What does a Ladder company do and what are their jobs on a fire scene?
The job assigned to a Ladder Company is determined by the type of building involved in the fire and it’s arrival sequence. For this discussion we will consider a small box or “A” assignment, which is the usual assignment sent to a report of a house fire. This type of assignment would include two engines, one ladder, one medic, one rescue, and one battalion chief. In this situation initial search, and ventilation. The first ladder to arrive at the scene of a working fire will assist the first engine with gaining access to the building, “forcible entry.” The ladder will usually divide the crew up into an inside and outside crew. Forcible entry can be completed by either the inside or outside crew, but usually the inside crew will take this job. Once entry is made the two crews have different tasks to perform. The inside crew will do a quick search of all areas which can be entered. As they search, they will ventilate the building as they go opening windows to remove the smoke. They are a
