A Rare Ladder and a Lasting Tradition Shape Charlotte Fire
Published on December 10, 2025
Charlotte Fire Recruit Alan Stepp approaches the training wall, learning to balance confidence and control during the ascent.
On a cold, overcast morning at the Charlotte Fire Training Academy, the clang of metal against concrete echoed across the drill yard as Recruit Class 134 prepared for one of the most unforgettable moments of their training. One by one, wearing full gear, they approached the old-fashioned single-beam ladder that swayed slightly against the Academy’s concrete wall. Its curved hook gripped the sill above, offering no comfort beyond the trust placed in generations of training before them.
Recruits cycle through their climbs on the training tower, each taking a turn on the ladder while classmates watch and wait for their next attempt.
The pompier ladder is no longer used on Charlotte’s firegrounds. It has not been for decades. But on this wall, under a gray winter sky, it remains one of the most powerful lessons a recruit will ever learn.
Only a few fire departments in the country still teach the skill, with Boston Fire among the departments that continue to include the pompier ladder in recruit training. Charlotte Fire is one of the others, making the climb a rare tradition that still carries weight in today’s fire service. The ladder is not used on Charlotte streets, but its value now lies in something deeper than technical proficiency. It is a link to the past and a test of heart.
A recruit carries the ladder into position, preparing for the first climb of the day under the guidance of Academy instructors.
“This is day four of a five-day course where they learn ladder skills,” said Training Captain Alex Gordon. “Today is pompier ladders. These are single-beam ladders that in most places would be considered an antique piece of equipment because it is not really used anymore. But back in the legacy years they were used for scaling multi-story buildings and were a functional piece of equipment.”
Charlotte Fire Engineer John Eury demonstrates proper technique and footing before recruits attempt their first ascent of the historic ladder.
The ladder’s roots stretch back to 19th-century Europe, where firefighters used a hooked design to reach windows in cramped alleys and courtyards where conventional ladders could not fit. By the late 1800s, the tool had made its way into the growing American fire service. As technology advanced, aerial ladders, improved construction, and modern rescue techniques eventually replaced the pompier ladder in everyday firefighting. What remained was a symbol of courage and discipline. In Charlotte, that symbolism never lost its value.
Charlotte Fire Chief Reginald Johnson said the ladder endures because it reinforces the department’s core values in a way recruits remember for the rest of their careers.
“Traditions like the pompier ladder remind us where the fire service came from and what it demanded of those who served before us,” Chief Johnson said. “We ask our recruits to climb it not because they will use it on the street but because it teaches determination, trust, and respect for the profession. It connects every new firefighter to the generations who built Charlotte Fire into what it is today.”
Rows of rungs lie ready for training, their narrow spacing reminding recruits that every movement on the pompier ladder must be deliberate.
The pompier ladder appears simple: one beam, staggered rungs, a gooseneck hook. The firefighter hooks it over a window ledge, climbs to the sill, balances while exposed to height, lifts the ladder above their head, hooks it to the next floor, and climbs again.
Before today’s safety systems, early firefighters climbed these ladders without ropes, harnesses, or belays. They ascended exterior walls directly into smoke and urgency, relying on strength, judgment, and the teamwork of those climbing behind them. Even with modern safety equipment, the psychological test remains.
“Being on ladders requires the ability to communicate and be part of a team,” Gordon said. “It demands attention to detail and following instructions. Outside of the required state training, the pompier drill reinforces confidence at height and confidence in yourself.”
Charlotte Fire Recruit Jaden Camp focuses on lining up the hook and rung, learning the precision required to climb safely on the pompier ladder.
For many recruits, the moment their boots leave the ground is the moment the training becomes real. Every rung forces them to control their breath, steady their mind, and trust their preparation. Even with instructors coaching from below, the emotional challenge is deeply personal.
“It teaches you that you can do more than you thought,” Gordon said. “You see the confidence change from the time they start to the time they finish.”
Recruits transition from the ladder into the tower, practicing one of the key movements that defines the pompier method.
Then comes the moment unique to Charlotte Fire. After completing the climb individually, the entire class returns to the wall together for a tradition that has become one of the most treasured images in the Academy. In full gear, they scale the pompier ladders as a group and pose in the windows and on the rungs. The resulting photo, a grid of firefighters suspended above the ground with arms outstretched, creates a portrait of unity, courage, and pride.
For Class 134, the photograph captured nearly every recruit lining the training tower in a perfect formation. Against the overcast sky, their turnout coats and helmets formed a striking display of symmetry and strength. The image symbolizes not only individual achievement but collective identity. Each recruit had completed the climb, and now they stood or hung together, part of something larger than themselves.
Recruits hold their positions along the wall, demonstrating balance, control, and the teamwork that defines this exercise.
Charlotte Fire’s Training Academy has used the pompier ladder for as long as most members can remember. Instructors who climbed it decades ago now guide new generations through the same drill. The continuity itself is a source of pride. It ties present-day firefighters to those who once relied on the tool in life-and-death situations.
Chief Johnson said that is exactly why the tradition matters.
“We are a department that values progress and innovation,” he said. “But we also value the lessons that built this profession. The pompier ladder is a reminder that courage is not a modern invention. It is part of our history and part of who we are.”
Fully geared recruits stage along the tower face, waiting for their turn as instructors coach each climber through the sequence.
As Class 134 finished their final climbs, the cold wind sweeping across the drill yard carried a sense of transformation. Some recruits walked away smiling, others breathing hard, but all with a shared understanding that they had crossed an important threshold.
Charlotte may be one of the few remaining fire departments in America where recruits still climb a pompier ladder, but here, its purpose remains unmistakable. It strengthens character. It builds trust. It binds classes together. And it allows every new firefighter to step into a tradition that stretches back more than a century.
As long as recruits continue to walk toward the base of the wall on cold mornings and reach for that first rung, the tradition will endure.
Recruit Class 134 fills the training tower for their traditional group photograph, a moment that marks their shared accomplishment on the pompier ladder.