What You Need to Know About Fire Trucks

When fire trucks roll out to the scene of a call, they bring not only firefighters but water tanks and pumps, ladders and a variety of tools and equipment. The type of rig that you need will depend on the kind of work your department does and where you do it. In some cases, a combination of different types of fire trucks can be combined to create a Quint which is essentially an aerial ladder truck mounted on a fire engine.

The most basic type of fire truck is a pumper. This is a large vehicle that includes a tank of water, a pump to move the water and hoses to apply it to a fire. The size of the tank and the amount of water the pump can deliver is often dictated by the availability of other water sources like fire hydrants in the area where you operate.

Other facets of the fire truck include a cab to transport firefighters and emergency gear, including breathing apparatus and forcible entry tools. It also includes a compartment to store the tools that you need for specific situations, such as ground ladders, various nozzles and rescue ropes. A fire truck may also feature a compartment to store supplies used for medical support, such as bandages and first aid kits.

Another factor to consider is the size of your crew and how many firefighters you can carry onboard your rig. In addition to firefighters, you may also need space for firefighters to load and unload the equipment they need at a scene. If you work in an urban environment, for example, you may need a larger vehicle to accommodate more firefighters than if you worked in a rural area.

There are a number of other terms you’ll encounter when reading about fire trucks that aren’t related to the vehicle itself but rather the way in which firefighters respond to calls. For instance, the “two in, two out” rule refers to a standard safety practice of having two firefighters enter a building while a second pair of firefighters wait outside to be rescued if there are any issues. This is a key part of the “buddy system” used in fighting fires that requires firefighters to always work as teams.

The fire industry uses a series of categories to describe how hazardous a structure or an incident is, with classifications ranging from a warehouse to a residential home. You’ll also hear about occupancy classes, such as single-family dwelling, multifamily building and commercial occupancies, which are further broken down into types of hazards associated with each. Occupancy classes are used to determine what fire-fighting resources are available to you when you arrive at a scene. This can help you decide what type of equipment you’ll need to bring to the scene and what tactics to use. It can also affect things like which firefighters will be assigned to which vehicles, since some crews work on specific shifts and therefore need to have a variety of vehicles to cover all their operations.