cars

 cars are one-person Toyotas that are manned by one firefighter paramedic. These cars Respond to non life threatening medical incidents and carry splints, medical kits, and the paramedic's protective gear. They also carry an onboard computer for analyzing emergency calls. TVF&R is one of the first fire departments to use cars as first responders in their fleet. They currently have six cars in service.

Car 50 at TVF&R Station 50

Brush Rigs

Brush Rigs are special fire engines that are designed to be driven of road on rugged and/or uneven terrain. They carry special Tools for fighting brush fires including a portable 500 gallon pump, basic life support equipment, and special elongated hoses. Brush engines come in two forms: light brush, and heavy brush. Light brush engines are four seater pickup trucks that carry a small pump, hoses, and special life support utility belts that hold water bottles, air tanks, and special fireproof tents that firefighters can pull over their heads with a draw strings. According to a firefighter engineer I met at Newberg fire and rescue, these tents are not pleasant to be inside.

Light brush unit at NF&R

Heavy brush Rigs are larger and carry more equipment. They are specialy designed to be driven of road.

Heavy brush engine 64 at TVF&R station 64

Equipment on HB64

Rehab Units

Rehab units are small trucks that carry extra equipment that can't fit on engines. These include extra medical equipment, poles, support equipment, and an air tank rack. They also carry a slot where air tanks can be put to refill them with fresh air. The cab has extra space for more fire fighters and there is a small bathroom in the back.

Rehab Unit 50 at TVF&R Station 50

Bathroom inside Rehab 50

Heavy Rescues

Reserve Heavy Rescue 51 at TVF&R Station 53

Heavy rescues, or squads, carry advanced rescue equipment and are the first to respond to any rescue call. They carry gurneys, the "jaws of life,"giant air bags and wood for propping up heavy objects like cars and trucks, and even diamond chainsaws for cutting concrete. Even though they are designated as a truck, they actually have a small pump that can carry 300 gallons of water. I know that sounds like a lot of water, but it's really only enough to put out a small fire, such as a car fire. Heavy rescues come in lots of different shapes and sizes. They can be as small as an engine as big as a ladder truck and every thing in between. The interior can look different as well. Walk-in rescues have a room in the back that connects to the cab. This room can hold extra seats, communication equipment and/or a command center. Non walk-ins carry more space for tools and equipment. Some rigs can even be both! They have a small command center behind the cab, and lots of space for equipment. They are huge!

Rescue supplies on reserve heavy rescue 51

This heavy rescue is designed as a tiller. Like the tiller ladder truck, this rig works as a tractor-trailer. But it doesn't have a ladder. Instead, it carries a giant boom crane that can lift heavy debris like cars and rubble. There are only two of these in the world.

Squad 12 at PF&R Station 12

View from the tiller cabin on squad 12

Rescue Pumpers

Rescue pumpers are both an ambulance and a fire engine in one! They carry the same materials that are kept on ambulances and paramedic engines and they have a room that is similar to the back of an ambulance in the middle.

Rescue pumper 20 at NF&R station 20

Because of this, rescue pumpers have rear mounted pumps instead of side mounted pumps like paramedic engines have.

Rearmount pump on Rescue Pumper 20

Rescues

 Rescues are heavy duty medic units that can carry more weight. They carry the same equipment that regular medic units carry, but they have a ramp so the gurney can be rolled out of the ambulance instead of being lifted up like on a regular ambulance

 Rescue 202 at NF&R Station 20

Medical transport room inside Rescue 202

Medic units

80 percent of all calls received by most fire departments are medical related such as car accidents broken bones and cardiac arrest. Because of this, several fire departments respond to calls with medic units as well as standard engine and truck companies. these units are staffed by two paramedics and carry advanced life support equipment. medic units are also licensed ambulances and can transport patients to nearby hospitals during delays in ambulance response time.

Medic 20 at NF&R Station 20

Inside medic 20

Telesquirts

Telesquirts or "squirts" are paramedic engines that carry a hydraulic skyboom on top that firefighters can use to remotely spray water over a fire. The skyboom reaches up to fifty-four feet high. Squirts also carry all the equipment that is carried on trucks and engines. They are usually ran as engine companies at their home stations.

Squirt 61 at TVF&R station 61

Ladder Truck

Ladder trucks are used to reach high places and to spray water over fires. They are usually stationed in dense urban areas were there are many multistory buildings. Ladder trucks carry 45- to 50-foot ground ladders, fire extinguishers, air tanks, power and hand tools, and of course, a big hydraulic ladder on top. These extendable ladders can reach from 75 to 105 feet in the air. These are some of the different types of ladder trucks used in the USA.

Truck 51 at TVF&R Station 50

Rearmount ladder trucks carry 75 to 105-foot ladders that stretch from front to back of the truck. These are the most common ladder trucks around the USA.

Truck 20 at NF&R Station 20 

some Ladder trucks have an attachment on the front end of the ladder called a basket. The basket serves as a platform for firefighters to stand on to give them more operating room.

Truck 51 at Station 50.

Tiller trucks are stationed in areas with narrow roads and alleyways. Any other ladder truck would be to long to turn on these roads, but tiller trucks work like a tractor trailer so it turns as a trailer instead of one long truck.

Truck 3 at PF&R Station 3

To prevent the trailer from swinging out and hitting things, it has a second cab in the back so that the back of the truck can be steered in sync with the front. Firefighter engineers have to be specially trained to drive these trucks. When the driver in the front turns the truck one direction, the driver in the back has to steer the other direction.

Tiller Cab on Truck 3

  

Front view from the tiller cab on Truck 3

This ladder truck is equipped with a small pump that holds 200 gallons of water. It carries a 75 foot ladder on top that can reach 4-5 story buildings. it is much smaller than most ladder trucks because the roads it its response area are tighter and the buildings are closer together.

Ladder Truck at Black Butte Ranch Fire Station

Paramedic Engines

Paramedic Engine 33 

The most common fire truck is the paramedic engine. It carries hoses, medical equipment, and a pump for holding water to put out fires. Over 80% of all fire department calls are medical, so fire engines hold lots of emergency equipment, such as first aid supplies, defibrillators, oxygen masks, and IV equipment. Paramedic engines are stationed at almost every fire station around the world.

Medical equipment inside Paramedic Engine 50

Paramedic engins come in various styles and designs around the world. This engine is equipped with a device on top that can spray water over a building incase of a structure fire. The control panel is in the space behind the cab.

Sisters fire department paramedic engine at station 702

Pump control station

Welcome!

Welcome to All About Fire and Rescue Vehicles! This site is an educational blog about fire trucks and firefighter equipment. Here you will learn about different facts on fire engines such as different types of apparatus and what they are used for, why green fire trucks are safer than red fire trucks, and the difference between fire trucks and fire engines. Have fun!

Ladder truck 51 at Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue (TVF&R) Station 50 in Tigard, Oregon.