Vehicle designations according to NIMS??

[Dickey]

I keep hearing that NIMS has mandated, or at least strongly suggests, a definition of emergency vehicles and what they should be called to go along with the plain language policy.
Example: a ladder truck is designated a "truck" or a water tanker is designated a "tender" and a "tanker" is a airplane.

Does NIMS spell this out? We are getting a new vehicle and we are discussing what we should call it. Is it a "heavy rescue", "squad", "rescue", or "support"?

Just wondering if NIMS specifies this and where I can get it if they do.
And, yes....I searched extensively, both forums and FEMA.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[Bones42]

I think "NIMS" gave up. They didn't know what to call everything either. Towerladder, laddertower, ladder, bucket, truck, aerial, quint, quad, 105', 100', 95', 90', 85', etc.

[hwoods]

I think "NIMS" gave up. They didn't know what to call everything either. Towerladder, laddertower, ladder, bucket, truck, aerial, quint, quad, 105', 100', 95', 90', 85', etc.

Jason, I know this is a scary thought, but I agree with Bones...... I think the "Tradition" over the years in Terminology in different areas of the Country was just a bit more to overcome than anyone realized. Here we have "Engines, Trucks, Squads, Ambulances and Tankers". Some parts of the Country will find only one of those definitions in use, the others are all different. We have absolutely no interest in changing our terminology, in fact, it would cost some big bucks in some areas, since it is lettered in gold leaf on the Apparatus.

[CaptOldTimer]

It is only a suggestion so that departmenst across the state(s) can know that every one is talking about.


They can not mandate any thing, only suggest!!


East coast, a tanker is a motor vehicle that carries water of some sort.

West coast, a tanker is a air craft of some sort.

Go figure!!

[CaptOldTimer]

It is only a suggestion so that departments across the state(s) can know that every one is talking about.


They can not mandate any thing, only suggest!!


East coast, a tanker is a motor vehicle that carries water of some sort.

West coast, a tanker is a air craft of some sort.

Go figure!!

[JCFD77]

Does anybody really follow nims or pay any attention to them anyway?

[hwoods]

East coast, a tanker is a motor vehicle that carries water of some sort.
West coast, a tanker is a air craft of some sort.

Have you noticed that some East Coast folks do try to get theirs airborne from time to time??......

[CaptOldTimer]

Have you noticed that some East Coast folks do try to get theirs airborne from time to time??......

Harve,

Now that you have mention that, Yes I have. As I have always said, its the nut holding the wheel that is causing the accidents.

[MalahatTwo7]

It is only a suggestion so that departments across the state(s) can know that every one is talking about.


They can not mandate any thing, only suggest!!


East coast, a tanker is a motor vehicle that carries water of some sort.

West coast, a tanker is a air craft of some sort.

Go figure!!

I guess it depends on which side of the westcoast border you talk from. At home, as long as you were NOT talking with BC Forestry Service, a tanker is normally a wheeled vehicle that (mostly LOL ) stays on the ground. However, if BC Forestry is involved, then their "tanker" truly does have wings. And a "Tender" for them is a wheeled ground based veh.

[osfd100]

All NIMS has done is to give the politicians an in, during an incident, while we use the Incident Command System.

They had to come up with something to get their foot in the door.

[fireguy919]

All NIMS has done is to give the politicians an in, during an incident, while we use the Incident Command System.

They had to come up with something to get their foot in the door.

Don't forget our friends at the police station and EMS crews to learn our way of ICS

[Fletch 8903]

Does anybody really follow nims or pay any attention to them anyway?

Well, I have some fancy certificates that say I follow it.

I can't imagine it ever being uniform across the country. We can't even get common terminology in our own county.

[Dickey]

I think "NIMS" gave up. They didn't know what to call everything either. Towerladder, laddertower, ladder, bucket, truck, aerial, quint, quad, 105', 100', 95', 90', 85', etc.

See, I wondered about that. At first it was the big buzz to change the vehicle designation to fit into the MABAS & NIMS systems but then it kinda went away. I think you're right Harv....it would be a great cost to change the graphics and in some cases, radio reprogramming if you have identifiers like we do.

Good deal. I just wanted to confirm that. Now I gotta convince my ***'t Chief to call it a "SQUAD". This truck will have the extrication tools, all the rescue equipment, light tower, fire support stuff, and a small pump on it so I think it should be a squad, as defined from the East Coast anyway. (sorry Bou!)

Thank you for your support!

[Dalmatian190]

1) I believe any major out-of-region mutual aid responses should be organized by Task Forces, and operate together as a unit...never as individual companies or plugged into to fill a single-resource need somewhere else*.

There's many good reasons for this -- only one of which is what you call each other doesn't matter as much. Your Task Force commander gets the radio that works on the whatever the local frequency is...everyone else can keep on their own county's system for fireground.

2) We do resource-type our units for the Statewide Fire-Rescue Plan seperate from local designations. Our ET-190 (1500gpm/1200gwt/1000' 4") is classified as an Engine and becomes Mortlake Engine 1 when deployed; Our ET-290 (1500gpm/3000gwt) becomes Mortlake Tanker 1. But it really shouldn't matter...since we should be communicating to our Task Force Commander. Within the region, we have a three county plus some mutual aid system that would recognize the normal radio designations.

I believe very strongly in having the County Emergency Plans in place -- ours, for instance, divides the county into three areas and lays out where the task force assembly areas are and for each task force type, whose responsible primary/secondary/tertiary for each resource.

But also recognize how truly seldom these will get deployed -- even for 9-11 the closest we came was having a crew ready-to-go for a coverage move-up with the ambulance, and a signup sheet if you could go on a move-up with our ET.

If activated, it's going to be campaign type calls -- a severe ice storm has crippled northern New England; the stars and moons have aligned for another legendary wildfire on Cape Cod.

The * above is for 3) There can be a narrow exception for very specialized units from the "always deploy as a task force" rule. Our Engine 190 carries 5,000' of 5". If some community half-way across the state needs a long line, the truck by itself could sent to fill that specific water-supply need. Even this has become unlikely -- in 1986 if you needed a mile of 5" hose, that was one of only a handful of options statewide...today you can find 3 or 4 Engines close to anywhere in the state that collectively carry a mile of 5".

[DeputyMarshal]

All NIMS has done is to give the politicians an in, during an incident, while we use the Incident Command System.

They had to come up with something to get their foot in the door.

NIMS is ICS. Nothing significant has changed. The polititians aren't anywhere under NIMS that they haven't always been.

[Bones42]

Maybe the politicians in your area took I402 before NIMS came around, but I know for sure that mine did not.