Fire Apparatus USA 35
Fire Apparatus USA 35 : History (2): Early Aerials: Since the late 19th century, means of reaching tall structures have been devised. At first, manually extendable ladders were used; as these grew in length (and weight), they were put onto two large wheels. When carried by fire engines these ladders had the wheels suspended behind the rear of the vehicle, making them a distinctive sight. Before long, the turntable ladderwhich was even longer, mechanically extendable, and installed directly onto a fire truckmade its appearance. In 1905, the first modern fire engine was constructed by Knox Automobile of Springfield, Massachusetts, based on the standard truck model. A year later, the City of Springfield had the world's first modern fire department, supplied by Knox Fire Engines. The longest turntable ladders have reached a height of 150 feet (46 m), requiring the aforementioned "tiller trucks" to carry such ladders. After the Second World War turntable ladders were supplemented by the aerial work platform (sometimes called "cherry picker"), a platform or bucket attached onto a mechanically bending arm (or "snorkel") installed onto a fire truck. While these could not reach the height of similar turntable ladders, the platforms could extend into previously unreachable "dead corners" of a burning building
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