dropped them down on to the roof. I stared at the rungs in front of me, and for a split second I thought about what people say about parachuting, and why they would jump out of a perfectly fine plane. Why would I now leave a perfectly fine ladder to do a balancing act on the edge of the mall roof?

"You okay?" Greg's voice kept me focussed.

I kept one hand locked on the top rung and stepped off onto the top of the six inch wide brick wall front. Once both feet were on the top of the wall I reached out to the top of the roof ladder just a few inches to the left of me. I then spun around and stepped slowly down on to the ladder that lead to the roof. Once positioned securely on the ladder on the roof, I sighed with relief. While I was still high enough to do so, I looked straight down to the parking lot below me and took note of the distance. I chalked it up to a sense of accomplishment, something I could check off the list.

I climbed down onto the snowy, and silent roof top, fairly proud of myself. Greg and I trudged through about a foot of snow, as if climbing up one ladder, back down another, all while carrying tools and wearing full gear and airpacks wasn't enough of a workout. We walked from one air conditioning unit to another. We found no signs of smoke, no noticed odors. Everything on the roof seemed to check out okay. We reported to the chief by radio what we found and he advised us we could return to the parking lot.

We trudged through the snow all the way back to the ladder. We noticed we couldn't hear the roar of the apparatus, or see the flashing lights and it seemed ironic that we were still on a fire scene. I got to the bottom of the roof ladder that lead up to the top ledge of the wall. Next to that we could only see the tip of the ladder truck peeking up over the side. I began the process of getting off the roof just like we did to get on it, only in reverse. I climbed the ladder first to the top of the brick wall. Once there I could once again see the lot filled with fire apparatus, flashing lights and now spectators. I looked straight down the wall and saw the top of the JC Pennys sign. On the main ladder from the truck I saw the Assistant Chief climbing up toward me. He was going to assist with carrying the roof ladder down so we could just come down with our tools in hand. I got to the top rung and reached out to the top rung of the ladder truck. I was prepared now to take my step off the laddder to the top of the wall, spin, then go down the larger ladder to the truck. As I shifted my weight to step off the ladder, the bottom of my laddder suddenly slid out in the melting snow beneath it. My grip on the top rung of the ladder truck tightened like a vise grip, and my eyes, looking straight into the face of the Assistant Chief on the other side of the wall, widened just short of falling out of my skull. My heart pounded and the adrenaline pushed its way through my veins with quite the urgency.

"Pat what happened?" the chief asked climbing still higher to help out.

I turned and looked down and saw Greg scrambling to secure the laddder under me, in the deep snow. He stepped up on to the bottom rung and said,

"Okay, got it, go ahead."

Every muscle in my body had tightened and it was taking a little time for me to get all of them to agree that it was okay to relax. My hand never let go of that rung until I was up on top of the skinny wall, and finally stepping on to a ladder that was safely secured to a fire truck.

Slowly, I did make my way back down the ladder to the ground. When Greg followed and we were both safely on the blacktop parking lot, I did laugh about it. Of all the times for a ladder to slide out from under me, I have to be perched on top of the mall facade, staring down at the parking lot below.

So no, it's not necessarily the height that gives me a concern, it's more the ladders themselves, and whether they are going to stay put while i'm on them, which concerns me the most.