The Fire engine reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Fire engine

A Fire Engine is one of many specialized fire supression apparatuses. A Fire Engine is designed to pump water using an engine and onboard water supply, which can be replenished via a fire hydrant, water tender or any other available water source. Engines are also known as pumpers as they are used to pump water onto fires. Their primary purpose is for direct fire suppresion, and carry many tools including ladders, pike poles, and ventilating equipment. Engines are normally staffed with at least 3 (Captain, Engineer, Firefighter), preferably 4 (second Firefighter), to be able to effectively and safely attack a fire.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary the term fire engine was first used in the 17th century, in exactly the same sense it has now, "a machine for throwing water to extinguish fires".

Firefighters can be assigned to engine companies or ladder companies, reflecting very different professional practices. There are also rescue/medical companies with their own distinctive vehicles, including ambulances and heavy rescue or support trucks.

A Fire Truck is differentiated from an Engine in that it has no onboard water supply. Fire trucks are instead equipped with a mix of: long ladders, hydraulic platforms, additional firefighting equipment, a variety of heavy rescue tools, extrication equipment, and other emergency gear. The hook-and-ladder is the best-known form of fire truck, but there are also snorkel, or cherry-picker, rigs, floodlight trucks and other specialized units. Beacause Trucks operate in a support role to the Engine in Fire Attack, they are often only staffed by one operator.

A Quint functions as a mix of an Engine and a Truck by carrying its own water and pump like an Engine as well as elevating ladders and more equipment like a Truck. In the United States these are most often found on the East Coast, or where staffing levels are not high enough for multiple vehicles.

In some communities a fire apparatus, often a Paramedic Engine, will be used to carry paramedics or EMTs to medical emergencies because of their faster responce times due to forward staging in the city compared to ambulances coming from hospitals. This sometimes puzzles people who see a fire apparatus race past but do not see any fire, but medical calls often outnumber fire calls for such departments.

On occasion, fire engines have also been used as water cannons for crowd control.

Brief history of firefighting equipment

Ctesibius of Alexandria is credited with inventing the first fire pump around the second century B.C. The fire pump was reinvented in Europe during the 1500s.

Thomas Lote built the first fire engine made in America in 1743, although some hand pump units were imported from Europe prior to that time.

John Ericsson is credited with building the first steam powered fire engine.

Benjamin Franklin is often credited with the invention of the fire company, although Rome had professional fire fighters.

The first self propelled steam engine was built in New York in 1841. It was the target of sabotage by fire fighters and its use was discontinued.

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