US2965194A - Rescue platform for use with aerial ladders and the like - Google Patents

Description

H. LOTZ Dec. 20, 1960 RESCUE PLATFORM FOR USE WITH AERIAL LADDERS AND THE LIKE r Filed March 16, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Henry Lotz ATTORNEYS H. LOTZ Dec. 20, 1960 RESCUE PLATFORM FOR USE WITH AERIAL LADDERS AND THE LIKE Filed March 16, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.5

z mm W L. V my r n e H ATTORNEYS Dec. 20, 1960 H. LOT Z 2,965,194

RESCUE PLATFORM FOR USE WITH AERIAL LADDERS AND THE LIKE Filed March l6,9l959 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR He n r y Lotz ATTORNEYS United States Patent RESCUE PLATFORM FOR USE WITH AERIAL LADDERS AND THE LIKE Henry Lotz, 40 Worcester Square, Boston, Mass.

Filed Mar. 16, 1959, Ser. No. 799,761

7 Claims. (Cl. 182-102) The present invention relates to a rescue platform for use with aerial ladders and the like, and has for an object to provide a platform which may be conveniently raised with the raising of aerial ladders of fire apparatus which will accommodate a number of recue persons in a quick, easy and expeditious manner from a burning building without requiring that the persons be carried individually by firemen all the way down the ladders.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a rescue platform with means for hanging the same pendent from an aerial ladder or the like carried by a hook and ladder fire fighting truck or the like, which platform may be raised and lowered by the conventional apparatus which raises and lowers the aerial ladder and which may be brought to a window or other escape opening in the wall of a building where a number of rescue persons, aided or unaided by the firemen, can escape from the building onto the platform and the platform thereupon, by the use of the aerial ladder, is swung away from the burning building and lowered to the safety of the street.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a rescue platform which may thus be quickly raised and lowered a great number of times in a minimum interval to thus have great capacity for rescuing large numbers of persons fro-m a burning or collapsing building without requiring the persons to laboriously and slowly climb down the ladder aided by the firemen.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a rescue platform in which provision is made for locking the platform in a stable position alongside a vent of the building, thus stabilizing the support for the safer movement of escape persons fro-m the building onto the platform and insuring that the platform will not swing away from the wall incident to the transfer of the weights -'of the rescue persons in moving from the building onto 'the platform.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means in connection with such rescue platform whereby hose attached to the platform may be elevated quickly therewith without having to be moved up the ladder or rcarried up the ladder by firemen.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the in- -vention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure l is a diagrammatic view showing a wall of a burning building with fire apparatus in fighting position relatively thereto, including an aerial ladder from which is suspended a rescue platform constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary isometric view of the upper portion of an aerial ladder showing a method of support- :ing the rescue platform of this invention therefrom;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken through the wall of a building and showing in fragmentary side elevation an aerial ladder with a rescue platform suspended therefrom and with a form of locking hook on the platform in locking engagement with a window sill of the wall;

Figure 5 is a isometric view of a form of rescue platform in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the partially collapsed position of the platform;

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the improved rescue platform;

Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 8-8 in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 99 in Figure 7, and

Figure 10 is an end view of the platform shown in collapsed position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings and for the present to Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, designates a conventional aerial ladder on a hook and ladder truck 16. A pumper or hose wagon or both is indicated at 17 and a conventional straight ladder at 18 having a hose 19 connected to the pumper and to the fire plug 20.

In Figures 2 and 3, 21 designates an anchoring cap assembly, preferably of cast aluminum or some other lightweight material which is nevertheless possessed of suflicient strength. A rung 22 of the ladder is encased by the cap assembly 21 and across this cap assembly is inserted a shear pin 23 which takes the shear stress of suspending the rescue platform.

A non-turn type of suspension cable 24 has an eye 25 engaged about the pin 23 whereby the cable and the platform are supported thereby. Of course it is obvious that other means of supporting the platform fro-m the upper portion of the aerial ladder may be employed.

A hook 26 on the lower end of the cable 24 is adapted to detachably engage into an eye 27 of a stator stud 28, shown more particularly in Figures 5 to 10 inclusive. The stud fixedly carries a stator plate 29 below which is disposed a swivel plate 30 mounted on ball bearings 31 which surround the reduced shank 32 of the stator stud 28. Below the ball bearings and swivel plate 30 is a nut 33 threaded on the lower portion of the shank 32 for moving the ball bearing assembly 31 up against a shoulder 34 of the stud which is formed incident to the reduction of the shank 32.

The stator plate 29 is provided with upstanding handles 35 at convenient points around its circumference and depending from the swivel plate 30 are divergent supporting legs 36 for supporting the rescue platform 37 which is preferably in two sections 37 and 37 This support is elfected by shear pins 38 carried by the lower ends of the legs 36 and projecting outwardly at oppositeside s of the legs to engage in cutaway portions 39 of adjacent longitudinal marginal 'flanges 40 of the two sections 37 and 37 There are also other outer longitudinal marginal flanges 41 (Figure 8), the longitudinal flanges 40 and 41 being connected by end transverse flanges 42. These various flanges 4t 41 and 42 extend downwardly from the platform sections 37 and 37 and reinforce and strengthen the same. I

The sections 37 and 3'7 are preferably pivoted together by hinges or pivots 43 so that the sections may be folded upwardly as indicated in Figures 6 and 10.

The sections 37 and 37 have side or longitudinal hand rails 44, 45 extending above the outer longitudinal flanges 41, and a pivoted rear end rail section 46 is carried by one of the hand rails, for instance, the hand rail 44. This end rail section 46, as appears in Figure 5, has a pivot 47 connecting the same with the outer end of the hand rail 44 so that the pivoted end rail section 46 may swing about the hand rail 44 whereby to bring a depending pin 48 on the free end of the pivoted end rail section 46 over a perforation 49 in the outer portion of the opposed hand rail 45, thus closing the outer or rear end of the platform. Another hole 50 is made through the hand rail 44 at its inner end portion to accommodate the pin 48 at the free end of the pivoted end rail section 46 when the pivoted end rail section is swung to a position opening the outer end of the platform and overlying the hand rail section 44.

A window book 51 is carried by a sliding bar 52 which slides through a slide block 53 having an attachment 54 to one of the legs 36.

The opening 55 in the slide block 53 is larger in cross section than the cross section of the bar 52 to allow the bar 52 rocking in the slide block 53. A set screw 56 on the block is adapted to bind the bar 52 in adjusted position.

Internally threaded eyelets 57 may be mounted through the floor of the paltform for hose connections.

In the use of the device, as shown in Figure 1, the platform is suspended from an upper end of an aerial ladder or the like and as the various sections of the iadder are run out, the platform will be accordingly lifted 'and where hose connections from the hose cart 17 are made to the platform, the hose will be quickly elevated to critical positions along the wall of the building shown at 58. Thus the hose is elevated in a smaller fraction of time by the platform than the same could be carried up the ladder by a fireman.

When the pivoted end rail section 46 is in the full-line position of Figure 5, it looks the two sections 37 and 37 against hinging collapse. In other words, the platform is maintained in operative position for receiving refugees from the building 58.

As shown in Figure 4, the hook 51 is engaged with the window sill 59 of the wall of the building and the set screw 56 has been tightened so that the platform at its open front end is properly oriented to the window 60 which forms an escape opening onto the platform. Thus this hook holds the platform stable to the wall enabling the safe movement of a number of persons through the window 60 and onto the platform. A fireman may also occupy this platform to properly conduct the refugees thereto and to'dispose them properly and to also hook andiunhook the device from the window sill '59. By loosening the set screw 56 and rocking the bar 52 in the slide block, the hook 51 may be cleared of the window sill and the hook thereupon pulled within the confines of the platform as indicated in Figure 9. The set screw may be again tightened to prevent the hook from casual movement during the descent of the platform with the rescuepersons.

When the platform is in the hooked position of Figure 4, if an emergency should arise, as for instance, flames bursting through the window 60, the hook 51 may be left in'place in engagement with the window sill 59 and the'entire platform quickly disengaged by simply backing off the set screw 56 which will enable the platform to move away from the wall and downwardly rocking the bar 52 and as the platform moves away, the bar will simply be withdrawnfrom the slide block 53 and the bar may be left behind still engaged with the window sill 59. This, however, is only for quick escape and critical conditions.

A fireman standing on the platform has manual access to the handles 35 by which he may cause rotation of the-swivel plate 30 and the connected platform around the stud 28 to properly orient the platform with its open side presented to a'window 60.

When the platform is not in use it may be collapsed by disengaging'the pivoted end rai section 46 from the opposite hand rail 45 and swinging the same to an overlying position over the hand rail 44 to which this end rail'section 46 is pivoted'at 47, the pin 46 being intro- 4 duced into the hole 50. It will be understood that the pivot 47 is rather loose permitting the free end of the. end rail section 46 to move. slightly vertical in inserting the pin 48 and withdrawing the same into and from the holes 49 and 50. Thus, the device may be collapsed about the hinges 43 to the position of Figures 6 and 10.

The floor of the platform 37 may be of imperforate sheet metal or preferably of expanded metal, as shown in the drawings, on account of the perforated character of such material having high cooling characteristic and high heat conductivity.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in this art that the device is applicable to existing fire apparatus and equipment without any alteration therein and without requiring the purchase of any new or difierent form of such fire apparatus.

Although I have disclosed herein the best form of the invention known to me at this time, I reserve the right to all such modifications and changes as may come within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with. an aerial extension ladder having a non-turn type suspension cable, a rescue device comprising a platform having an open front end to be oriented to an opening in the wall of a disaster building, a stator support adapted to be removably connected to the nonturn suspension cable, a swivel member rotatably supported by said support and directly carrying said platform for rotary movement to bring the open front end of the platform into registry with the opening in the wall of the building, and at least one handle on the stator support accessible to persons standing on the platform for'causing manual directive rotation of the platform for the purpose stated.

2. For use with an aerial extension ladder having a non-turn type suspension cable, a rescue device comprising a platform having at least an open front end, a stator support having means for non-rotatable connection to the non-turn suspension cable, a swivel member rotatably suspended from said support, legs carried by and depending from said swivel member and carrying said platform, and at least one handle on the stator support accessible to a person standing on the platform for causing manual directive rotation of the'platform to cause the open front end thereof to be oriented to an opening of the disaster building wall.

3. For use with an aerial extension ladder having a non-turn type suspension cable, a rescue device comprising a platform having an open front end, a stator stud having means for removable and non-rotatable connection to the non-turn suspension cable, a stator plate affixed to said stud, a swivel plate supported about said stud for relative rotary movement, legs carried by said swivel plate and rotating therewith and directly supporting said platform, and at least one handle on the stator plate accessible to a person standing on the platform for causing manual directive rotation of the swivel plate, legs and platform for bringing the open front end of the latter to an opening in the disaster building wall.

4. For use with an aerial extension ladder having a non-turn type suspension cable, a rescue device comprising a stator support having means for non-rotatively engaging said non-turn suspension cable, a swivel member rotatively suspended from said support, a platform sup ported from said swivel member and rotatable therewith and having an opening through which rescue persons in a disaster building may have access to the platform, and at least one handle on the stator support accessible to a person on the platform for rotating the swivel member and platform to orient the opening in the platform to an opening in the disaster building wall.

5. For use with an aerial extension ladder having a non-turn type suspension cable, a rescue device comprising a stator support having means for non-rotative' connection to the cable, a swivel member rotatively carried 5 about said stator support, legs carried by said swivel member and depending from substantially diametrically opposite points thereof, a rescue platform comprising at least two sections hinged together along the diametric line of said legs for hinging movement upwardly about said legs, and means for connecting the lower portions of the legs beneath the platform sections adjoining the hinge line, and at least one handle on the stator support accessible to a person standing on the platform for causing manual directive rotation of the swivel member, legs and platform to orient a desired portion of the platform to an opening in the wall of a disaster building.

6. For use with an aerial extension ladder having a non-turn type suspension cable, a rescue device comprising a stator support having means for non-rotative connection to the cable, a swivel member rotatively carried about said stator support, legs carried by said swivel member and depending from substantially diametrically opposite points thereof, a rescue platform comprising at least two sections hinged together along the diametric line of said legs for hinging movement upwardly about said legs, and means for connecting the lower portions of the legs beneath the platform sections adjoining the hinge line, longitudinal hand rails on the sides of the platform substantially parallel with the hinge and diametric lines, a rear end rail section pivoted to one hand rail and having a detachable connection to the opposite hand rail for holding the platform sections against hinging collapse, the front end of said platform being open, and at least one handle on the stator support accessible to persons standing on the platform for causing manual directive rotation of the swivel member, legs and platform as a unit to bring the open front end of the platform into registry with an opening in a wall of a disaster building. 7. For use with an aerial extension ladder having a non-turn type suspension cable, a rescue device comprising a stator support having means for non-rotary connection to the cable, a swivel member rotatively supported by said stator support, diametric legs depending from said swivel member, a platform carried by the lower portions of said swivel legs and having an open front end, at least one handle on the stator support accessible to a person standing on the platform for rotating the swivel member and platform to bring the open front end of the platform into registry with a window in the wall of a disaster building, a slide bar carried by the leg adjacent the open front end of the platform, a hook bar slidable through the block and also having substantially vertical rocking movement therein, said bar extending crosswise of both legs, and means for detachably affixing the bar in the block.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 295,578 OBrien Mar. 25, 1884 303,337 Stoddard Aug. 12, 1884 363,179 Smith May 19, 1887 470,689 Lee Mar. 15, 1892 '516,606 Anker Mar. 13, 1894 538,398 Lavery Apr. 30, 1895 770,685 Haas Sept. 20, 1904 1,126,583 Sobra Jan. 26, 1915

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