Near Miss: Fall from Ladder
This week's near miss isn't really a near miss. The firefighter involved sustained a nasty injury to his hip. However, the injury could have been much worse.
I picked up the charged line and opened it slowly, expecting some substantial reaction force on a 1 3/4" line that was operating at 120 psi. Unknown to me the 2nd line had been charged by the pump operator and the pump pressure had been increased to 140 psi in anticipation of the 2nd line being opened once it was advanced to the attic. My second and biggest mistake occurred at this time. I failed to "lock in" to the ladder with one leg. As I slowly opened the nozzle the force went from something I could manage, to in a split second lifting me right off the ladder. I did not have any sensation of slipping or losing control of the line, just one second I was opening the line and the next second I was in the air.
Read the whole report for all of the details.
Do your firefighters know how to properly lock in when working on a ladder?
Have they practiced locking in with full bunker gear and SCBA while managing a hose line?
Does your department have SOGs that stipulate tying the hose line to the ladder before opening the nozzle?
Posted May 11, 2006 08:38 AM ·
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Near Misses
