We stopped by the Capitol Hill firehouse hoping to get a look at the shiny new truck we noticed on a recent callout. But we found something even newer.

Wednesday was crisp and dry, the perfect opportunity to practice some aerial stokes operation drills on the ‘new guy ‘at the Seattle Fire Department Pine Street firehouse. In the drill, the person lies on their back and is strapped into a gurney secured by ropes from the truck ladder. They then can be lowered to the ground and moved. This is a tactic used to pull people out of burning buildings and other critical high-elevation situations.

The team practiced the drill on the new fireman and had some fun watching him hang in the air. Here are a couple shots taken at the station, plus some of the new ladder truck we’d set out to see. The station just got it in August. Check out the proudly displayed Capitol Hill emblem.