Termonology - Help!

[justinmcguigan]

Around our area, most all fire departments refer to their apparatus as either: truck, rescue, tanker, ladder. This being said, you seldom hear of: engine

SO - specificially what are the differences between:
TRUCK & ENGINE?

thanks,
Justin

[sponge]

Engine=pumper: carries water and hose (along with other equipment)and has a pump. Main purpose of an engine company includes putting water on the fire.

Truck: carries ladders, hooks, forcible entry tools, etc. Usually an aerial or tower ladder, but some truck companies operate city service trucks. Main purpose of a truck company includes search & rescue, forcible entry, and ventilation.

That's the basic answer. Things get more complicated when you have quints that some people call engines and others call trucks or some other system where a unit performs multiple functions (rescue engines, truck companies that do extrication, rescue companies that do truck work, etc).

[Sleuth]

It's the same difference (now there is an oxymoron) between a tanker and a tender.
(Depends on if you are in the East or the West).

[Dave404]

Tanker/Tender - depends on the service. If you are assisting forestry and you request more water for your truck, you had better ask for a tender. Otherwise if you ask for a tanker you might get one of those fancy flying machines that carry water

[Sleuth]

YUP - red, slimey water, and they can drop it right on your head!

[Dave1983]

Originally posted by sponge
That's the basic answer. Things get more complicated when you have quints that some people call engines and others call trucks or some other system where a unit performs multiple functions (rescue engines, truck companies that do extrication, rescue companies that do truck work, etc).

No kiding We call our quint a truck. The department next to us has basicly the same rig (they used our specs as a bassis) and they call it an engine.

Or, when you have engines and pumpers (as we do). A pumper is simply an engine in reserve status.

Some areas call an ALS (paramedic engine) a rescue. Our ALS engines are called engine. Here, a rescue is a two FF ALS unit.

Clear as mud

[Rayr49]

I was in an NFA field class with an instructor from the tanker side of the country.

One group got a situation of a tanker hitting a vehicle in an intersection (we call them tenders). Their first response was that the "Tanker was flying too damn low if it hit a vehicle". The instructor wrote it down for future reference when he goes west.

[herbroberson]

Around here (western North Carolina)pumpers(quads usually - carrying water greater than 500 gallons,a single compliment of ground ladders,one extension at least 24', one roof ladder at least 12', one folding ladder at least 10') are refered to as "engines", and "ladders" are usually quints(carrying water, pump, hose, a ground ladder complement,and an aerial device). Any rescue apparatus usually just gets called "the Rescue". In the purest sense, a "ladder" is not a ladder unless it carries a full "double complement" of ground ladders which is now specified in "total ladder feet" by NFPA 1971, and carrying that specific amount of ground ladders is the only way ISO will give you "full points" for the rig, irreguardless of any other eguipment or tools you cram on it. Small minipumpers/skid units are generally called "brush" trucks or in some cases "squads" depending on the equipment they carry. And locally we have "tacs" which are usually medical QRVs. Tenders are refered to as "tankers" as long as they have over 1,000 gallons of water and a quick dump or fast discharge capability.

Each locality always seems to come up with their own terminology for their rigs, which is not a bad thing if if you know what you are asking for in a mutual aid situtation. You could call the rigs a milk dud as long as it has the equipent on it to get the job done.