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Pompier Ladders- Does Anyone Use These?
I was talking to one of our Probies the other day, and he asked me about Pompier Ladders. I told him that in 14 years, I've never seen one except in pictures. In fact, I'm certain that no F.D. in the Chicagoland area owns one of these! Are there any Fire Departments out there that actually use Pompier Ladders? Thanks in advance!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sebastien THILLY on
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Thank you, i found the website. But it's not written why it's also called "pompier ladder". I understand for "hook ladder".
If someone have the answer, it could be great !
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Permalink Reply by Gail Holzhausen on
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Here's my guess. The word Pompier is synonymous with firefighter. The original developer of the pompier system in Germany was Mr. Behl, 1828, in Schwabishgruund, Wurttemburg, Germany. That area of Germany ( Baden) was reformed in1806 to follow the French Model of governing and it's neighbor, Alsace Lorraine went back and forth in influence between Prussia/Germany and France. I think that constant political and religious friction between France and Germany lead to the emigration of a lot of Germans out of Baden, Wurttemburg/Alsace Lorraine area. I think that Mr. Behl used the French word'pompier' to describe the ladder he developed as it was associated with fire fighting at the time he develped the ladder, given the french influence in Germany at that time. (Politics) My guess only.
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I agree with you for politic & religious problems between France and Germany in this period. Be the way, i'm trying to find the origins of the french hook-ladder. Thanks Gail
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I found that the French appointed Francois du Mauriez du Perier as 'directeur des pompes de la ville De Paris ( director of the City of Paris's pumps) as he invented fire preventing portable pumps in the early 1700's. By 1760, the French word 'pompier', whose literal meaning is pumper, was the word used for fire fighter. Napolean Bonaporte is generally attributed as creating the 1st professional firefighters, known as Sapeurs-Pompiers. ( got this information for the History of Firefighting, Slumblog Millionaire, 5-19-2011,, don't know how reliable that is but it's reasonable. Here's a picture of the ladder Hoell used - Attachments:
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Pompier manual pic.jpg, 255 KB
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I think the Hoell ladder is more "finished" than french hook-ladder ( european ladder !)
I also agree that it's "difficultly" reliable to understand why Hoell choosed the word "pompier" for a hook-ladder. But french was diplomatic language for years, and maybe as you said, using a french word without sense for a ladder, could have been used. It's a hole mystery for the moment !!
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Permalink Reply by Mica Calfee on
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I get questions like "Why is it called a 'Dutchman" and etc.?" all the time. People spend lifetimes and get PhD's for researching languages and word origins.
We could spend years researching the etymology of fire service terms. But the bottom line is that firefighters, more than some other professions, seem to want to invent or borrow terms for what we do.
The French were leaders in many things in the western world. They gave English a great many words. Many of our military terms come from the French.
But here is some history that might help.
"Credit for the first "professional fire brigade" is often given to Napoleon Bonaparte. While French emperor, he ordered that a division of the French army known as Sapeurs-Pompiers be used to protect Paris with 30 manual fire pumps around 1800. But there were people who were paid to provide some form of fire protection or suppression service, in Paris, many years prior to that. In 1699 François du Mouriez took interest in a better pump, fire hose and some other advancements, and provided 12 fire pumps to the city of Paris to become the first "fire chief" (director) of des pompes de la Ville de Paris in 1716. The French fire brigade was known as, "Compagnie des gardes-pompes" (literally the "Company of Pump Guards"). The French word for pumper, "pompier" became the name for French firefighters to this day."
from: http://www.fireserviceinfo.com/history.html#profireddept
If the French were known for these ladders in some way, regardless of who invented them, I can see the Germans calling them by this name.
After all, what we call "French fries" the French call, literally, "apple fries" (pomme frits) and the funny thing is that they probably originated in Belgium. (In other parts of the world they are called "Belgium fries.")
Guess what "French Fries" are called in Germany? The are referred to by the French name, "Pomme Frits."
Which makes no sense in any way because the German language does not use "s" for plural nouns" (and they are from Belgium.)
Note: "pommes de terres" is the French word for potato. It literally means "apple of the Earth."
We can do this with thousands of German and English words. "Bayonet" is another good one.
From this we can deduce that calling these ladders by a French name is meaningless and just one of the ways that languages evolve.
BTW- In my part of the country we don't say "Dutchman". I know thousands of firefighters who call a hose bend/fold a "Fort Worth". Don't ask me why.I have no idea.
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interesting, but I hate to give the French too much credit for too much of anything :)
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Ok, you're borrowed with my question i guess ! it's not my ambition ! I discover this (pompier ladder), and i just want to know why. It's just culture ! I can understand that this kind of conversation as no sense for you. But i like to know from where i come !
I'm ok with the fact that maybe Hoell decided just like that to give this name to his invention. But why refusing trying to understand. I quiet like history of firefighters whenever they are coming from !
AS i read posts, you don't even use them, just only for rookies !We have pompier ladders in apparatus. We do not use thoses ladders to have an access to windows, but we didn't wore SCBA ! Now we do (BA)! and someone wrote that it's really difficult to save someone ( i agree ). It's a non-sense. But it's the french logical, i think !!
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Permalink Reply by hydrant humper on
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The department I work for still has Pompier ladders BUT they are only used in recruit school as a confidence builder. We use them to climb the training tower. That is the first and only place I have seen them used. We were told that there are only 2 or 3 fire departments in the country that still climb them and once again, its only in recruit school....NONE of the trucks are equipped with them ! And by far, climbing them was one of the coolest things I have done in the fire service in my past 18 years.
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No problem ;)
We don't choose the place we born !
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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"...I hate to give the French too much credit for too much of anything..."
Their no small assistance in our War of Independence
Louisiana and creole
The mechanism that allowed guns to fire through propellers
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Constitutional separation of State and Religion
Fancy Cheeses -although NOT in a can or individually wrapped
perfume - small fancy bottles, not the kind in walmart
Renoir, Cezanne, Gauguin, Monet - sadly, no elvis on black velet
Champagne, Cognac, Burgundy and Bordeaux wines (sadly, none of these come in boxes)
fashion - which doesn't include sweatpants
Philosophy; Descartes,Voltaire, Rousseau, Camus, Sartre
Hot Air Balloon
Photography
Cinema
Radium
Pasteurization
The Statue of Liberty
And many many more contributions. What would yours be; Would you like Freedom Fries with your order?
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