Tool Time
By Raul Angulo

Ladders Add Safety During Ship Fires
Using ladders at ship fires doesn’t always involve the ship. Life safety is our highest priority at any emergency incident, but even before the life safety of the public, the Number 1 life safety priority is firefighters.

For cities that have waterfronts with commercial ports and/or recreational harbors, ship fires, boat fires and marina fires pose special hazards for firefighters – the main one being water. Firefighters can slip on docks, piers, gang planks and decks, especially in winter when rain, ice and snow can increase the chances for losing your footing.

Many Cannot Swim
Most firefighters can swim, but there are many who cannot and falling into the water with full turnout gear and SCBA can be a terrifying thought. The fear is you’ll sink to the bottom like an anchor. Not so. You have enough air trapped within your turnout liners to keep you afloat… for a little while. Long enough to swim to the dock, a pier piling or even to shore; and long enough for other firefighters throw you a life ring or a rescue rope. One lieutenant in my department fell into the water with full gear, including SCBA, and floated for 5 minutes before he was rescued.

If you don’t believe me, try it. When water temperatures are warm enough and weather allows, have a drill where the rookie “accidentally” falls into a pool or a lake. Make sure you have a life ring attached to a rope and life preservers at the ready. You can even have a polypropylene line attached to the firefighter for safety. See how long it takes for the firefighter’s gear to become waterlogged, where it causes him/her to sink, and time it.

It has been my experience that for the first few minutes, the firefighter will bob like a cork. As your boots fill with water, you may have to kick them off. You may also have to dump the SCBA assembly and any heavy tools you have in your pockets. I would recommend, however, that you keep your webbing for reach and your flashlight in case you need to signal for help in the dark.

A ladder anchor or hook tied off at the first rung should be placed over the edge of the pier. Large timbers often found along the edges of piers will allow the hook to grab securely, keeping the ladder from slipping and helping support the weight of the firefighter. (Fire Apparatus Photo)

Using the weight of the ladder and the ends of the rope, ladders can be vertically lowered over the edge of the pier into place.         (Fire Apparatus Photo)

Obviously, the main safety goal for firefighters fighting a ship fire is don’t fall in the water! However, part of truck company operations and the role of rapid intervention teams is to prepare for such events when the incident involves a body of deep water with the potential for drowning.

When working a waterfront, be careful of changing tides. It’s not unusual to see a 15-foot drop in the waterline. In those cases, if the distance from top of the pier to the water is too great, firefighters who might fall in would be left to hold on to pilings until rescued.

Pier Ladders
Most commercial docks have pier ladders that descend into the water, but they are spaced out. Some commercial piers are hundreds of yards in length. There’s no telling where a ship will dock and if a firefighter falls in, there may or may not be an access ladder close by. The solution is to create and position rescue ladders close to the incident.

Since every engine I’ve seen has at least a 25-foot ground extension ladder there are some things you can do to minimize the danger.

To create a rescue ladder, you could use a 35-foot ground extension ladder and extended it to a sufficient length while it’s on the ground. The fly section should be lashed to the bed section in at least two places to lock the rungs in place. Dogs do not work as designed because the ladder is primarily being suspended by the tip.

To lash the ladder, use a rescue rope that’s at least 100 feet in length. Secure the butt end of the ladder with the rope passing around the beams and through the rungs. Then tie a bowline knot. This end of the rope controls the direction of the ladder and the speed of descent. It also allows you to easily lift the ladder back up to the pier after the operation is completed.

Lashing A Ladder
Passing the rope up to the tip of the ladder and running it through the first and second rungs will allow you to control the tip of the ladder with the same rope. Make sure you have a long tail because you will need this end of the rope to tie off to a stationary object or to the apparatus, securing the ladder in place.

Once the lashing has been completed, move the ladder over the edge of the pier. Using the weight of the ladder and the two ends of the rope, you can vertically lower the ladder into place.

Use a ladder anchor (hook) tied off at the first rung and place the hook over the edge of the pier. Many piers have large timbers along the edges, which allow the hook to grab a good bite. This is an added safety measure to keep the ladder from slipping as well as assisting in supporting the weight of the ladder and the firefighter. Tie off the rope to a cleat or bollard. Most commercial piers have very substantial cleats. Bollards are thick steel posts or cleats for securing ships with hawsers (very large diameter mooring lines).

With the ladder in place, firefighters can safely climb it. The ladder should be left in place until the emergency is over and fire crews are ready to pick up. The rope can now be used to hoist the ladder back on to the pier. Remember, if ladders and ropes were used in salt water, they need to be thoroughly rinsed with fresh water before stowing the equipment back on the apparatus. This may have to be done at the station after the company returns to quarters.

Like Hitting Cement
Keep in mind if a firefighter falls from the deck of a ship, the fall can easily be in excess of 30 feet. The height from luxury cruise ships is even greater. Hitting the water from that height is like hitting cement. The firefighter could have the wind knocked out of him or her and may have difficulty breathing – or may even be injured and need assistance climbing the ladder.

If the firefighter cannot climb the ladder, rescue boats may be the next best alternative, however on waterfronts and commercial piers, medic units may be staged right on the pier. Perhaps an aerial-stokes rescue may be an even faster way to get the firefighter the medical attention he needs.

Hypothermia is always a concern with water rescues, especially in winter or during inclement weather. If the firefighter appears to be uninjured, he/she still needs to be evaluated by paramedics for hypothermia.

Water rescues, or at least the possibility of one having to be launched, is the most often overlooked evolution at ship fires. In the worst case scenario, if an explosion happens where firefighters are blown off the decks or have to abandon ship by jumping, rapid intervention teams and support crews will have to perform this evolution with every ground ladder available.

When something as unthinkable as an explosion happens on a ship during fire suppression operations, there will be lots of firefighters in the water depending on you to do something. So, it’s best to be well-trained and prepared at all times.

Editor’s Note: Raul A. Angulo is a 28-year veteran of the Seattle Fire Department and captain of Ladder Company 6. He is on the Educational Advisory Board for the Fire Department Instructors Conference and is on the Board of Directors for the Fellowship of Christian Firefighters. He lectures on fire service leadership, company officer development and fireground strategy and accountability throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.