Question

Imagine the fire department had to evacuate the 25th floor of an office building. For firefighters to safely reach people at this height, how long would the truck’s ladder have to be and how much would it weigh? Based on this, do you think Pierce should manufacturer this apparatus? Explain.

Answer 1

In the most ladder trucks are 75 to 105 feet. There may be some specialty ladder trucks around that reach to 125 feet. The length of a ladder truck is limited by weight that can move on a road and the strength of the metal used to make it. Although these ladders look very strong, but when you are at the top of a fully extended ladder on a windy day it will sway back and forth. The 105-foot aerial ladder can reach 7 to 8 stories depending on the height of the stories
To fight a fire above the reach of a ladder, firefighters use the stairs. They may also use the elevators if we can isolate them and can control the doors.
To reach the 25th floor of an office building, the ladder should be approx. 225 ft long and it is not feasible at all to manufacturer this apparatus considering the weight.