Montgomery County, TN – Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) conducted weight, strength, and resiliency tests on approximately 50 ladders for their annual ladder safety testing at the Montgomery County Rescue Squad Station on June 8th, 2022.
Every ladder associated with County Volunteer Fire Services was tested during a six-hour timeframe.
“This is the first time we have tested all ladders for our fire trucks on the same day,” said Director of EMA Ed Baggett. “It used to take us weeks to do the testing by manually using sandbags and a pulley system. This year we opted to use a company that specialized in ladder testing, the same company used by our friends with the Clarksville Fire Department.”
The rungs are also tested with 1,000 pounds of resistance. Each ladder is measured from the floor to the top before and after testing. If the ladder comes back to the original measurement after the test, that ladder is marked safe and acceptable for use.
“It is critical to test the strength of the ladders for the safety of the firefighters and the people they assist. Yesterday’s exercise resulted in taking two ladders out of commission,” added Baggett.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), ladders are involved in 20% of fall injuries among workers. Whether at home or in the workplace, ladder inspections, should be conducted regularly.
