Firefighters from the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company continue to fine tune and hone their Aerial Apparatus & Ladder Operations taught by the Delaware State Fire School at their monthly training event.

The training objectives of the course were to highlight and explain the different capabilities with safety considerations, apparatus positioning, stabilization, rescue, raising the aerial device; placing the aerial ladder or elevating platform and spotting the turntable as well as patient extrication exercises.

An aerial device provides additional support on the fire ground; how it’s used and the operational efficiencies it offers can make a significant impact on lifesaving tasks.

The placement of an aerial device at an emergency scene can greatly impact the effectiveness of an operation. There are two fire truck placement strategies: horizontal and vertical.

• Horizontal placement focuses on the reach of the aerial or ladder device. For example, in a residential area with two-story homes, a fire truck can remain parked on the road and the aerial device can reach the roofline to execute rescue operations or ventilation.

• Vertical placement focuses on the height of the aerial or ladder device. Vertical placement is required in many big cities with tall apartment buildings and hotels. Aerial devices must be able to ascend upwards to perform rescue operations.

Illustrated herewith are some photographs of the actual hands-on phase of the training curriculum.