Q: What's the difference between Fire Trucks and Fire Engines?
Truck 2, Engine 2
A: Fire trucks are equipped with very large ladders that extend from the truck but do not come off. Key components of a fire truck include:
- Hydraulically operated (aerial) ladder
- Full complement of ground ladders of various types and lengths
- Specialized equipment for forcible entry, ventilation, and search and rescue tasks
Truck 1
Fire engines, or pumpers, carry hose, tools, and pump water. The engine can also carry ladders, but they are set up by the fire fighters and can be carried around. Key components of a fire engine include:
- Water tank (usually 500-750 gallons)
- Pump (approximately 1500 GPM)
- Complement of various types of hose (for both attack and supply)
Engine 28
When a fire breaks out in a multi-story building, a ladder truck is used to get firefighters to the higher floors.
The ladder on the truck is raised and lowered using a hydraulic piston rod. As hydraulic fluid enters this piston rod through one of two hoses, the pressure of the fluid will either cause the rod to extend or retract. If the piston rod extends, the ladder will go up. If it retracts, the ladder will come down.
Another set of hydraulic hoses allow the sections of the ladder to telescope up and down. A hydraulic motor is used to rotate the gear that moves the ladder from left to right. While the ladder is in use, four outriggers are extended to stabilize the truck.
One of the outriggersOn this 105-foot (32-m) ladder truck built by Pierce, the ladder also has a 3-inch pipe that runs the length of the ladder. This is an extra water line that is sometimes used to spray water on fires that are in a high spot, or to spray water down on a fire. This pipe can spray out 1,000 gallons per minute.
For large fires, or fires in high locations, the ladder truck has a line that can be raised 150 feet to attack a fire from above.The ladder is controlled by a series of joysticks at the base of the ladder. The outriggers are controlled in the back of the truck. Each outrigger has four control levers: two for extending the beam out and two for lowering the leg to the ground. Metal pads are placed under the legs to prevent the force of the truck from cracking asphalt surfaces.
Stability and safety go hand in hand.
Proven box nodes design
This patented design distributes forces evenly across the top and bottom belts. This increases torsional stiffness of the entire ladder set.
Highest processing quality
Each ladder set is fabricated with high-strength, fine-grained steel and powder coating. The hermetically sealed welded joint reliably protects
the inside of the ladder set against corrosion. The results: Absolute robustness and long-term dependability!
Numerous rescue options
The exceptional stability of the ladder set makes it possible to lift, swivel, and lower loads. Depending on size, the ladders can move up to 4,000 kg at an elevation angle of 60°. Ladders can even be used as a bridge to rescue large numbers of people. Up to 15 persons can descend at once, depending on the ladder type.
Optimum grip and high step-through width
The ladder set is characterized by its high step-through width and optimized grip. Thanks to the large rung gap, the ladder set can be climbed safely even when the rungs are directly over each other.
Comfort option: active hydraulic vibration damping
Rosenbauer aerial ladders are highly stable and often do not require supplemental damping. This is particularly beneficial if the motor is shut down when rescuing a person from a window, for example. Nevertheless, Rosenbauer does offer active hydraulic vibration damping as an option.
Highly developed rescue lift
The new rescue lift's outstanding characteristics give it a 50% higher rescue rate. The spacious lift has enough space for up to three people. Ergonomic handles close the gap to the cage, greatly increasing safety when moving from the cage to the lift. Finally, the side egress point on the turntable makes it easy to exit safely from the lift to the ground in any position. When space permits, lift rails can extend to the ground level for even greater ease during entry and exit.