Woman Jumps to Safety in Tower Ladder . . . Berlin Germany 8/15/26

Would've been an excellent opportunity for the LSR.
Who would have had the rope, Phil? The woman? The FF below her? I don't understand your saying it would be a perfect opportunity for the LSR (most likely because of my feeble brain's lack of knowledge about LSR techniques).
 
Who would have had the rope, Phil? The woman? The FF below her? I don't understand your saying it would be a perfect opportunity for the LSR (most likely because of my feeble brain's lack of knowledge about LSR techniques).
Not knocking the members involved, they certainly got the job done. But, ideally, the members on the floor above would've performed the evolution with the pickup being on the floor below. Four years ago, a similar situation occured where they executed a rope rescue.

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Gotcha, Phil. I was having a senior moment when I asked the question. I was thinking that the LSR was the rope members can use when in an untenable situation rather than dive out a window. My bad. Thanks for your reply.

Ray
 
In the FDNY we are able to place a portable ladder into the Tower Ladder basket to extend the ladder to people trapped above the height of the tower ladder. Years ago, this was actually done in I think Brooklyn. Also, years ago a FDNY Evolution was on the books for this operation using both portable ladders and back then scaling ladders from a Tower Ladder bucket. It is always a best practice to have a rope, preferably a "Life Saving Rated Rope" in the Tower Ladder basket, to be used to raise ladders or tools up to the deployed Tower Ladder basket or in an emergency to use for escape from the TL Basket or to pass up to the roof or other area for use in a Lifesaving rope rescue = "Up and over", for someone trapped in the rear of the building. Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26 retired
 
In the FDNY we are able to place a portable ladder into the Tower Ladder basket to extend the ladder to people trapped above the height of the tower ladder. Years ago, this was actually done in I think Brooklyn. Also, years ago a FDNY Evolution was on the books for this operation using both portable ladders and back then scaling ladders from a Tower Ladder bucket. It is always a best practice to have a rope, preferably a "Life Saving Rated Rope" in the Tower Ladder basket, to be used to raise ladders or tools up to the deployed Tower Ladder basket or in an emergency to use for escape from the TL Basket or to pass up to the roof or other area for use in a Lifesaving rope rescue = "Up and over", for someone trapped in the rear of the building. Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26 retired
It's tough to compare an FDNY tower ladder to a European or Japanese rig. A Metz, Magirus or Morita tower ladder is a much lighter weight rig than the Baker (or Seagrave). In addition, the "basket" is considerably smaller and much flimsier than the Baker. The allowable weight in the basket is much less, too. Most of the baskets on these rigs are designed to move up the ladder with one firefighter riding along. When I lived in Korea, I watched a Morita tower ladder of the Seoul FD operate in my apartment complex and spoke with the firefighters operating it. They were well aware of the FDNY rigs, and agreed that the American rigs were much more capable than theirs. Bottom line is that it would be nearly impossible to use a portable ladder to extend the reach of the truck.
 
I have been to Germany, the U.K. and China and have seen what you say about the aerial device towers being lighter in construction. But I still believe that using portable ladders from those buckets is possible. I know that the Paris Fire Dept still uses "Scaling/Pompier ladders" with hooks on each ladder rail made of I think aluminum. I saw them about 20 years ago when I was on vacation in Paris. I think these French Pompier ladders would work from almost any basket, due to their light weight. I was warmly treated in almost all of my overseas firehouse/station visits, except in Red China. In China the Fire Service is in reality part of the military, and I was physically pushed out of the fire station, in no uncertain terms.
Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26 retired
 
I bow to your informed opinion, Cap. My actual fire service experience is only a few months as a volunteer on Long Island while I was waiting for my enlistment date in the USAF. And I'm aware of Pompier ladders from watching the old Jim Davis show, "Rescue 8" in the late '50s. I've never actually seen one except in photos.
 
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