Evening star., 1926-05-09

THE apparatus drill over and the
vehicles back in the house. the
men were lined up and called upon
by Chief O'Connor 90 bring forth and
explain the purpose OF various tools
carried on their machines. The mon
displayed that they knew exactly
where each instrument was kept, in
formation that would prove almost
indispensable when fighting a fire. In
explaining the manipulation of the
various devices they spoke with the
assurance of Il schoolbOy recit1ng
we'll known lesson or an experienced
demonstratOr exhibiting his nerChau-
disc. The proper manner of lifting
man from any position aud carry
ing him under all circumstances was
also d part of the indoor test, which
wound up the drill
But even when YOU know what All
engine company does in practice you
only know half the story. for the
function OF a. fire truck is quite diff
ferent and in some respects more
spectacular than that of an engine,
and it is thoroughly worth while TO
witness a typical drill. Truck No. g.
housed between Thirteenth and -Four
teenth streets on Park road, was visit
ed for this purpose. The men OF tha
company set a city record some
months ago by pulling out of their
house in eight seconds, a 'fyiu@
start" for which they We're awarded
silver loving cup donated by the
Merchants and Manufacturers As
sociation. A similar cup was offered
, by The Star to the engine company
with the quickest getaway" and was
capt lred by No. %.
The truck at the Park road house
is one of the latest models in use in
/ the District Measuring more than
| 90 feet from the tip of its radiator to
| the end of It's longest ladder and
weighing around Q tons, it is certainly
, an imposing piece of machinery. IT Is
/ steered both front and rear and has
o siX-cylinder motor Of 1870 horse
! power.
| AS in the case of the engine com
Dany, the truck teams drill began
with a few remarks by Chief OCon-
nor on the order of speech addressed
to the men of No. Q. 1t was brought
out that every fire company is at all
times a rescue company. its first duty
being to save life. This led up to the
initial evolution which the truck per
formed. the resCuing of d man from
the roof of their house. which was
imagined to be aflame. The maneuveie
like the first of the engine company.
was timed. II took exactly 16 sec
onds to swing the big S5-foot exten-
sion ladder into place and for man
to climb il after the truck had stop
ped The climber. of course. started
upward while the other members Of
the company We're still revolving and
raising the ladder and blocking the
trucks wheels. Altogether the aC-
complishment required utmost team
work.
When the man on the roof had been
rescued to Chief O'Connor'S sattsfac-
ton, he sent the machine on another
run with instructions 10 return and
cover the building with ladders. II
was assumed i'm this instance that the
second story was on fire. that no stair
way was accessible and that three
engine companies were waiting to be
afforded Il means of reaching the
blaze.
The truck was stopped some dis
tance in front of the house. leaving
enough room to maneuver ii should
it be found necessary To swing the So
foot ladder into action.
WITHOUT stopping to block the
w wheels. the men began carrying
the smaller ladders up to the building
and raising them TO the windows. 1t
became apparent that even such
homely feats as carrying and raising
4 ladder have been reduced TO sci
ence which makes for perfection.
A ladder is carried on the shoulders
of the men handling il. The number
Of men used in moving a ladder and
their positions are determined by its
length. The 30-foot ladder is a three
man affair: four men carry the 35-foot
ladder, while six are required 10 ma
nipulate the 50-foot one.
In raising a ladder one or two men
heel it. that is, place a foot on the
first round. while the rest sling ii
into position, handling it by the edge
and not by the rounds. This latter
precaution provides the men a better
chance to jump to safety in the event
the ladder should fall
Having covered the building with
ladders in the most approved fashion,
the men of No 6 truck ran UP them
with window-op tools and soon
laid the second floor bare to attack
by the hose brigade. Two men also
provided for ventilation through the
roof by scaling the 50-foot ladder 10
the top of the building.
Handling a 50-foot extension ladder
is no child's play. 1t requires the
skilled cooperation of six husky men.
Four of them steady the base, while
two handle poles which are attached
in a movable manner near the top
and take care of the upper portion.
BY having one man heel the ladder
and act as a pivot. the rest can swing
it in any desired direction. The men
can also move it backward. forward or
sideways while upright. During most
Of the movements one of the poles is
kept at right angles to the position
of the ladder. Chief O'Connor put the
men of the Park road truck company
a hard and extended drill on
these points. which included avoiding
an imaginary intervening wire or
screen that made proper placing of
the ladder difficult.
Climbing practice was next in order
The big S5-foot ladder was raised
almost to an upright position and six
rounds of the extension run out. Per
haps it should be observed that this
ladder is permanently attached TO
revolving platform on the truck. Like
an antiaircraft gun. 1t can he raised
to any angle or swung in any direc-
ton by means of machinery at its
base.
BY the time it was ready for the
drill, several men had put
on wide belts, designated as pompier
beltS, TO each OF which was attached.
among other things, a large metal
hook. Thus equipped the individual
men climbed, one at a time, up the
ladder and attached their hook to the
Lopmost round. Having hooked in,
he fireman would throw out his hands
md swing back. showing he was free
TO use his arms for any task that
needed to be performed. Chief O'Con-
nor would approve of the mans work
by shouting 'all rr.r.t- ut which sig
nal the man would unhook and com
nenCe his descent, climbing down
monkey fashion,. as he did up, using