Tiller Tape, Stripes, Marker Flags, and Other Clever Uses for Tape By Captain Raul A. Angulo Ladder Co. 6 Seattle Fire Department All photos by author except where noted
Obviously for Search and Rescue Primary Search in Progress Primary Search Complete Secondary Search Complete
Tape at the 12 o'clock Position on Steering Wheels for Safety and Wheel Orientation Many professional race car drivers like NASCAR drivers, use tape as a safety tool to indicate the position of the wheels. Photo by Marv Keller Fire departments around the country also use this excellent trick of the trade to enhance their margin of safety and awareness while driving tillered aerial fire apparatus.
The FDNY uses tape at the 12 o clock position on their tiller steering wheels. Note the large white stripe down the center of the aerial ladder rungs. Lining up the tape with this stripe helps the tillerman position and keep the trailer behind the tractor. Photo: Braden Forrey Photo by Braden Forrey. L20 FDNY
Dash Tape In addition to using the mirrors, adding a ½ -inch strip of tape on the dash can help the driver keep large fire apparatus centered in the lane. It can also be placed to help the driver keep the right side of the rig safely aligned to the right shoulder of the road.
Marker Flags The tillerman needs to line up the trailer with the beacon light on top of the cab which is 45 feet away from the tiller cage. You can tell by the width of the ladder that the left wheel line on the floor is not visible.
Marker Flags By dropping 2 marker flags (made with weighted duct tape with orange tabs) over each beam or rail of the fly section, the tillerman has two more reference points to help him line up the trailer with the tractor. Relief drivers may not get many opportunities to tiller, so their confidence level may not be the same as a regular driver. The flags help increase the safety margin and confidence levels, especially when relief drivers are filling in.
Here is the view from the tiller cage.
Red stripes are placed every 5 feet on aerial ladder beams to ensure accuracy when extending the flys.
While the aerial ladder is fully retracted and bedded, the driver can place ½-inch or 1-inch strips of black electrical tape in-line on the top of each beam (rails) of the ladder. After aerial operations when the ladder is being retracted, the strips begin to line up. Once the strips are aligned, it is another visual check to ensure the ladder is fully retracted and safe to bed.
Striping can alert firefighters to safety hazards. You can see the pivot point at the base of the aerial ladder can be a pinch-point for feet and toes while the ladder is being raised. Paint a 2-inch bright yellow stripe to mark the hazard. An aerial ladder is a powerful piece of equipment with lots of moving parts that can cause serious injury. You can t mark every hazard, so firefighters need to diligent and constantly aware of their hand and foot placement.
Tape on Ground Extension Ladders Placing a 1-inch piece of colored duct tape at the half-way point on the beam of a ground ladder is a quick visual reference of the balancing point. This makes it smooth and easy for a 1-man shoulder carry or a 2-man cradle carry.
Taping Marks on the Apparatus Bay Floor Reference marks and grids on the apparatus floor can be used for a variety of purposes. In this example, 1-inch strips are placed 20 feet apart on the floor for quick tarp-cutting measurements.
The box of Visqueen is placed at one mark and unrolled to the second mark 20 feet away.
The firefighter cuts the roll at the first mark and the 20 x 20 tarp (unfolded) is ready to be rolled up and placed in the tarp compartment of the apparatus. Pre-cut and pre-measured plastic tarps can be quickly assembled. Firefighters like to make tasks quick and easy.
Marking Grid Lines with Tape, Paint. and Chalk Vertical Ventilation Cut Sequence Drill You don t need to have a roof prop to practice vertical ventilation. Members of Ladder Co. 8 are using existing apparatus floor lines as a roof template and marking the rafters with chalk. They are using a chalk saw to demonstrate the cutting sequences for a louver cut.
This is a great rainy day drill and completely safe. The officer is in a good position to closely supervise the sequence and coach his firefighters. Note the firefighters have properly placed the roof ladder and are standing on it. The officer is explaining where the roof hook tool should be buried into the roof so the sawyer has additional secure footing while making the cuts.
These are examples of how you can tape out or paint a roof rafter grid on the apparatus bay floor for a vertical ventilation cut sequence drills using a chalk saw.
Colored duct tape can be used to mark and identify tools. Each truck company in the Seattle Fire Dept. has a specific color code. Ladder 6 is International Orange. In addition to L6 stencils, everyone knows any tool found after a fire with International Orange belongs to Ladder 6. TOOLS The Zak entry tool and the Badaxx are taped at both ends for extra visibility and easy identification. The duct tape allows for clean lines and easy application. Prior to colored duct tape, the striping had to be painted - which included prepping the surface, drying time, and touch ups.
Marking Roll-Up Doors Use bright colored duct tape to mark the top of the track at the level where the bottom of the roll-up door is when completely opened.
The tape serves as a quick visual indicator. There are a variety of reason why a roll-up door may not be all the way up: Mechanical problem Human error Intentional Whatever the reason, maximum clearance is diminished which may result in the top of the fire apparatus striking the bottom of the door, causing damage to one or both.
Having the colored tape at the top of the track makes it easy to see and ensure that the roll-up door is fully opened for maximum clearance.
A more common occurrence, especially with aerial ladders is an over-excited driver, anxious to leave the station on an alarm. Newer behemoth rigs housed in existing fire stations may only clear the door opening by inches. Having the tape on the track allows the driver to have a quick visual assurance that the door is fully raised for maximum clearance.
Marking Fire Hose The Seattle Fire Department uses 100-foot sections of 1 ¾ and 2 ½ fire hose. It is useful to mark the 50-foot halfway point with a 1-inch black stripe. It helps with loading hose into the hose bed and rolling hose.
Having the hose marked at the 50-foot mark allows the firefighter to quickly locate the center of the hose length and drape it across his chest. Next, the firefighter picks up the male coupling in one hand and the female coupling in the other. Now the hose is balanced so the firefighter can quickly reposition fire hose on the fireground without dragging unequal loops. It makes a big difference when the hose is not fully drained of water.
Anytime you re working with long lengths of equipment, whether ladders or fire hose, it s always important to find the balance point. When hanging fire hose in the hose tower for drying, the firefighter can quickly identify the 50-foot mark on the hose by the black stripe.
While holding the bend in the hose at the halfway mark, the firefighter takes a turn with the halyard and hooks the rope. The hose is now ready to hoist up into the tower for hanging. The weight and the length of the hose will be evenly distributed.
These are just a few ideas of using tape, stripes, and markers to make your job safer and easier. Perhaps you can find other beneficial applications. Remember, using these training aids and safety tools is not cheating or unprofessional. Ignore the scoffers. They re the ones who don t get it. It is about limiting your risk and exposure to liability and preventing predictable accidents. The real professional looks for ways to make an already tough job easier by working smarter and safer. The End