Do you know what an Engine is? What a Rescue is?

Many people don't know that each piece of apparatus has a unique function.

Engine

A fire engine goes to many calls. It carries water and hose for fighting fires. It is also like a big toolbox that we use on all of our scenes. Some tools are for getting water such as spanner wrenches and hydrant wrenches. Other tools are pike poles (for pulling ceilings), axes, saws, and hand tools. Each engine has air packs called SCBAs which allow firefighters to breath clean air inside a fire. The engine also carries medical equipment.

Rescue

A rescue unit is used for just that, rescue. Rescue units (sometimes a "rescue" is called a "squad") carry one of the most recognizable tools used by the fire department-- The Jaws of Life. The Jaws are mostly used to extricate people from motor vehicles after they have been in a collision. A squad also carries saws, air tools, cribbing (for stabilization), and medical equipment.

Aerial

Aerial apparatus, somtimes called ladder trucks (or even just "trucks"), are designed to get firefighters to high places where a ground ladder is not suitable or tall enough. Howell has a telescoping aerial platform. Aerial platforms have fixed waterways, lighting, and even SCBA hookups so that personnel on the platform can breath clean air. Stretchers can be placed on the platform for victim removal.

Tanker

Tankers, called "water tenders" in some areas, are used to carry large amounts of water. They support engines and ladders at fires that require a lot of water. They are also used in tanker shuttles. Where fire hydrant systems aren't available, multiple tankers form a relay, pumping water out of a lake or pond and transporting it, then dumping it into a tank or feeding an engine with it at the fire scene.

Brush Truck

A brush truck is sometimes called a "grass rig." Their main purpose is for fighting brush and grass fires. Basically, each grass rig is a pickup truck that has a tank, pump, and rubber hose mounted in the bed. They can drive and pump at the same time, something our engines cannot do. Brush trucks also serve as medical trucks, responding to medical emergencies in the area.

Utility

Howell's utility truck is a pickup that seats 5 people. It is used to transport personnel to and from emergency incidents. The utility is used to transport equipment to scenes as well. The utility also serves as a medical truck.

Boat

The boats at HAFD are inflatable. One has a motor and one does not. The boats are used in case of emergencies on the water. The boats can also be deployed durring ice water emergencies as a safety factor.