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59-425: In large U.S. cities, fire stations are often named for the primary fire companies and apparatus housed there, such as "Ladder 49". Other fire stations are named based on the settlement, neighborhood or street where they are located, or given a number. A fire station will at a minimum have a garage for housing at least one fire engine . There will also be storage space for equipment, though the most important equipment

118-428: A chevron pattern along with the words fire or rescue . European countries commonly use a pattern known as Battenburg markings . Along with the passive warnings, are active visual warnings which are usually in the form of flashing colored lights (also known as " beacons " or " lightbars "). These flash to attract the attention of other drivers as the fire truck approaches, or to provide warning to drivers approaching

177-606: A fire drill . Some fire engines have specialized functions, such as wildfire suppression and aircraft rescue and firefighting , and may also carry equipment for technical rescue . Many fire engines are based on a commercial vehicle chassis that is further upgraded and customized for firefighting requirements. They are generally considered emergency vehicles authorized to be equipped with emergency lights and sirens , as well as communication equipment such as two-way radios and mobile computer technology. The terms fire engine and fire truck are often used interchangeably to

236-429: A "trophy wall" or case where the firefighters display memorabilia. Fire engine A fire engine or fire truck (also spelled firetruck ) is a vehicle , usually a specially-designed or modified truck , that functions as a firefighting apparatus . The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an incident as well as carrying equipment for firefighting operations in

295-408: A basket or bucket, on the end of a ladder or boom. These platforms can provide a secure place from which a firefighter can operate. Many platforms also allow for rescues to be performed and are outfitted with tie down clips and rappelling arms. Some booms are capable of articulating , allowing the arm to bend in one or more places. This allows the platform truck to go "up and over" an obstacle, and

354-606: A broad range of vehicles involved in firefighting; however, in some fire departments they refer to separate and specific types of vehicle. The design and construction of fire engines focuses greatly on the use of both active and passive warnings. Passive visual warnings involve the use of high contrast patterns to increase the noticeability of the vehicle. These types of warnings are often seen on older vehicles and those in developing countries . More modern designs make use of retroreflectors to reflect light from other vehicles. Vehicles will also often have these reflectors arranged in

413-628: A bucket of water on the front stoop in preparation for fires at night. These buckets were intended for use by the initial bucket brigade that would supply the water at fires. Philadelphia obtained a hand-pumped fire engine in 1719, years after Boston 's 1654 model appeared there, made by Joseph Jenckes Sr. , but before New York's two engines arrived from London. By 1730, Richard Newsham , in London, had made successful fire engines. He also invented those first used in New York City in 1731 where

472-610: A civil service to the public, obliging private fire companies to shut down, many merging their fire stations into the city's fire department. In 1833, London's ten independent brigades all merged to form the London Fire Engine Establishment (LFEE), with James Braidwood as the Chief Officer. Braidwood had previously been the fire chief in Edinburgh , where the world's first municipal fire service

531-408: A durable plaque that would be affixed to the building exterior. Although a popular legend says a company's fire brigade would not extinguish a burning building if it did not have the correct fire mark, there is little evidence to support this; evidence shows insurance companies required their firefighters to fight every fire they encountered. Amsterdam also had a sophisticated firefighting system in

590-585: A fire department varies greatly by country. In the United States, firefighting is usually organized on a municipal level. Some municipalities belong to "fire protection districts" that are served by the same fire department, such as the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District . Austria, Germany and Canada also organize fire services at a municipal level. In France , fire services mostly cover one department . In

649-460: A fire engine may be used to transport first responder firefighters, paramedics or EMTs to medical emergencies due to their proximity to the incident. The standard fire engine transports firefighters to the scene, carries equipment needed by the firefighters for most firefighting scenarios, and may provide a limited supply of water with which to fight the fire. The tools carried on the fire engine will vary greatly based on many factors including

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708-408: A fire station include regular inspection and cleaning of the apparatus and equipment, and training drills in which the firefighters practice their skills. Some fire companies also host public activities at the fire station during events such as a "fire prevention week", and the facility may also be used for fund-raising by the "firemen's association", " fire buffs ", or "fire auxiliary". If the station

767-413: A fire truck. While these could not reach the height of similar turntable ladders, the platforms could extend into previously unreachable "dead corners" of a burning building. Fire department A fire department ( North American English ) or fire brigade ( Commonwealth English ), also known as a fire company, fire authority , fire district , fire and rescue , or fire service in some areas,

826-415: A fire was known as a squirt or fire syringe . Hand squirts and hand pumps are noted before Ctesibius of Alexandria invented the first fire pump around the 2nd century B.C., and an example of a force-pump possibly used for a fire-engine is mentioned by Heron of Alexandria . In 1650, Hans Hautsch built a fire engine with a compressed air vessel. On each side 14 men worked a piston rod back and forth in

885-481: A fire. As the engines grew larger they became horse-drawn and later self-propelled by steam engines. Until the mid-19th century, 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 pumper fire engine was built in New York in 1841. Unfortunately for the manufacturers, some firefighters sabotaged

944-580: A heavy stream of water to wherever the operator points it. An additional feature of engines are their preconnected hose lines , commonly referred to as preconnects . The preconnects are attached to the engine's onboard water supply and allow firefighters to quickly mount an aggressive attack on the fire as soon as they arrive on scene. When the onboard water supply runs out, the engine is connected to more permanent sources such as fire hydrants or water tenders and can also use natural sources such as rivers or reservoirs by drafting water . An aerial apparatus

1003-481: A horizontal direction. The air vessel, a type of pressure tank, issued an even stream despite the backward motion of the piston. This was made possible by a rotating pipe mounted on the hose which allowed the jet to reach heights up to 20 m (65.6 ft). Caspar Schott observed Hautsch's fire engine in 1655 and wrote an account of it in his Magia Universalis. Colonial laws in America required each house to have

1062-426: A lower travel height for the truck. While the traditional characteristic of a TL was a lack of water pumping or storage, many modern TLs have a water pumping function built in (and some have their own on-board supply reservoir). Some may have piping along the ladder to supply water to firefighters at the top of the ladder, and some of these may also have a monitor installed at the top. Other appliances may simply have

1121-437: A mix of professional and volunteer firefighters. In some countries, fire departments may also run an ambulance service , staffed by volunteer or professional EMS personnel . Fire departments are organized in a system of administration, services, training, and operations; for example: A fire service is normally set up where it can have fire stations, fire engines and other relevant equipment strategically deployed throughout

1180-481: A parked fire truck in a dangerous position on the road. While the fire truck is headed towards the scene, the lights are always accompanied by loud audible warnings such as sirens and air horns . Some fire engines in the United States are lime yellow rather than red due to safety and ergonomics reasons. A 2009 study by the U.S. Fire Administration concluded that fluorescent colors, including yellow-green and orange, are easiest to spot in daylight. In some regions,

1239-473: A track-way to securely hold a manually-run hose reel. In the United States, turntable ladders with additional functions such as an onboard pump, a water tank, fire hose , aerial ladder and multiple ground ladders , are known as quad or quint engines, indicating the number of functions they perform. The highest TL in the world is the Magirus M68L, with a range of 68 meters (223.1 ft). In

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1298-480: Is a fire truck mounted with an extendable boom that enables firefighters to reach high locations. They can provide a high vantage point for spraying water and creating ventilation, an access route for firefighters and an escape route for firefighters and people they have rescued. In North America, aerial apparatuses are used for fire suppression, whereas in Europe, they are used more for rescue. A turntable ladder (TL)

1357-409: Is able to stop the fire faster. Some also have gaseous fire suppression tanks for electrical fires. These features give the airport crash tenders a capability to reach an airplane rapidly, and rapidly extinguish large fires with jet fuel involved. Other vehicles that are used by fire departments but may not be directly involved in firefighting may include An early device used to squirt water onto

1416-711: Is an advantage over the traditional platform ladder, which can only extend in a straight line. A wildland fire engine is a specialized fire engine that can negotiate difficult terrain for wildfire suppression . A wildland fire engine is smaller than standard fire engines and has a higher ground clearance . They may also respond to emergencies in rough terrain where other vehicles cannot respond. Many wildland engines feature four-wheel drive capability to improve hill climbing and rough terrain capability. Some wildland apparatus can pump water while driving (compared to some traditional engines which must be stationary to pump water), allowing "mobile attacks" on vegetation fires to minimize

1475-431: Is an aerial apparatus with a large ladder mounted on a pivot which resembles a turntable , giving it its name. The key functions of a turntable ladder are allowing access or egress of firefighters and fire victims at height, providing a high-level water point for firefighting (elevated master stream), and providing a platform from which tasks such as ventilation or overhaul can be executed. To increase its length and reach,

1534-608: Is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression services as well as other rescue services. Fire departments are most commonly a public sector organization that operate within a municipality, county, state, nation, or special district. Private and specialist firefighting organizations also exist, such as those for aircraft rescue and firefighting . A fire department contains one or more fire stations within its boundaries, and may be staffed by firefighters , who may be professional , volunteers , conscripts , or on-call . Combination fire departments employ

1593-409: Is carried on an engine is decided by the needs of the department. For example, fire departments located in metropolitan areas will carry equipment to mitigate hazardous materials and effect technical rescues, while departments that operate in the wildland-urban interface will need the gear to deal with brush fires. Some fire engines have a fixed deluge gun , also known as a master stream, which directs

1652-420: Is occupied full-time by career firefighters , it will contain living quarters and work areas, where they wait until a callout comes through. Career firefighters are usually able to sleep during a night shift, so these stations will also have dormitories. There will be an alarm system to alert them of an emergency call , and to give some indication of where and what the emergency is. In some small fire departments,

1711-510: Is stored in the vehicle itself. The approaches to a fire station are often posted with warning signs, and there may be a traffic signal to stop or warn traffic when apparatus are leaving or returning to the station. Fire stations have often been built with a tower, for purposes that have changed with time. A drill tower is used for practicing high-rise rescue, while a hose tower is used for hanging hoses to dry to prevent rot. Historically, towers were lookouts for spotting fires. Activities at

1770-476: The Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency , which is today Canada's oldest fire department. In 1764, Haddonfield, New Jersey established the second oldest fire company in the United States. Another early American fire department, staffed by unpaid volunteers, was established in the city of Petersburg, Virginia in 1773. In the 19th century, cities began to form their own fire departments as

1829-463: The 17th century after the Great Fire of London in 1666. The first insurance brigades were established the following year. Others began to realize that a lot of money could be made from this practice, and ten more insurance companies set up in London before 1832: The Alliance, Atlas, Globe, Imperial, London, Protector, Royal Exchange, Sun Union and Westminster. Each company had its own fire mark ,

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1888-839: The United Kingdom, most fire services cover one or more counties , while Scotland and Northern Ireland each have a single fire service. In Australia, state governments run the fire services, although three states have separate agencies for metropolitan and rural areas. Poland, the Czech Republic, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, and the Philippines have national fire and rescue services. Fire departments may also provide other, more specialized emergency services, such as aircraft rescue and firefighting , hazardous materials response, technical rescue , search and rescue , and wildland firefighting . In some countries or regions (e.g.,

1947-496: The United States, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau), fire departments can be responsible for providing emergency medical services . The EMS personnel may either be cross-trained as firefighters or a separate division of emergency medical technicians and paramedics . While some services act only as "first responders" to medical emergencies, stabilizing victims until an ambulance can arrive, other fire services also operate ambulance services . The earliest known firefighting service

2006-404: The United States, a tiller truck, also known as a tractor-drawn aerial (TDA ), tiller ladder, or hook -and-ladder truck, is a specialized turntable ladder mounted on a semi-trailer truck . Unlike a commercial semi, the trailer and tractor are permanently combined and special tools are required to separate them. It has two drivers, with separate steering wheels for front and rear wheels. One of

2065-504: The amount of manpower and skill necessary for firefighting prompted Benjamin Franklin to found an organized fire company in 1737. Thomas Lote built the first fire engine made in America in 1743. These earliest engines are called hand tubs because they are manually (hand) powered and the water was supplied by a bucket brigade dumping it into a tub (cistern) where the pump had a permanent intake pipe. An important advancement around 1822

2124-503: The area it serves, so that dispatchers can send fire engines, fire trucks, or ambulances from the fire stations closest to the incident. Larger departments have branches within themselves to increase efficiency, composed of volunteers, support, and research. Most places are covered by a public sector fire department, which is established by a local or national government and funded by taxation. Even volunteer fire departments may still receive some government funding. The typical size of

2183-718: The colonies' first fire insurance company in Philadelphia named the Philadelphia Contributionship, as well as its associated Union Volunteer Fire Company , which was an unpaid (volunteer) company. A document dated in 1686 informs about the payment system of four so called "fire servants" (German: Feuerknecht ) in Vienna , which is the official founding year of the Vienna Fire Department. In 1754, Halifax, Nova Scotia established

2242-517: The device and its use of the first engine was discontinued. However, the need and the utility of power equipment ensured the success of the steam pumper well into the twentieth century. Many cities and towns around the world bought the steam fire engines. Motorised fire engines date back to January 1897, when the Prefect of Police in Paris applied for funds to purchase "a machine worked by petroleum for

2301-422: The features that make the airport crash tender unique are its ability to move on rough terrain outside the runway and airport area, large water capacity as well as a foam tank, a high-capacity pump, and water/foam monitors . Newer airport crash tenders also incorporate twin agent nozzles/injection systems that add dry chemical fire retardant (such as Purple-K ) to create a stream of firefighting foam which

2360-424: The fire area to make it available for extinguishing operations. These are especially useful in rural areas where fire hydrants are not readily available and natural water resources are insufficient or difficult to exploit. Most tankers have an on-board pumping system. This pump is often not of sufficient power to fight fires (as it is designed to be attached to a fire engine), but is more often used to draw water into

2419-413: The ladder is often telescoping . Modern telescopic ladders may be hydraulic or pneumatic . These mechanical features allow the use of ladders which are longer, sturdier, and more stable. They may also have pre-attached hoses or other equipment. The pivot can be mounted at the rear of the chassis or in the middle, just behind the cab. The latter is sometimes called a "mid-ship" arrangement, and it allows

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2478-551: The late 17th century, under the direction of artist Jan van der Heyden , who had improved the designs of both fire hoses and fire pumps. The city of Boston, Massachusetts established America's first publicly funded, paid fire department in 1678. Fire insurance made its debut in the American colonies in South Carolina in 1736, but it was Benjamin Franklin who imported the London model of insurance. He established

2537-438: The living quarters on the same level as the garage. Some fire stations are not regularly occupied, with the firefighting carried out by volunteer or retained firefighters . In this case, the firefighters are summoned to the fire station by siren , radio or pagers , where they will then deploy the fire engine. These fire stations may still have office space for the firefighters, a library of reference and other materials, and

2596-548: The main features of the tiller-truck is its enhanced maneuverability. The independent steering of the front and back wheels allow the tiller to make much sharper turns, which is particularly helpful on narrow streets and in apartment complexes with maze-like roads. An additional feature of the tiller-truck is that its overall length, over 50 feet (15 m) for most models, allows for additional storage of tools and equipment. The extreme length gives compartment capacities that range between 500 and 650 cubic feet (14 and 18 m ) in

2655-545: The only alarm may be a telephone for receiving calls. Many fire stations were built with the living quarters above the garage. This arrangement is common for fire stations built in a crowded city. The fireman's pole was invented to allow firefighters to quickly descend to the garage. In modern times, agencies such as the National Fire Protection Association have argued that these pose a safety hazard. Modern fire stations are often built with

2714-451: The rate of spread. Fire departments that serve areas along the wildland–urban interface have to be able to tackle traditional urban fires as well as wildland fires. Departments in these areas often use a wildland-urban interface engine, which combine features of a standard fire engine with that of a wildland fire engine. A water tender is a specialist fire appliance with the primary purpose of transporting large amounts of water to

2773-484: The size of the department and the usual situations the firefighters handle. For example, departments located near large bodies of water or rivers are likely to have some sort of water rescue equipment. Standard tools found on nearly all fire engines include ladders , hydraulic rescue tools (often referred to as the jaws of life ), floodlights , fire hose , fire extinguishers , self-contained breathing apparatus, and thermal imaging cameras . The exact layout of what

2832-479: The tender from hydrants or other water sources. Many tankers are equipped with fast-drain valves on the sides and back of the truck. This allows firefighters to empty thousands of gallons of water into a portable water tank in just a few seconds. Most water tenders are designed to carry loads of 5,000–12,000 litres (1,100–2,600 imp gal). An airport crash tender is a specialized fire engine designed for use at aerodromes in aircraft accidents. Some of

2891-443: The traction of a fire-engine, ladders, and so forth and for the conveyance of the necessary staff of pompiers". With great prescience the report states "If the experiment prove successful, as is anticipated, horses will eventually be entirely replaced by automobiles". This was, indeed, the case and motorised fire engines became commonplace by the early 20th century. By 1905, the idea of combining gas engine motor trucks into fire engines

2950-446: The trailer with an additional 40 and 60 cubic feet (1.1 and 1.7 m ) in the cab. Some departments elect to use tiller- quints , which are tiller trucks that have the added feature of being fitted with an on-board water tank. These are particularly useful for smaller departments that do not have enough personnel to staff both an engine company and a truck company. A platform truck carries an aerial work platform , also known as

3009-449: The wheels suspended behind the rear of the vehicle, making them a distinctive sight. Before long, turntable ladders —which were even longer, mechanically extendable, and installed directly onto fire trucks—made their appearances. After World War II , turntable ladders were supplemented by the aerial work platform (sometimes called "cherry picker"), a platform or bucket attached onto a mechanically bending arm (or "snorkel") installed onto

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3068-494: 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. Steam pumper came in to use in the 1850s. In the late 19th century, means of reaching tall structures were devised. At first, manually extendable ladders were used; as these grew in length (and weight), they were put onto two large wheels. When carried by fire engines these wheeled escape ladders had

3127-406: Was an early type of fire units known since late 1700s. It was a horse-drawn carriage which brought ladders and hooks to the fire place. Ladders were used for access to upper floors and the roof. "Hooks" were pike poles used for pulling down and apart the burning construction. Early pumpers used cisterns as a source of water. Water was later put into wooden pipes under the streets and a "fire plug"

3186-574: Was attracting great attention; according to a Popular Mechanics article in that year, such trucks were rapidly gaining popularity in England. That same year, the Knox Automobile Company of Springfield, Massachusetts , began selling what some have described as the world's first modern fire engine. A year later, the city of Springfield, Illinois, had filled their fire department with Knox engines. Another early motorized fire engine

3245-462: Was developed by Peter Pirsch and Sons of Kenosha, Wisconsin . 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. This arrangement was uncomfortable and dangerous (some firefighters were thrown to their deaths when their fire engines made sharp turns on the road), and today nearly all fire engines have fully enclosed seating areas for their crews. The "hook and ladder"

3304-621: Was formed in Ancient Rome by Marcus Egnatius Rufus who used his slaves to provide a free fire service. These men fought fires using bucket chains and also patrolled the streets with the authority to impose corporal punishment upon those who violated fire-prevention codes. The Emperor Augustus established a public fire department in 24 BCE, composed of 600 slaves distributed amongst seven fire stations in Rome. Fire departments were again formed by property insurance companies beginning in

3363-592: Was founded in 1824, and he is now regarded, along with Van der Heyden, as one of founders of modern firefighting. The LFEE then was incorporated into the city's Metropolitan Fire Brigade in 1865 under Eyre Massey Shaw . In 1879, the University of Notre Dame established the first University-based fire department in the United States. The first motorized fire department was organized in 1906 in Springfield, Massachusetts , where Knox Automobile had developed

3422-419: 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. Today's valved hydrant systems are kept under pressure at all times, although additional pressure may be added when needed. Pressurized hydrants eliminate much of

3481-512: Was the invention of an engine which could draft water from a water source. This rendered the bucket brigade obsolete. In 1822, a Philadelphia-based manufacturing company called Sellers and Pennock made a model called "The Hydraulion". It is said to be the first suction engine. Some models had the hard, suction hose fixed to the intake and curled up over the apparatus known as a squirrel tail engine. The earliest engines were small and were either carried by four men, or mounted on skids and dragged to

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