Firefighting or rescue apparatus including ladder with status indicators

• US 9,677,335 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2015
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HME, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: HME, Incorporated
• Inventors: Lenz, Jr., Kenneth C., Lagerquist, Richard R.
• Primary Examiner(s): CAHN, DANIEL P
• Application Number:
  US14/669,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20150273255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 27/00 Fire-fighting land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: E06C 5/04 capable of being elevated or extended ; Fastening means during transport, e.g. mechanical, hydraulic
• CPC Class Codes: E06C 5/34 Indicating devices
• CPC Class Codes: E06C 5/36 Safety devices against slipping or falling of ladders; Safety devices against overloading ladders

Abstract

A firefighting or rescue apparatus includes an aerial ladder and at least one of a rung alignment status indicator and a load status indicator. The rung alignment status indicator can include a lighting strip having multiple lighting elements on the ladder that are selectively illuminated depending on whether first rungs of one section of the ladder and second rungs of another section of the ladder are aligned or misaligned. The load status indicator can include a lighting strip including multiple lighting elements on the ladder and/or at a control console that are selectively illuminated depending on whether the ladder is overloaded beyond an aerial ladder capacity rating or other value. A user on the aerial ladder and/or at a control console can view the indicators to evaluate rung alignment and load status.

Claims

1. An aerial firefighting apparatus comprising:

a frame including a plurality of wheels configured to enable transportation of the apparatus to an emergency location, the frame including a forward portion having a cab for housing at least one occupant of the apparatus, the frame including a rearward portion located rearward of the cab, the frame including a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the frame including at least one rear axle mounted to the frame in the rearward portion;

an aerial ladder that is both extendible and retractable, the aerial ladder comprising a base section and at least one upper ladder section movably joined with the base section so that the upper ladder section can be extended and retracted relative to the base section to provide extension and retraction of the aerial ladder, the aerial ladder being movably mounted relative to the frame so that the aerial ladder can be raised from a generally horizontal stored position to a raised position wherein the aerial ladder extends upwardly at an angle from the frame, the base section and the upper ladder section each including a plurality of rungs;

an aerial ladder raising and lowering mechanism, connected to the aerial ladder, being configured to move the aerial ladder between the generally horizontal stored position and the raised position;

a turntable to which the aerial ladder is mounted, the turntable being selectively rotatable so that the base section can be swung to a plurality of positions;

a waterway comprising a water outlet, the waterway joined with the aerial ladder, the water outlet adapted to shoot pressurized firefighting fluid provided from a fire fighting fluid source; and

a status indicator being a rung alignment status indicator, the status indicator including an elongated strip extending along at least one of the upper ladder section and the base section, the elongated strip having a plurality of lighting elements joined therewith,

configured to be visible when illuminated to a user located on the ladder, and configured to be visible when illuminated to a user about to enter the ladder,

wherein the rung alignment status indicator is operable in a first warning mode when the plurality of rungs of the base section and the upper ladder section are misaligned with respect to each other such that the respective rungs fail to present a safe foothold for a user, and a first safe mode when the plurality of rungs of the base section and the upper ladder section are aligned with respect to each other in order to present a safe foothold for a user climbing the ladder,

whereby the status indicator is configured so that the user on the aerial ladder or about to enter the aerial ladder can visually perceive the status indicator while on the aerial ladder or about to enter the aerial ladder to discern, as a direct result of the modes of the rung alignment status indicator, whether the aerial ladder is in a configuration having said aligned rungs, and to discern, as a direct result of the modes of the rung alignment status indicator, whether the aerial ladder is in a configuration having said misaligned rungs.

2. The aerial firefighting apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of lighting elements joined with the elongated strip are LEDs,

wherein the LEDs are configured to emit illumination of a first color in the first warning mode and emit illumination of a second color in the first safe mode.

3. The aerial firefighting apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of lighting elements joined with the elongated strip are LEDs,

wherein the LEDs are configured to emit illumination in the first warning mode and emit no illumination in the first safe mode.

4. The aerial firefighting apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the status indicator includes both the rung alignment status indicator and a load status indicator,

wherein the rung alignment status indicator is configured to emit illumination from the plurality of lighting elements when the rung alignment status indicator is in the first safe mode to alert the user to that the rungs are properly aligned, whereby the user can perceive that the user can obtain a safe foothold on the respective rungs to climb the ladder,

wherein the load status indicator is configured to emit illumination from the plurality of lighting elements when the load status indicator is in a second warning mode to alert the user to loading status on the ladder.

5. The aerial firefighting apparatus of claim 1 comprising a control console located adjacent the turntable, distal from the aerial ladder, the control console including at least one console lighting element that is physically separate from the elongated strip having the plurality of lighting elements, the at least one console lighting element configured to be visible to an operator of the control console, but not to a user located on the aerial ladder, the at least one console lighting element being illuminated or not illuminated depending on whether the rung alignment status indicator is in a second warning mode or a second safe mode.

6. An aerial firefighting apparatus comprising:

a frame configured to enable transportation of the apparatus to an emergency location, the frame including a forward portion, a rearward portion, a rear, a first side and a second side opposite the first side;

an aerial ladder that is both extendible and retractable, the aerial ladder comprising a lower ladder section and an upper ladder section movably joined with the lower ladder section so that the upper ladder section can be extended and retracted relative to the lower ladder section to provide extension and retraction of the aerial ladder, the aerial ladder being movably mounted relative to the frame so that the aerial ladder can be raised from a generally horizontal stored position to a raised position wherein the aerial ladder extends upwardly at an angle from the frame, the lower ladder section including a plurality of first rungs, the upper ladder section including a plurality of second rungs;

a turntable to which the aerial ladder is mounted, the turntable being selectively rotatable so that the lower ladder section can be swung to a plurality of positions;

a sensor disposed on the aerial ladder, the sensor configured to sense a first condition where the plurality of first rungs and the plurality of second rungs are aligned with respect to each other, and configured to sense a second condition where the plurality of first rungs and the plurality of second rungs are misaligned with respect to each other; and

a rung alignment status indicator in communication with the sensor, the rung alignment status indicator including a lighting strip including a plurality of lighting elements, the plurality of lighting elements configured to be illuminated as a direct result of whether the plurality of first rungs and the plurality of second rungs are in the first aligned condition, and as a direct result of being in the second misaligned condition, the lighting strip extending from a first end toward a distal, second end of at least one of the first upper ladder section and the lower ladder section,

whereby the rung alignment status indicator is configured so that a user on the aerial ladder or about to enter the aerial ladder can visually perceive the rung alignment status indicator while on the aerial ladder or about to enter the aerial ladder to discern whether the aerial ladder is in a configuration having appropriate rung alignment so that the user can attain a foothold when climbing at least one of the plurality of first rungs and the plurality of second rungs.

7. The aerial firefighting apparatus of claim 6 comprising a control console mounted adjacent the aerial ladder, the control console including a console alignment light in communication with the sensor, the console alignment light configured to illuminate depending on whether the plurality of first rungs and the plurality of second rungs are aligned or misaligned, the console alignment light being separate and distal from the lighting strip.

8. The aerial firefighting apparatus of claim 6,

wherein the elongated strip includes a plurality of LEDs,

wherein the plurality of LEDs are disposed along at least one of the upper ladder section and the lower ladder section, wherein the plurality of LEDs extend from a lower end to an upper end of at least one of the upper ladder section and the lower ladder section, whereby the LEDs are configured so that a user situated on at least one of the plurality of first and second rungs can visually perceive selective illumination of the plurality of LEDs,

whereby the plurality of LEDs are configured so that an operator at the control console can visually perceive selective illumination of the plurality of LEDs while located at the control console.

9. The aerial firefighting apparatus of claim 6,

wherein the plurality of lighting elements include first lighting elements that are illuminated a first color to illuminate at least one of the plurality of first rungs and plurality of second rungs when the plurality of first rungs and the plurality of second rungs are aligned, and configured to assist the user in visually perceiving the plurality of first and second rungs while the user traverses the plurality of first and second rungs,

wherein the plurality of lighting elements include second lighting elements that are illuminated a second color, different from the first color, when the plurality of first rungs and the plurality of second rungs are misaligned to warn the user that the rungs are misaligned.

10. The aerial firefighting apparatus of claim 6 comprising a load status indicator and a pressure sensor joined with the aerial ladder,

wherein the load status indicator is configured to emit illumination from the plurality of lighting elements when the load status indicator is in a first warning mode to alert the user to an overloading of the ladder.

11. The aerial firefighting apparatus of claim 6, comprising a load status indicator and a pressure sensor joined with the aerial ladder,

wherein the load status indicator is configured to emit illumination of a first color from the plurality of lighting elements when the load status indicator is in a warning mode to alert the user to an overloading of the ladder,

wherein the load status indicator is configured to emit illumination of a second, different color from the plurality of lighting elements when the load status indicator is in a safe mode in which the ladder is not overloaded.