SOP Manual - Cleveland Fire Department

Cleveland Fire Department
Operations Manual
2. Climbing Ladders
Firefighters carrying lines should be at least twenty (20) feet apart as they climb a ground ladder.
If the ladder was raised at a less than normal angle, this distance should be increased.
Positioning Firefighting Streams
Ground ladders can be used to hold and position streams being directed into a building.
In the first method of placing ladders for this purpose, the ladder is positioned and used to knock out a
window. The topmost three (3) or four (4) rungs are allowed to extend over the sill and into the window as
the window is being removed. The line is then carried up and tied to the ladder so the stream will be
directed through the window opening. The nozzle is opened and the stream directed onto the fire.
In the second method, the ladder is raised over the window with the tip placed against the wall above it.
Sometimes the tip is placed on the sill or into the next higher window.
Again, a line is carried up, tied to the ladder, and directed onto the fire. In either case, the ladder should be
tied to the building if at all possible. If the ladder is in a window, a tie-in with a rope hose tool will suffice.
If the ladder is against a wall, a pike pole can be placed across the inside of a lower window, tied to a rung,
and pulled tight against the inside wall. Whenever possible, the ladder should be braced by firefighters at
the butt, whether tied in or not.
The hose line should be tied to the ladder with a rope hose tool or strap in a manner that will allow the rope
to absorb some of the reaction of the line when the nozzle is opened.
Covering weakened Areas
Ground ladders may be placed over building features weakened by fire or by firefighter operations, to allow
safe passage.
A ground ladder also can be placed over a weakened or suspect area of a roof or floor to allow crews to
work safely in that area. Each end of the ladder must be supported by a solid part of the roof or floor.
Salvage
There are two types of salvage operations, those that protect the contents of a building, and those that
protect the building itself from structural damage due to the weight of the water. The first mainly entails the
proper placement of salvage covers to protect contents and catch water. The second requires that water be
removed from the building before it overloads the structure.
1. The main objective of salvage is to protect the building and its contents from water damage; the
main objective of overhaul is to make sure the fire is completely out.
2. Salvage operations should be started as soon as fire attack begins, or as soon thereafter as possible;
overhaul operations are not started until the fire is apparently extinguished.
Effective: June 1, 1997 Revised: 5/14/2009 Page | 224
Approved by: Chief Chuck Atchley