Carbon ladder saves lives more easily

(CONNECT) Researchers at OST - Ostschweizer Fachhochschule and Carrosserie Rusterholz from Richterswil have developed a new ladder made of carbon. The new rescue ladder is easy to handle and reduces deployment times in emergencies, according to a press release.

At present, 150 of these ladders are already in use in 16 cantons. Almost all of Schutz & Rettung Zurich's emergency vehicles are equipped with the new ladder, including those at the airport. In addition to the improved application possibilities, production has also been optimized. Whereas Carrosserie Rusterholz had previously produced 20 rescue ladders per year, a new process enables 200 ladders to be produced in the same period.

The carbon ladder, known as the Carbon Rescue Tool, was further developed for series production by a team led by Gion Barandun from OST together with Carosserie Rusterholz. The ladder weighs only 50 kilograms instead of the previous ladders made of wood or aluminum weighing up to 120 kilograms. "The difference is clearly that it is much lighter. Today, we can set up a ladder with two people if necessary, instead of four to six people as in the past," the deputy commander and trainer of the Rapperswil-Jona fire department, Clot Müller, is quoted as saying in the press release. As well as being quicker to erect, the new ladder also offers major advantages in terms of stability and increased safety.

Series production has been significantly improved with a new milling machine developed by Marcel Jucker at Carrosserie Rusterholz. The series version was then tested by Dominik Stapf, Head of Testing Technology at the Institute of Materials Engineering and Plastics Processing (IWK). ce/ww