Archive for August, 2009
Texas Tough Jobs – FIREFIGHTERS
by admin on Aug.10, 2009, under Fire Fighters
This is the second in a series on Texas Tough Jobs that are appearing in Sunday editions.
Last year 114 firefighters lost their lives while on duty in the United States.
The number changes from year to year, but firefighters know the possibility of becoming the latest statistic is always there.
Firefighters are known to morbidly joke about their mental health because they routinely volunteer to run into buildings everyone else is running out of.
Think about the 343 firefighters who ran into the World Trade Center in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack.
They gave their lives to get hundreds — maybe thousands — of workers out of the doomed skyscrapers.
And while you won’t find any skyscrapers in Seguin and Guadalupe County, the reason the men and women charge into harm’s way is the same.
source: http://www.seguingazette.com/story.lasso?ewcd=2b28368d152a6a66
When should you test ground ladders?
by admin on Aug.10, 2009, under Ground Ladder Testing
The following excerpt from NFPA 1932 Chapter 7 provides guidance regarding when ground ladders should be tested.
NFPA 1932 Chapter 7
Service Testing of Ground Ladders
7.1 Requirements for All Ground Ladders
7.1.6 All ground ladders shall be service tested on the following schedule:
1. Before the ladder is placed in service for the first time
2. At least annually
3. At any time a ladder is suspected of being unsafe
4. After the ladder has been subjected to overloading (see Table 5.1.2.1)
5. After the ladder has been subjected to impact loading or unusual conditions of use
6. Whenever the ladder has been exposed or is suspected of having been exposed to direct flame contact
7. Whenever the heat sensor label has changed to indicate heat exposure
8. After any repairs have been completed, unless the only repair was replacing the halyard
