Aerial Platforms

The fire service has relied on aerial platforms for working at height since Merryweather supplied the UK's first Turntable Ladder (TL) in 1908. For over 50 years, the Turntable Ladder was the only aerial platform available until the Hydraulic Platform (HP) was introduced in the 1960s. The 1990s saw the development of the Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP), which combines the benefits of the TL & HP into a single platform and the introduction of the Combined Aerial Rescue Pump (CARP), a frontline pumping appliance with a hydraulic boom attached.  Typically, aerial platforms reach heights between 28m and 42m, although the London Fire Brigade has three Turntable Ladders extending to 62m.  In recent years, a new generation of Water Tower, officially called a High Reach Extendable Turret (HRET), has been introduced, which, unlike its predecessor, the original 1960s "Scoosher,"  is proving to be a practical and versatile machine.