. >> you have your bowline, your clove hitch, you have your half hitch, you have your becket bend. >> certain knots are designed to carry certain loads. >> if you don't tie the knot correctly -- if you're a hoisting a tool -- it might come loose and hit somebody in the head or injure somebody. >> even just putting up a ladder requires training and practice. it takes a whole other skill set to climb the aerial ladder, especially since this ladder can reach as high as a 10-story building. >> they go halfway up. at that point, they have a ladder belt that they tie into one of the rungs on the aerial ladder. on the aerial, stop and lock in. [ metal clinking ] leaning back, holding, and being able to understand that they can trust the belt, they can trust the ladder, because they need their hands free to actually do work while they're up there. >> after raising their hands to show that they've correctly attached the safety belt to the ladder, they unhook and continue to the window. these junior firefighters are practicing what's called a minuteman load. >> a minuteman load is a hose line t