MFB LADDERS AND AERIAL APPLIANCES - MFB KidZone

MFB L ADDE RS AND AE RIAL APPL IANCE S
As Melbourne has developed, the use of long ladders and other
aerial equipment at fires and rescues has become more important.
A fire brigade ladder needs to be mobile, easy and quick to set up
but also safe to use.
F rom the early days MF B has bought and built extendable ladders.
T he Curricle Ladder which extended to 1 4 metres was used in the
early 1 9 0 0 s. It could be pulled by hand and by horse and was all
wooden.
Later the Morris Magirus ‘Ajax’
turntable ladder which could reach
up to 25 metres came in to use.
This ladder was raised by hand but
extended by motor. At first this
ladder was horse-drawn but
became fully motorised in 1916. It
remained in service until the 1930s.
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In 1939 the all steel Leyland-Metz ladder
came in. It was nearly 40 metres long
when fully extended! It could be used to
rescue people or put out fires up to 12
storeys high. It was a great appliance and
was in service until the 1970s.
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The Magirus ladder went
in to service in 1963. It
was bought from
Germany and was 45
metres when fully
extended.
Since the 1970s the
brigade has acquired two
Snorkels, two turntable
ladders, a hydraulic
platform and low profile
ladders that required less
head room for travelling
and could be operated to
gain access to areas
below as well as above
the horizontal.
T oday’s MF B has an array of aerial equipment.
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