* adds "ladder craftsman" to his list of career-burnout jobs*

yeah! doesn't that sound fun?!

If it weren't for the commute, I'd show up with that article in hand and the word "apprentice" underlined.

Man that sounds like a great job.

Wow. That was fascinating. Only 13 departments still use them, and 12 are in California -- that's weird.

I wonder if it's an insurance thing. You'd think other departments would have made the same sort of decision.

I do not know if it's still true, but the SF local Painter's union used to have a rule that you could not use a roller on a job, only brushes.

At first I thought that the wooden ladder thing was connected to some anachronistic thing like that. It is counterintuitive to think of wooden ladders as the best choice for firefighters but after reading this, it makes sense.

danf- me too. Until I read the article I assumed this was some union requirement. Of course, there could be a bit of both in there.