Types of Fire Trucks

When a fire breaks out at a restaurant or a factory, you may see an emergency vehicle, a large red four wheel drive, honking its horns and blaring sirens as it rushes to the scene. The vehicle is a fire truck and it carries all the tools, hoses and equipment needed for firefighters to fight the fire. It also carries the firefighters to the fire site in addition to transporting water from their fire station to the scene.

While you might hear the term fire truck used to refer to all vehicles that carry fire fighters to the scene, there are several different types of fire trucks. Each type of fire truck is designed for specific uses. Some are specialized for certain situations while others are more general purpose vehicles that can handle many different kinds of emergencies.

A fire truck can be categorized by the type of water tank it has on board as well as its maximum gross vehicle weight rating or GVWR. These ratings are defined by NFPA standards to ensure that the vehicle meets all the requirements necessary for the type of fire it is designed to deal with. Ladder fire trucks, for example, are specifically created to provide firefighters with the ladders they need to get to hard-to-reach places in high buildings. The specialized truck includes an extendable ladder that is stored in the back of the vehicle and a hydraulic system that allows it to be extended to various heights.

Fire trucks also have water tanks that store hundreds of gallons of water. They can use these to spray the fire with a water hose or tap into a fire hydrant for a more powerful stream of water. Firefighters have years of training to learn how to operate the specialized water-spraying hoses.

When selecting a fire truck, it is important to consider the mission and goals of the fire department and what they are looking for from their new vehicle. It is also necessary to understand the geographical area in which they are able to cover and what obstacles might be encountered on the way to a fire site. This will help the fire department choose a vehicle that is a good fit.

The most common kind of fire truck is a type 1 fire engine. This fire truck is reserved for urban, rural and suburban fire departments and it can support both structural firefighting and initial EMS response. This fire truck typically has a water tank that can hold up to 500 gallons and a pump capacity of at least 1,000 gallons per minute.

Some fire trucks have special compartments for holding various types of gear and supplies such as nozzles, adapters, hand tools, forcible entry tools, lights, hand lines, hoses, foam equipment, breathing apparatus and other firefighting materials. They can also have specialized storage areas for spare parts and tools. Lastly, some fire trucks are painted red so they can stand out in traffic or be easily visible at night.