Marci stands atop an extension ladder, preparing to climb into the hose tower.

Another classmate demonstrates proper technique for climbing through the window in the tower. If you'd like to watch Chris do this in real time, there's a short (4 meg) Quicktime video available by clicking here.

(NOTE: I'm not sure who this is, to be truthful. It's not Marci, as in the previous pic, since she's got different colored stripes on her turnouts. If anyone knows who this is, email me and I'll give credit where credit is due!)

Here's Chris climbing the hose tower, carrying a roof ladder on his shoulder. Pretty impressive job; that thing's heavy.

Once he reaches the top, he muscles it over onto the roof, allowing easier (and safer) access. The hooks are visible here; they're used to secure the roof ladder over the peak of the roof. There's a 4 meg video of Chris in action available by clicking here.

The fun begins when the extension ladder gets fully extended (to about 35 feet) to allow access to the very top of the tower.

Marci makes her way to the top, carrying a heavy circular saw aloft via a hose strap.

The circ saw is clearly visible here in this close-up of Marci near the top of the ladder.

The view from the top of the hose tower is pretty cool. Glad I had my camera in my turnouts; I wasn't about to go back down to get it.