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Fire apparatus

A fire apparatus, fire engine or fire truck usually refers to a vehicle designed to fight fire Fire

Fire is a phenomenon [i] of combustion [i] manifested in intense heat [i] and light [i] in the form of a ... 

s. Although civilians may use the terms fire truck and fire engine interchangeably, to an emergency worker, the words represent different types of fire fighting Fire fighting

Fire fighting is the act of carrying out procedures to extinguish an unwanted fire [i]. ... 

 apparatus, the proper generic term is fire apparatus.

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A fire apparatus, fire engine or fire truck usually refers to a vehicle designed to fight fire Fire

Fire is a phenomenon [i] of combustion [i] manifested in intense heat [i] and light [i] in the form of a ... 

s. Although civilians may use the terms fire truck and fire engine interchangeably, to an emergency worker, the words represent different types of fire fighting Fire fighting

Fire fighting is the act of carrying out procedures to extinguish an unwanted fire [i]. ... 

 apparatus, the proper generic term is fire apparatus.

Fire engine

A fire engine is designed to pump water Water

Water is a taste [i]less, odor [i]less substance that is essential to all known forms of life [i] and i ... 

 using an engine Engine

An engine is something that produces an effect from a given input.... 

, which can be obtained via a on board water supply, fire hydrant Fire hydrant

A fire hydrant, is an active fire protection [i] measure, and a source of water provided in most urban, ... 

, water tender Water tender

A water tender is a specialized firefighting [i] apparatus designed for the sole purpose of transporting... 

 or any other available water source by using suction.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary Oxford English Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary is a dictionary [i] published by the Oxford University Press [i] , an ... 

, the term fire engine was first used in the 17th century 17th century

As a means of recording the passage of time [i], the 17th century was that century [i] which lasted from ... 

, in exactly the same sense it has now, "a machine for throwing water to extinguish fires".

Engines are also known as pumpers as they are used to pump water onto fires. There are several configurations of fire engines relating to the position of the pump operating panel including top, side, front and rear mount. On occasion, fire engines have also been used as water cannon Water cannon

A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-pressure [i] stream of water [i]. ... 

s for crowd control Riot control

Riot control are the measures to control [i] a riot [i] or to break up a demonstration [i] ... 

. The pumpers may carry some amounts of water, but they may rely also on fire hydrants and water tenders.

The primary purpose of the engines is for direct fire suppression. They may carry many tools including ladder Ladder

A ladder is a vertical set of steps.... 

s, pike pole Pike pole

Pike poles are long poles usually 6-10 feet in length used by firefighter [i]s to search for fires hidde ... 

s, axe Axe

The axe is an ancient and ubiquitous tool [i] that has been used for millennia [i] to shape, split and c ... 

s, Halligans Halligan bar

A Halligan bar is a special tool commonly used in the fire and rescue service [i]. ... 

, fire extinguisher Fire extinguisher

A fire extinguisher is an active fire protection [i] device to extinguish or control a fire, often in em ... 

s, and ventilating equipment.

Today, an engine can be a real multi-purpose vehicle carrying professionals and equipment for fire fighting, rescue tasks, first response missions etc. There is not necessarily a clear border between an engine and a fire truck or a rescue unit . The New York City Fire Department New York City Fire Department

The New York City Fire Department or the Fire Department of New York has the responsibility for pr... 

 was the first to introduce the "squad" concept for an engine and developed the "rescue pumper." A typical FDNY squad has a 500 U. S. gallon water tank and specialized rescue equipment, but carries a reduced amount of hose compared to a standard engine. Since its introduction in New York, several other U. S. cities have adopted the concept.

Fire truck

A fire truck is differentiated from a fire engine in that it has no onboard water supply.
Fire trucks are instead equipped with a mix of long ladders, hydraulic Hydraulics

Hydraulics is a science [i] and engineering [i] subject dealing with the mechanical properties of liquid [i] ... 

 platforms, additional firefighting equipment, a variety of heavy rescue tools, extrication equipment, and other emergency gear.

Wildland firefighting Wildland fire suppression

Wildland fire suppression [i] is a unique [i] aspect of firefighting [i].
... 

 requires unique vehicles that can climb mountain roads, be self-reliant, and have high clearances for wheels and suspension. Wildland fire engine Wildland fire engine

A wildland fire engine [i] is a unique vehicle that is specifically designed for the wildland environment.... 

s and wildland fire tender Wildland fire tender

A wildland fire tender [i] is a unique vehicle capable of bringing additional water to fire trucks in the fiel... 

s may have lower capacities to carry water, but can go into environments where urban fire trucks would become stuck.



The
turntable ladder is the best-known form of fire truck, but there are also rescue squads, floodlight trucks and other specialized units. A "Tiller" truck, a semi-trailer truck Semi-trailer truck

[image:truck.car.transporter.arp.750pix.jpg|thumb|right|250px|DAF tractor with an auto-transport semi-trailer [i] ... 

 carrying a turntable ladder, requires two drivers. It has separate steering wheel Steering wheel

A steering wheel is a type of steering control [i] used in most modern land vehicle [i]s, including all ... 

s for front and rear wheels . This truck is often used in areas with narrow streets that prohibit longer single-vehicle trucks from entering. Use of the tiller truck is declining in the United States United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

; however, some cities, such as Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore is an independent city [i] located in the U.S. state [i] of Maryland [i] on the eastern coast ... 

, San Francisco, California San Francisco, California

The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth-largest city in California [i] and the fourteenth-lar ... 

 and Portland, Oregon Portland, Oregon

Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state [i] of Oregon [i], and county seat of Multnomah County [i] ... 

, still rely heavily on them.

The term "Tiller" and "Hook and Ladder" are not interchangeable. Truck companies generally operate from ladder trucks. Under the general heading of "ladder truck", there are many types of ladder trucks. Rear mounts, mid-mounts, tower ladders, tillers, and articulating booms are the main types. Generally, ladder trucks carry a wide assortment of ladders and hooks. Ladders have fairly obvious purposes; hooks can be used for a variety of things, but most commonly for pulling drywall Drywall

Drywall or Plasterboard is a common material used globally for the construction of interior walls and ce... 

 or plaster Plaster

Plaster of Paris, or simply plaster, is a type of building material based on calcium sulfate hemih... 

 walls away from framing members to expose hidden fire, and to allow access for extinguishing same. Hooks can also be used for pulling siding, breaking windows, etc. Technically, any vehicle carrying hooks and ladders could be consideded a "hook and ladder" vehicle.

Telescopic aerial platform ladders can reach heights of over 100 meters . These aerials typically have ladders integrated to a hydraulic boom. A joined additional arm gives the platform an ability to go "up-and-over" or bend over a roof. These aerials are equipped with a control unit, lighting equipment, a fixed water way, power outlets and compressed air outlets. A stretcher Stretcher

A stretcher is a medical device [i] used to carry casualties or an incapacitated person from one place t ... 

 can be transported over the platform. Some units are even operated with remote-controlling in case of dangerous chemical fires.

Other apparatus

There are also rescue/medical companies with their own distinctive vehicles, including ambulance Ambulance

An ambulance is a vehicle [i] designated for the transport of sick or injured people [i]. ... 

s and heavy rescue Heavy rescue vehicle

A heavy rescue vehicle, often referred to as a rescue company, rescue squad, heavy rescue... 

 or support trucks. A quint, or quintuple combination pumper, functions as a mix of an engine and a truck by carrying its own water and pump like an engine as well as elevating ladders and more equipment like a truck. The quint carries the 5 main things between a fire engine and an aerial ladder truck: a pump, a water tank, hoses, an aerial ladder, and ground ladders.

In the United States these are most often found on the East Coast, or where staffing levels are not high enough for multiple vehicles.

In some communities a fire apparatus, often a Paramedic Engine, will be used to carry paramedic Paramedic

A paramedic is a trained medical professional [i] who responds to medical [i] and trauma [i]... 

s or EMT Emergency medical technician

An emergency medical technician is an emergency responder trained to provide emergency medical services [i] ... 

s to medical emergencies because of their faster response times due to forward staging in the city compared to ambulances coming from hospitals. This sometimes puzzles people who see a fire apparatus race past but do not see any fire, but medical calls often outnumber fire calls for such departments.

In heavily forested areas, a special kind of fire truck known as a brush truck is used. They are usually trucks with off-road capabilities for traversing rough terrain in order to reach the fire.

Crew assignment

Engines are normally staffed with at least three people - an officer, a driver who usually operates the pump, and a firefighter. Preferably, an engine will carry a second firefighter, to increase effectiveness in safely attacking a fire. In some countries, such as Finland Finland

The Republic of Finland , is one of the Nordic countries [i]. ... 

, an engine carries the unit leader, an engineer and one or two pairs of firefighters. Since aggressive smoke diving takes places in a very hot and hostile environment with high risks, fire fighters work as pairs, and at least one more pair of divers is needed on scene for the safety and shifting.

In the United States, firefighter Firefighter

A firefighter, fireman, or firewoman, is a person who is trained and equipped to put out fire [i] ... 

s are generally deployed into fire companies specializing in certain tasks. Most common are engine companies and ladder, or "truck", companies. In addition, large cities frequently staff rescue companies. By definition, each company is led by an officer who commands several firefighters. Staffing of fire companies varies by jurisdiction and frequently by company type. In large cities, fire company staffing may vary from as few as three to as many as six personnel.

In the United Kingdom United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country and sovereign state [i] tha ... 

, firefighters are arranged in "brigades" usually at county level. These are divided into stations, which range in size but in almost every instance have at least one "pump." In addition, general purpose engine stations may have specialist vehicles such as turntable ladders, hydraulic platforms, foam tenders, etc. The number of personnel at a station varies depending on the size of the station and whether it is full time, day manned or retained. Generally, the crew of an average sized "pump" is around 5.

Brief history of firefighting equipment

Ctesibius of Alexandria is credited with inventing the first fire pump around the second century B.C. The fire pump was reinvented in Europe during the 1500s, reportedly used in Augsburg Augsburg

Augsburg is a city in south-central Germany [i]. ... 

 in 1518 and Nuremberg Nuremberg

Nuremberg is a city [i] in the German [i] state [i] of Bavaria [i], in the administrative region [i] ... 

 in 1657. A book of 1655 inventions mentions a steam engine pump used to "raise a column of water 40 feet," but there was no mention of whether it was portable.

Colonial laws in America required each house to have a bucket of water on the front stoop in case of fire, for the initial "bucket brigade" that would throw the water at fires.


Philadelphia Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, colloquially referred to as Philly, and known as The City of Brotherly Love i... 

 obtained a hand-pumped fire engine in 1719, years after Boston Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is the capital [i] of the Commonwealth [i] of Massachusetts [i] in the United States [i] ... 

's 1654 model appeared there, made by Joseph Jencks, but before New York's two engines arrived from London.


By 1730, Newham, in London, had made successful fire engines; the first used in New York City New York City

[i] in the [[United States]... 

  were of his make . The amount of manpower and skill necessary for firefighting prompted the institution of an organized fire company by Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin

[i] [[New York|New York State]... 

 in 1737. Thomas Lote built the first fire engine made in America in 1743.

The first fire engine in which steam was used was that of John Braithwaite in 1829; Ericsson made a similar one in New York in 1840. John Ericsson John Ericsson

John Ericsson was a Swedish [i] inventor [i] and mechanical [i] engineer [i], as was hi ... 

 is credited with building the first American steam-powered fire engine.

Until the mid-19th Century 19th century

The 19th century lasted from 1801 [i] through 1900 [i] in the Gregorian calendar [i].
... 

 most fire engines were maneuvered by men, but the introduction of horse-drawn fire engines considerably improved the response time to incidents. The first self-propelled steam engine was built in New York in 1841. It was the target of sabotage Sabotage

Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening an enemy, oppressor or employer through subversion, o... 

 by firefighters and its use was discontinued, and motorized fire engines did not become commonplace until the early 20th Century 20th century

The 20th century started on 1 January [i] 1901 [i] and ended on 31 December [i] 2000 [i], according to t... 

.

For many years firefighters sat on the sides of the fire engines, or even stood on the rear of the vehicles, exposed to the elements. While this arrangement enhanced response time, it proved to be both uncomfortable and dangerous , and today nearly all fire engines have fully enclosed seatings for their crews.


Pumpers

Early pumpers used cisterns as a source of water. Water was later put into wooden pipes under the streets and a "fire plug" was pulled out of the top of the pipe when a suction hose was to be inserted. Later systems incorporated pressurized fire hydrants, where the pressure was increased when a fire alarm was sounded. This was found to be harmful to the system, and unreliable, and today's valved hydrant systems are typically kept under pressure at all times, although additional pressure may be added when needed. Pressurized hydrants eliminate much of the work in obtaining water for pumping through the engine and into the attack hoses. Many rural fire engines still rely upon cisterns or other sources for drafting water into the pumps.

Aerials

As buildings grew in height since the late 19th Century, various means of reaching burning tall structures have been devised. At first, manually-extendable ladders were used; as these grew in length these were put onto two large, old-fashioned wheels. When carried by fire engines these ladders had the wheels suspended behind the rear of the vehicle, making it a very distinctive sight which disappeared from some Commonwealth Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known as the Commonwealth, is a voluntary association [i] of ... 

 countries only in recent years.

Before long, the turntable ladder - which was even longer, mechanically-extendable, and installed directly onto a fire truck - made its appearance. Since the late 1930s 1930s

... 

, the longest turntable ladders have reached a height of 150 feet , requiring the aforementioned "tiller trucks" to carry such ladders.

After the Second World War World War II

World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide [i] conflict [i] fought betwe ... 

 turntable ladders were supplemented by the aerial platform attached onto a mechanically-bending arm installed onto a fire truck; while these could not reach the height of the turntable ladder, these platforms could extend into previously unreachable "dead corners" of a burning building.

Gallery of fire engines and trucks


See also

  • Fire Chief's Vehicle
  • Heavy rescue vehicle Heavy rescue vehicle

    A heavy rescue vehicle, often referred to as a rescue company, rescue squad, heavy rescue... 

  • Airport Crash Tender Airport Crash Tender

    An airport crash tender is a specially featured fire engine designed for use at aerodromes and airport [i] ... 

  • Water tender Water tender

    A water tender is a specialized firefighting [i] apparatus designed for the sole purpose of transporting... 

  • Fireboat Fireboat

    A fireboat is a specialized watercraft, often resembling a tugboat [i], with pumps and nozzles designed ... 

  • Firefighter Firefighter

    A firefighter, fireman, or firewoman, is a person who is trained and equipped to put out fire [i] ... 

  • List of historic fires List of historic fires

    This is a list of historic fires.... 

  • Glossary of firefighting terms
  • Fire Helicopter

External links