ladders and how to mis-use them

GotWood

GotWood

Sayer of Fact
Joined
Jan 12, 2007
Location
Maiden, NC
Did a drill today that I had never done before. Take a 35' ladder and have 4 of your friends hold it vertical with ropes. Now climb up and over.

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I was watching American Ninja Warrior on tv (yeah I know, there really is nothing on), and I looked over at my wife and said "those guys on TV ain't got nothing on this" and showed her this video. Thats awesome man, I don't know that I could trust my coworkers to do that!
 
Man, I love American Ninja Warrior. Those guys do some crazy stuff! On a more serious note, my hats off to all firemen. My dad was one for 20 years. Its not all the glory you see in the movies, especially in a small town where they spend as much time responding to car wrecks, being first responders, and generally dealing with the things most of us don't even want to think about.
 
do you have a previous leg injury to your right leg? I'm not hating, I've just never seen someone climb a ladder one legged like that?
 
With the ladder vertical you have to really swing your knee out and your arms are just holding your body from falling off. Oh, and I'm almost 40!
 
There ain't much I'm truly scared of. This will haunt my nightmares, though! :eek: Seriously, I don't know how you swung your balls over the top. I'm assuming they're 20lbs of brass each.
 
Haha, good stuff.

JT and I climbed to the top of a water tower off Yanceyville Rd one night several years back. We had a great view of the lights in downtown Greensboro. I remember my arms getting tired too due to the vertical nature of the ladder. Good times.
 
I've seen this drill before, but in my 30 years of Volunteer Ser., we never did THAT. I don't know of Any reason, anyone would ever need to! I have a fear of ladders, & heights, but did make it through all the training, & as most of my fellow fireman, passed Fire Fighter 1 certification.
 
rodney eppes said:
I've seen this drill before, but in my 30 years of Volunteer Ser., we never did THAT. I don't know of Any reason, anyone would ever need to! I have a fear of ladders, & heights, but did make it through all the training, & as most of my fellow fireman, passed Fire Fighter 1 certification.
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I was taught in ladders class that it was used back in the day by fire departments to help churches change light bulbs, hence the name steeple raise. Now it's used as a team building skill to help you build trust in your crew or department. I know Raleigh has their recruits do it in their academy.

Duane
 
what happens if one of the guys legitimately messes up? bee sting etc. that could go bad fast. but way cool to watch. glad you're on the ground safe!
 
Chuckman said:
what happens if one of the guys legitimately messes up? bee sting etc. that could go bad fast. but way cool to watch. glad you're on the ground safe!
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That brought back a bad memory from years ago. I was attempting to climb to the top of a grain silo at Kildaire Farm as a youngster and was almost there when my buddies on the ground started hollering..............I looked up and a huge swarm of what looked like hornets was 10' above me at the top of the silo. I was shaking the old rusty cage ladder and their nest evedently and they did'nt like that. I quickly/carefully and luckily climbed back down and wondered if I could have made it if they swarmed on me!!:eek:
 
mommucked said:
That brought back a bad memory from years ago. I was attempting to climb to the top of a grain silo at Kildaire Farm as a youngster and was almost there when my buddies on the ground started hollering..............I looked up and a huge swarm of what looked like hornets was 10' above me at the top of the silo. I was shaking the old rusty cage ladder and their nest evedently and they did'nt like that. I quickly/carefully and luckily climbed back down and wondered if I could have made it if they swarmed on me!!:eek:
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I've been there before. 200' in the air, open a turn head (grain elevator diverter) door and swarms of wasps, bees, squirrels, cats, rats, and even raccoons have been found! LOL Its def. an interesting day when we find that 200' in the air... LOL
 
Back in my youth before the country went bat shit for security after 9-1-1, me and a buddy got into climbing cell towers. Climbed 2 of the Johnston County towers, Lake Wheeler tower and Apex tower at ten-ten and 64. They had no fencing what so ever, walked right up to them. We'd pack a lunch and make a day out of it. Took 3-4 hours up and like 1 hour down. You can feel the electricity at the top when the lights blink on and off. Still got some cool pictures from it. We'd be sore as hell for 2 days.

My brother told me a good one while working with a black guy, he pointed out that every single ladder has a picture of a white man climbing correctly but there's also a picture showing that it's always the black man doing it wrong. Look at your ladder and you'll see them. Was pretty funny when he told me that.
 
you are luck you are still around. Some of the tower transmissions are scary dangerous and can kill. I've had to do some work on some towers and we have to keep a certain # of feet away (usually outside the fence) until certain times of the days because of how dangerous the electricity and the transmissions are...
 
I hear the big microwave towers you see Down East have dead birds scattered all around the ground around them ??A teen died last Summer in Durham co. after climbing a steel power transmission tower and getting popped. I remember walking down powerlines w a shotgun years a laying on my shoulder pointed backwards, on a hill w the buzzing powerlines close to the ground and feeling a sting/shock on the side of my neck :eek: I'll stay away from the tall buzzy wasp infested, swaying-noisy, rusty, bird poop covered, lightning rods.
 
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