# Form - Ladder and Aerial Inspection and Test Record > Fire Service Safety Management System, version 0.3.3 (2026-10-25). The Human Factor. Document FSSMS-FRM-39. > > Canonical: https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-ladder-and-aerial-inspection-and-test-record > > Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 with the Adopting Agency Grant (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) > > General information only, not legal, medical or other professional advice. Verify every requirement against the current official text of the law, standards and manufacturer instructions that apply to you. Obtain your own legal review and consult your joint health and safety committee before adopting anything. You adopt, adapt, implement and rely on this material entirely at your own risk and on your own responsibility. Full terms: Terms of Use, thehumanfactor.ca. One Part A record per ground ladder per test, and one Part B record per aerial device per inspection. Part A is completed by the qualified tester at the annual service test and at every test after heat exposure, overload, impact, suspected damage or repair; the monthly company inspection stays on the station record in [Working at Heights and Fall Protection Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/working-at-heights-and-fall-protection-program) section 17.4. Part B is completed from the third-party inspector’s report at the annual inspection and non-destructive test, the longer-cycle full test and every after-event test. Fleet services files both by serial number in {{Records system}}, and the program manager updates the ladder and aerial inventories. The ground ladder fields follow the use, maintenance and service testing requirements now carried in the consolidated ground ladder, hose and appliance standard [(NFPA 1930, 2024)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-ladder-and-aerial-inspection-and-test-record#ref-nfpa-1930); the aerial fields follow the in-service inspection and testing requirements for emergency vehicles [(NFPA 1910, 2024)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-ladder-and-aerial-inspection-and-test-record#ref-nfpa-1910). Test loads, methods and acceptance values are taken from the current standard and the manufacturer, never from memory. ## The form ### Part A. Ground ladder service test record | Field | Entry | |:---|:---| | Record number | | | Ladder asset tag and serial number | | | Station and apparatus | | | Ladder type (straight / roof / extension / combination / folding or attic / pole / other) | | | Length as marked; material (aluminum / fibreglass / wood / other) | | | Manufacturer and model; date of manufacture; date in service | | | Previous test (date, result) | | | Reason for test (annual / heat exposure or tripped heat sensor label / overload / impact or fall / suspected damage / after repair / acceptance on delivery) | | | Event reference for an after-event test (incident or report number) | | | Pre-test visual inspection, each pass, fail or not applicable with a note: heat sensor labels present and not tripped; rails; rungs and rung surfaces; rung-to-rail joints and welds; bolts, rivets and hardware; halyard, pulleys and anchors; pawls or locks; guides, stops and slides; feet, spurs and plates; roof hooks; labels and markings legible; clean and lubricated | | | Tests performed for this ladder type, each with the measured value against the acceptance value in the standard (horizontal bending; hardware and lock; roof hook; foot assembly; other the standard requires) | | | Result (pass / fail / pass after repair) | | | Defects found and action (repaired, by whom and how; retested, date and result; removed from service; retired, with the method of destruction or marking) | | | Test label applied and heat sensor labels replaced (date); next test due (12 months, or earlier after any event in the reason list) | | | Tester name, organization and qualification reference; signature and date | | | Returned to service by (role) and date; entered in the ladder inventory (by, date) | | ### Part B. Aerial device inspection and test record | Field | Entry | |:---|:---| | Record number | | | Apparatus unit number and device serial number | | | Device type (aerial ladder / aerial platform / ladder platform / water tower / bucket) | | | Manufacturer, model and year | | | Rated tip loads by configuration, as marked on the device | | | Inspection type (annual inspection and non-destructive test / full non-destructive test on the longer cycle / after collision, overload, structural repair or suspected damage / acceptance / after repair) | | | Event reference for an after-event inspection | | | Inspection organization; inspector name and qualification; date of inspection | | | Engineer’s certification relied on instead of the test standard, where the applicable regulation allows it ([J15 Equipment Inspection, Ladders and Aerial Devices](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j15-equipment-inspection-ladders-and-aerial-devices)) (yes / no; engineer, date, renewal date) | | | Inspection items, each satisfactory, deficient or not applicable with a note: turntable and torque box; stabilizers, outriggers and interlocks; ladder sections or boom and welds; cables, sheaves and the extension and retraction system; hydraulic cylinders, hoses and holding valves; lower and upper controls; emergency power and manual lowering; platform floor, rails, gate and anchor points; waterway and monitor; levelling indicators; load chart and markings legible; anchor points labelled for restraint or arrest | | | Non-destructive test methods used and locations (magnetic particle / ultrasonic / liquid penetrant / visual / other) and results | | | Load or operational test where the standard requires it (result) | | | Deficiencies, each with the inspector’s severity and the department’s priority (P1 (Imminent) / P2 (Serious) / P3 (Moderate) / P4 (Improvement); a device with any P1 is out of service now), action, date corrected and who verified | | | Result (certified for service / certified with listed deficiencies / out of service) | | | Certificate number; next annual inspection due; next full non-destructive test due | | | Returned to service by fleet services (role, date); program manager notified (date) | | | Copy filed in the apparatus file (date, by) | | **Priority.** Fleet services rates each deficiency on the department’s one scale and enters it in the [Corrective Action Register](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/corrective-action-register); a deficiency the inspector says must be repaired before the next use is P1. P1 (Imminent): interim control immediately, the same shift, with the fire chief and JOHSC co-chairs told within 24 hours; plan due in two working days; closed within seven days. P2 (Serious): interim control within 24 hours where practicable; plan due in seven days; closed within 30 days. P3 (Moderate): plan due in 30 days; closed within 90 days. P4 (Improvement): plan by the next quarterly program update; closed within 365 days or the next budget cycle. Extensions and escalation follow the [Corrective Action Register](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/corrective-action-register). ## Fields | Field | Type | Required | Who completes | |:---|:---|:---|:---| | Record number | Text, unique | Yes | Fleet services or system | | Ladder asset tag and serial, station and apparatus; apparatus unit and device serial | Text | Yes | Tester or fleet services | | Ladder type; device type | Single choice | Yes | Tester | | Length and material; manufacturer, model, year, dates | Text and dates | Yes | Tester, from the inventory | | Rated tip loads by configuration | Text | Yes (Part B) | Inspector | | Previous test | Date and result | Yes (Part A) | Fleet services, from the record | | Reason for test; inspection type | Single choice | Yes | Tester or inspector | | Event reference | Text | Yes for after-event tests | Company officer who reported the event | | Visual inspection items; inspection items | Pass, fail or not applicable per item, with notes | Yes | Tester or inspector | | Tests performed and measured values | Choice per test with numeric value | Yes | Tester | | Non-destructive test methods and results | Text | Yes (Part B annual and full tests) | Inspector | | Engineer’s certification | Yes / no; text; dates | Yes where relied on | Fleet services | | Load or operational test | Text | Yes where the standard requires it | Inspector | | Result | Single choice | Yes | Tester or inspector | | Defects or deficiencies and action | Text with severity and priority (P1 to P4), dates and verifier | Yes if any found | Tester or inspector; fleet services for the corrections | | Test label and heat sensor labels | Date | Yes (Part A) | Tester | | Certificate number | Text | Yes (Part B) | Inspector | | Next test or inspection due | Date | Yes | Tester or inspector | | Tester or inspector name, organization, qualification; tester signature | Text; signature and date | Yes (signature for Part A) | Tester or inspector | | Returned to service | Role and date | Yes | Station officer (Part A); fleet services (Part B) | | Inventory entry; program manager notified; apparatus file copy | Initials and date | Yes | Program manager; fleet services | **Retention.** Part A for the life of the ladder plus five years; Part B for the life of the apparatus plus five years ([05 Document Control and Records](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/document-control-and-records); [Working at Heights and Fall Protection Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/working-at-heights-and-fall-protection-program) section 10). **Out of service.** A ladder or device recorded as failed or out of service is tagged at once and does not carry a member until a new record shows it returned to service. **Privacy.** The form carries no personal information beyond the names and qualifications of the people who did the work. ## Jurisdiction requirements This chapter relies on the following legal requirements, which differ by province and territory. Check your jurisdiction’s section on each topic page before adopting it. | Topic | What to check in your jurisdiction | Page | |:---|:---|:---| | Equipment Inspection, Ladders and Aerial Devices | The design, use, maintenance and service-testing standards the regulation names for ground ladders and aerial devices, whether an engineer’s certification may replace the test standard, any test interval it sets (the 12-month interval here is the program’s choice), and how long inspection and maintenance records must be kept | [J15 Equipment Inspection, Ladders and Aerial Devices](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j15-equipment-inspection-ladders-and-aerial-devices) | ## References National Fire Protection Association. (2024). *NFPA 1910, Standard for the inspection, maintenance, refurbishment, testing, and retirement of in-service emergency vehicles and marine firefighting vessels* (consolidates NFPA 1071, 1911, 1912 and 1925). National Fire Protection Association. (2024). *NFPA 1930, Standard on fire and emergency service use of thermal imagers, two-way portable RF voice communication devices, ground ladders, rescue tools, fire hose, and fire hose appliances* (consolidates NFPA 1931, 1932, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965, among others).