Firefighting or rescue apparatus including ladder with status indicators

An aerial firefighting apparatus comprising:

• a frame including a plurality of wheels configured to enable transportation of the apparatus to an emergency location, the frame including a forward portion having a cab for housing at least one occupant of the apparatus, the frame including a rearward portion located rearward of the cab, the frame including a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the frame including at least one rear axle mounted to the frame in the rearward portion;
• an aerial ladder that is both extendible and retractable, the aerial ladder comprising a base section and at least one upper ladder section movably joined with the base section so that the upper ladder section can be extended and retracted relative to the base section to provide extension and retraction of the aerial ladder, the aerial ladder being movably mounted relative to the frame so that the aerial ladder can be raised from a generally horizontal stored position to a raised position wherein the aerial ladder extends upwardly at an angle from the frame, the base section and the upper ladder section each including a plurality of rungs;
• an aerial ladder raising and lowering mechanism, connected to the aerial ladder, being configured to move the aerial ladder between the generally horizontal stored position and the raised position;
• a turntable to which the aerial ladder is mounted, the turntable being selectively rotatable so that the base section can be swung to a plurality of positions;
• a waterway comprising a water outlet, the waterway joined with the aerial ladder, the water outlet adapted to shoot pressurized firefighting fluid provided from a fire fighting fluid source;
• and
• a status indicator being a rung alignment status indicator, the status indicator including an elongated strip extending along at least one of the upper ladder section and the base section, the elongated strip having a plurality of lighting elements joined therewith,
• configured to be visible when illuminated to a user located on the ladder, and configured to be visible when illuminated to a user about to enter the ladder,
• wherein the rung alignment status indicator is operable in a first warning mode when the plurality of rungs of the base section and the upper ladder section are misaligned with respect to each other such that the respective rungs fail to present a safe foothold for a user, and a first safe mode when the plurality of rungs of the base section and the upper ladder section are aligned with respect to each other in order to present a safe foothold for a user climbing the ladder,
• whereby the status indicator is configured so that the user on the aerial ladder or about to enter the aerial ladder can visually perceive the status indicator while on the aerial ladder or about to enter the aerial ladder to discern, as a direct result of the modes of the rung alignment status indicator, whether the aerial ladder is in a configuration having said aligned rungs, and to discern, as a direct result of the modes of the rung alignment status indicator, whether the aerial ladder is in a configuration having said misaligned rungs.