The San Francisco Fire Department uses handmade wooden ladders!
You would think that any modern fire department would have switched to more durable, and cheaper, steel ladders by now. You also probably wouldn't want to fight fire with a wood ladder no?
Well, not only is San Francisco one of the few fire departments in the US that still uses them, they're the only one that makes it's own custom ladders by hand. But why do they use them?
It's for safety. The streets of San Francisco are filled with low-hanging power lines and trolley cables. If a metal ladder ever touches one, it would be bad news. Wooden ladders, however, don't conduct electricity, so they're much safer.
Another safety consideration is that the wood ladders are much heavier, and remain stable when strong winds come in from the bay.