How much does a UK fire truck weigh?

The Service has six rescue pumps strategically located across the county. These look like a standard Scania fire engine but carry more specialist equipment to deal with rescue. They hold 1,800 litres of water and equipment that firefighters use on a day-to-day basis, including hose reels and ladders, to help them deal with the majority of different emergencies. They are generally crewed by five firefighters. They are located at Cambridge, Dogsthorpe, Huntingdon, St Neots, Ely and Wisbech. These fire engines have CCTV.

Interestingly, there is a critical distinction between a fire engine or pumper (what most people picture when they think of a fire truck) and the vehicles that are categorized as fire trucks.

A fire engine is the long red vehicle that pumps water. It’s traditionally what we think about when we picture a firefighter driving to an emergency.

Fire trucks are commonly referred to as the ladder trucks, since they carry all the ladders and many other types of equipment.

The word “engine” originally and exclusively meant “pump”, which is an important tool for taking water to a fire.

That’s why fire engines are the vehicles responsible for pumping water. “Truck” is generally reserved for other vehicles generally having one or more ladders.

At the scene of a fire, fire engines and fire trucks perform vastly-different tasks. The fire engine has hoses and water to aggressively fight the fire.

Fire trucks, on the other hand, are like a toolbox, carrying rescue equipment and ladders to help personnel support the firefighting activities in ways other than pumping water to put out flames directly.

Both fire engines and fire trucks play a crucial part in putting out fires and keeping the community safe.

~ Fun Fact ~
We know the ladders on a fire truck reach up very high, in order to rescue people in tall buildings. But did you know that these ladders are used in winds up to 50 mph? Next time you’re in the car going down the highway, put out your hand at 50 mph and imagine yourself being up on one of these tall ladders!

Five fire engines in South Yorkshire and the Humber region have been sitting unused since they were bought in 2007, a BBC investigation has discovered.

Each Combined Aerial Rescue Pump (CARP) cost the fire services more than half a million pounds.

However, the vehicles have not yet been used because they are too heavy to be driven legally on British roads.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service blamed "a supplier's cock-up" for the situation.

The CARP vehicles are designed to do everything a traditional appliance does but they also have an aerial platform on board to allow firefighters access to the upper levels of buildings.

'Very sorry'

In 2005 the Humberside and South Yorkshire fire services ordered two and four CARPS respectively at a cost of £3m. The first vehicle was delivered to Humberside in 2007.

However, when loaded with equipment, the vehicle exceeded the 26-tonne legal weight for fire engines on the road.

The Humberside service then cancelled order for the second vehicle.

Beverley Sandy, finance and resources director for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "It's a supplier's cock-up.

"We're very sorry that they're not on the run yet and doing the job they're designed to do, but the problems we've had with them are purely supplier problems."

Humberside fire service said it planned to get its CARP working by Feburary

Humberside's chief fire officer Frank Duffield said: "It exceeded the legal weight for that type of appliance on British roads."

When asked about how the vehicles had come to be purchased in an unusable state, he said: "I can't answer that can I? That's a technical question that perhaps you'd have to ask the manufacturers themselves."

However, the company which supplied the CARPs, TVAC, went out of business 18 months after the issue was discovered.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said it was spending £700,000 to get its four vehicles on the road by Christmas.

The Humberside service said it was modifying its CARP and the vehicle would be ready in February.

If you live in Yorkshire or Lincolnshire you can see more on this story on BBC One's Inside Out at 1930 BST on Monday 25 January. The programme will also be available on the iPlayer.

I’d be lying if I said I’d never given a random answer to a child when they ask a question like that, so don’t feel bad. The average fire truck can weigh from 19 to 30 tons, which translates to 38,000 to 60,000 pounds.

Ultimately, a fire truck’s weight will depend on the type of truck and whether it’s carrying water or not—but even when empty, a fire truck still weighs around 11,500 to 14,500 pounds, making for some pretty gnarly gas mileage.

Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about spending as much as firefighters on gas, but we can all take advantage of potential savings on car insurance no matter what we drive when we shop with Jerry!

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What is the average weight of a fire truck?

The average fire truck can weigh from 19 to 30 tons, which translates to 38,000 to 60,000 pounds.

How heavy is a fire truck in kg?

Most current models of fire trucks weigh less than 13,000 kilograms, however as technology and training advances, this is open to change in the future. The current size means that weight is one of the biggest considerations for any potential fire truck, as every kilogram of equipment means one less litre of water.

What does a fully loaded fire truck weigh?

Fire trucks weigh 19 to 30 tons, which is approximately 38,000 to 60,000 pounds. Even when empty, a fire truck still weighs around 11,500 to 14,500 pounds.

How heavy is a fire ladder truck?

Aerial Ladder Tanker - Tandem Rear Axle Front gross axle weight rating of 20,000 to 22,800 pounds. Rear gross axle weight rating of 34,000 to 54,000 pounds. Width of 98 to 100 inches. Height of 11 to 12.5 feet.