Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

ATTIC LADDER

Date Range From

1960

Date Range To

2010

Materials

METAL, RUBBER

No. Pieces

1

Height

314.2

Length

4.9

Width

33.5

Description

ADJUSTABLE LADDER, SIDE RAILS COME TOGETHER TO MAKE THE LADDER MORE COMPACT (LADDER IS ONLY 8.0CM WIDE WHEN THE SIDE RAILS ARE TOGETHER). SILVER COLOURED METAL, WITH ORANGE PAINT, BLACK RUBBER, AND EIGHT RUNGS. ANTI-SLIP SAFETY SHOE ON THE BOTTOM OF BOTH SIDE RAILS. SAFETY SHOE IS BLACK RUBBER ON THE BOTTOM, WITH A PATTERN OF 10 CIRCLES PER SHOE BOTTOM. METAL TEETH ON THE FRONT OF THE SHOE. SHOES ARE ADJUSTABLE, BUT ARE VERY STIFF. BRACE COMES UP FROM THE BOTTOM AND LOCKS TO PREVENT LADDER RAILS FROM COLLAPSING BACK TOGETHER. BOTTOM OF LADDER HAS A 54.5CM SECTION OF BRIGHT ORANGE PAINT AND TOP HAS A 46.0CM SECTION OF BRIGHT ORANGE PAINT. TOP OF ONE RAIL HAS A BLACK RUBBER TOPPER. SMALL BLACK STICKER AT BOTTOM “P1” WITH SEVERAL STICKERS ON THE OPPOSITE RAIL: A ROUGHLY OVAL SHAPED, RED, BLACK, AND SILVER STICKER: “THIS IS A DUO-SAFETY LADDER. DUO-SAFETY LADDER CORP 519 W 9TH AVE. OSHKOSH, WIS.”; THEN A RECTANGULAR RED STICKER WITH WHITE WRITING: “THIS LADDER IS CERTIFIED TO COMPLY WITH N.F.P.A. SPEC 1931-1832; CURRENT EDITION, FOR FIRE DEPARTMENT GROUND LADDERS AND OSHA FIRE LADDER REQUIREMENTS. REFER TO DUO-SAFETY LADDER SAFETY BOOK FOR CARE – USE – MAINTENANCE ON THIS LADDER. DUO-SAFETY LADDER CORP. OSHKOSH, WI 54901”; THEN A WHITE STICKER WITH GOLD WRITING: “10”. THERE IS ALSO A SILVER COLOURED STICKER WITH HANDWRITING ON THIS SAME RAIL, LOCATED BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND RUNGS: “TEST DATE: 25 NOV 2006. LADDER #: ATTIC #18. APPARATUS #: P1. APPARATUS #: P1.” BOTH RAILS HAVE THE FOLLOWING STICKERS, AT ROUGHLY THE MID-POINT OF THE LADDER: RECTANGULAR, WHITE BACKGROUND, BLUE BORDER, BLACK WRITING: “DANGER. FAILURE TO USE, UNDERSTAND, AND FOLLOW PROPER LADDER USAGE INSTRUCTIONS AS MADE AVAILABLE BY DUO-SAFETY LADDER, N.F.P.A., I.S.F.S.I., A.N.S.I., O.S.H.A., ETC. COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY AND/OR DEATH.” RECTANGULAR, WHITE BACKGROUND, BLACK BORDER AND WRITING: “DANGER. WATCH FOR WIRES. THIS LADDER CONDUCTS ELECTRICITY.” RECTANGULAR, YELLOW, WITH BLACK WRITING: CAUTION. SET UP LADDER PROPERLY TO REDUCE SLIP AND OVERHEAD HAZARDS. FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS. 1. PLACE TOES AGAINST BOTTOM OF LADDER SIDE RAILS. 2. STAND ERECT. 3. EXTEND ARMS STRAIGHT OUT. 4. PALMS OF HANDS SHOULD TOUCH TOP OF RUNG AT SHOULDER LEVEL. OUT -->” STICKER ON THE INSIDE OF FOURTH RUNG FROM THE BOTTOM: WHITE BACKGROUND, BLACK WRITING: “REMOVE LADDER FROM SERVICE AND TEST IF ANY HEAT SENSOR TURNS DARK -->” LADDER IS IN GOOD OVERALL CONDITION. ADJUSTABLE FEET ARE VERY STIFF. LOTS OF SCUFF MARKS ALL OVER LADDER AND SOME STICKERS HAVE BEEN PARTIALLY REMOVED/SCRATCHED.

Subjects

REGULATIVE & PROTECTIVE T&E

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

History

THIS ATTIC LADDER WAS USED BY THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT. IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT PROVIDED AT THE TIME OF DONATION, JESSE KURTZ, DEPUTY CHIEF – SUPPORT SERVICES (RETIRED), EXPLAINED THAT THE LADDER WAS “USED TO ACCESS ATTIC SPACES THROUGH SMALL ACCESS HOLES IN CEILINGS. USED WHEN WE DID NOT WANT TO PULL A CEILING DOWN AFTER A FIRE TO ENSURE THAT THE FIRE IN THE ATTIC WAS OUT.” HE CONTINUED SAYING THAT THIS LADDER WAS DECOMMISSIONED BECAUSE IT IS “OLD AND WORN OUT. ALL LADDERS MUST MEET MINIMUM ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS.” IN THE SUMMER OF 2015, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN, CONDUCTED A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS WITH CURRENT AND FORMER MEMBERS OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING: CLIFF “CHARLIE” BROWN (HIRED IN 1966, RETIRED 2004), TREVOR LAZENBY (HIRED IN 1994), AND LAWRENCE DZUREN (HIRED 1959, RETIRED 1992). BROWN EXPLAINED THAT THIS IS “WHAT WE CALL A LITTLE ATTIC LADDER, TO GET BACK INTO A TIGHT PLACE WHERE YOU COULDN’T BRING A BIG LADDER IN … YOU COULD GET IT UP INTO THE ATTIC SO YOU COULD CHECK WHAT WAS IN THE ATTIC.” LAZENBY ELABORATED: “THIS IS A FOLDING ATTIC LADDER … THE RUNGS THAT SEPARATE THE TWO BEAM SECTIONS ARE ACTUALLY HINGED IN NATURE AND SO IT FOLDS UP AND FITS IN, TYPICALLY, A LITTLE COMPARTMENT ON THE BACK END OF THE TRUCK BECAUSE [THEY] HAVE SOME LONG, LATERAL STORAGE THERE. THESE SURPRISINGLY GET USED A FAIR AMOUNT, STILL.” HE CONTINUED SAYING “THEY’RE NARROW ENOUGH THAT THEY’RE ALMOST DIFFICULT TO CLIMB WITH YOUR BIG FIRE BOOTS ON.” LAZENBY EXPLAINED THAT THE LADDERS IN USE PRESENTLY ARE VERY SIMILAR TO THIS MODEL: “YOU CAN TELL BY LOOKING AT IT IT’S AN OLDER PIECE BUT THE CONSTRUCTION IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME. THEY MIGHT BE USING SLIGHTLY LIGHTER MATERIALS NOW, BUT FROM WHAT I CAN SEE, THEY’RE BASICALLY THE SAME.” HE ADDED THAT HE WAS OFTEN THE ONE USING THE LADDER: “BECAUSE I WAS NEVER ONE OF THE BIGGER GUYS ON THE JOB, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN I STARTED I WAS PROBABLY TWENTY POUNDS LIGHTER THAN I AM NOW, IF THEY NEEDED SOMEONE TO GET INTO A SMALLER SPACE, I WAS THAT GUY, TYPICALLY, BECAUSE WHEN YOU WEIGHT 250 [POUNDS] AND YOU THROW THE SCBA ON AND ALL THE EQUIPMENT, IT’S DEFINITELY TOUGH FOR SOME OF THOSE GUYS TO GET THROUGH THAT ACCESS. SO, YES, I’VE BEEN IN MY FAIR SHARE OF ATTICS AND THAT’S THE ONLY MEANS TO GET UP THERE.” LAZENBY EXPLAINED THE IMPORTANCE OF USING THE LADDER: “ANY TIME A FIRE VENTS OUT OF A WINDOW AND TOUCHES ANY PART OF THE SOFFIT, IT’S INCUMBENT THAT YOU HAVE TO ABSOLUTELY CHECK THAT BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T AND YOU’RE OPERATING UNDERNEATH AN ATTIC FIRE, THAT’S A VERY, VERY UNSAFE PLACE TO BE.” DZUREN ADDED: “THAT’S A COLLAPSIBLE LADDER. IT’S KIND OF LIKE A SCISSOR TYPE OF LADDER. IT WAS VERY COMPACT, YOU COULD STORE IT ON ONE OF YOUR VEHICLES WITHOUT IT TAKING UP TOO MUCH ROOM … YOU’D CARRY THAT INTO YOUR HOUSE IF AN OFFICER WANTED YOU TO GO UP INTO AN ATTIC … IT WAS EASY TO TRANSPORT AND ONCE YOU GOT IT INTO THE OPENING YOU COULD JUST GIVE IT A SWITCH AND IT WOULD OPEN UP AND YOU COULD JUST CLIMB RIGHT UP TO THE SPOT THERE.” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

Catalogue Number

P20150010022

Acquisition Date

2015-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail