Types of Fire Trucks

Fire trucks combine water tanks, pumps, hoses and ladders into one large machine that plays an essential role in fighting fires and saving lives. These rigs are equipped with emergency lights and sirens to warn people of their presence, as well as tools like computers and two-way radios that allow firefighters to communicate with each other and dispatchers. They also include compartments to hold all of the equipment they need for a scene, as well as space for firefighters and their dogs.

There are many different types of fire trucks, each designed for specific functions. Some, such as Type 1 fire engines and brush trucks, are designed to fight fires in buildings, while others are built for wildfire response and other types of emergencies. Each of these types is governed by a set of standards established by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) that defines how each vehicle should be equipped and what kind of gear it should carry.

NFPA’s classification of fire trucks is critical to ensure that departments can call for mutual aid from other communities without compromising the appropriate level of equipment for the type of incident they are responding to. In addition, the standardization of terminology and requirements for each fire truck type helps to ensure that any fire department can understand what other fire trucks are bringing to the scene. This standardization is especially important in rural and suburban areas where the names for the same types of fire trucks may differ from one community to the next.

The most common type of fire truck is a structural firefighting truck, or Type 1. These vehicles are typically based on commercial vehicle chassis that have been further upgraded and customized to meet the NFPA’s structural firefighting requirements. They must be capable of carrying 3 to 4 firefighters and include a full complement of ground ladders, various nozzles and forcible entry equipment. They also carry additional tools, including self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and chainsaws, depending on the jurisdiction.

Other fire trucks are designed to address other types of incidents, such as chemical spills or hazardous materials (HAZMAT) emergencies. These vehicles often feature specialized compartments to store the necessary supplies and to protect firefighters from exposure to carcinogens, such as asbestos or lead. Each fire department determines the compartmentation and hazmat storage solutions that are unique to them, but these vehicles must still meet NFPA’s minimum requirements for the equipment and maximum gross vehicle weight ratings when fully loaded.