[OP]
Contributor
The San Francisco Fire Department may be the only fire department in the country with their own ladder shop to build and repair their wooden ladders. A combination of narrow streets with low hanging electrical wires and high winds off of the bay and ocean make the wooden ladders a better choice over aluminum ladders.
https://vimeo.com/13190227
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
Thanks Jim, very good video.
"If you have all your fingers, you can convert to Metric"
Contributor
I'd like to see the video of the guys putting up and extending that 50 ft, 350 lb ladder. They must have a few pretty strong dudes to get it up.
Moderator
Very interesting.
Mike Null
St. Louis Laser, Inc.
Trotec Speedy 300, 80 watt
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Woodworking shop CLTT and Laser Sublimation
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Member
Vey cool, good find. Thanks for posting.
Member
cool stuff, thanks Jim
Guest
Have they not heard of fiberglass?
Contributor
I could do with out hearing how the wood has to be stored for years and such, but I enjoy all those regional traditions. The ribbed construction is interesting. I have a twenty foot redwood ladder with hand turned round fir rungs that I made; was simply the cheapest thing for clogged gutter ,etc at the tallest corner of the house.
Member
Werner's 40' fiberglass ladder weighs in at 375lbs.... Model D7140-2 40 ft type 1aa. They don't list a 50'. At the end of the video you see them set it up, they use auxiliary poles that attach to stabilize it.Originally Posted by Pat Barry
Guest
That is a good point, I hadn't thought about the limits is making fiberglass units. I can't find any over 40', which means they're probably pretty wobbly even at that length.
Member
Yeah, wood is lighter than fibreglass, and lasts way longer than aluminum. If they have a ladder shop, I'm not sure how that's being "a state that likes to spend the people's money."
In fact, making and servicing ladders seems to be a great way to steward the people's money. Wood ladders stand up to heat better, as well.
I seem to recall that fibreglass doesn't stand heat all that well, either, and is much harder to repair.
Paul
[OP]
Contributor
One of their ladders has been in use since 1918. That in itself seems to indicate longevity. It would be interesting to know how many different fire trucks it has been carried on as part of the equipment.In fact, making and servicing ladders seems to be a great way to steward the people's money.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Guest
It is impossible to come to any conclusions without a lot more data.
And some of their reasons for using wooden ladders are questionable:
Extra weight helps in windy conditions? San Francisco isn't even one of the windiest cities and none of the 10 windiest cities even use wooden ladders. Twelve of the thirteen cities that DO use wooden ladders are in CA, and none of them are in the top ten for windy cities.
Heat? Well, other fire departments have found the aluminum and fiberglass ladders perform fine, because they aren't typically placed directly in the fire. I imagine they even teach this in the academy ("Don't put the ladder IN the fire").
Non-conductive? Fiberglass works.
Longer lengths? Seems custom wood ladders are a plus here. But their arguments about the extra weight, and the heat resistance, make me question whether this one is legit or not, too.
Contributor
I dare say the chief benefits are the publicity value and esprit de corp in fire dept. Unusual features are good for tourism,too.
Contributor
Ladders. Made of wood. We are arguing about ladders made of wood. Step back a minute and look at this from afar.
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