Fire Apparatus

It is hard to imagine how firefighters managed to fight large fires without fire trucks, but in fact for hundreds of years the forefathers of the modern fire service went without its greatest mechanical resource. The earliest firefighters would establish bucket brigades to extinguish fires. As the fire service grew and became more sophisticated it began to use hand pumped engines and eventually steam driven engines. Diesel powered engines did not gain widespread use until the 1960s. Fire apparatus design is based on its intended role in the fire service. Some trucks are intended to be heavy rescue vehicles which carry technical rescue equipment such as; vehicle extrication tools, rope rescue equipment, and heavy saws. Other rescue vehicles are primarily designated for patient transport during medical emergencies. The fire engine is a truck which can pump water from tank water stored on the truck, from an external source like a hydrant or from an open water source from draft. An engine also carries fire fighting tools like; halligan bars, ladders, hoses, nozzles and other appliances necessary for firefighting operations. Tankers are trucks that specialize in carrying large volumes of water and are especially useful when fire hydrants are scarce which is typically the case in rural communities. Brush trucks are smaller vehicles that carry smaller volumes of water, but can access wilderness areas and parks or open land that would be otherwise inaccessible for larger fire apparatus. Emergency response vehicles should reflect the emergency needs of its community. In White Lake Township we have distributed our apparatus as follows:

Station 1: Engine 1, Tanker 1, Rescue 1, Medic 1, Brush 1, Utility 1 & 2

Station 2: Engine 2, Tanker 2, Rescue 2

Station 3: Engine 3, Tanker 3, Brush 3

We hope you find this information helpful, if you have any questions please email them to us by using our, "Ask a Firefighter" feature located on our Public Education page.

To View WLTFD Apparatus Click Here

Please Yield to The Right When Emergency Vehicles Approach

Thank You!