In need of some explenation of a few names for fire app

[DLuccia]

So I went to visit a cousin in MD on Saturday cause my great aunt passed away on. For the hell of it I went with her and talked with some guys at a county station.


I realized me being north of them that names are different but I need a explenation if some can clear up some stuff.


What's a Wagon? Looked like a normal engine to me but they called one an engine and one a wagon.


What's a Quad not an ATV. One of the guys said they ran one one time


Can someone please educate me.


Thanks


Dan

 

[Ben E.]

A Quad is a Quint minus one function. Never actually seen a Quad before, so I'm not sure which function it's without. But, just for reference in case you've never heard of a Quint either, it's pump, tank, aerial, hose, and ground ladders on 1 truck.

 

[DLuccia]

Quints I've seen a few depts in my area have them. So a quad is a pumper with a full load of ground ladders and no aerial


Now I just would like to know what a wagon is and how it differs from an engine

 

[mcpd2025]

At my local house they have 2 engines. To make it easy, they call the primary engine the engine and the secondary engine the wagon. It makes it easier to know which is which, then on the radio they don't have to worry about engine a or engine b.

 

[DLuccia]

At my local house they have 2 engines. To make it easy, they call the primary engine the engine and the secondary engine the wagon. It makes it easier to know which is which, then on the radio they don't have to worry about engine a or engine b.

So what your saying is out of your station you have 2 engines with the same number you call the main an engine. That's cool. We just number them different. Gota be a regional thing.

 

[Doug]

At my local house they have 2 engines. To make it easy, they call the primary engine the engine and the secondary engine the wagon. It makes it easier to know which is which, then on the radio they don't have to worry about engine a or engine b.

I knew you were a closet firefighter! But seriously, you're right on. The wagon is usually the front line engine, and the pumper is the second (and third, and fourth, as applicable). The terminology dates back to the days when the wagon carried the hose, and the pumper...well, the pumper pumped (the hydrant [aka plug] if there was one).


The numbering, which has changed in the past few years, is also different. It used to be that one engine carried a designation of 1-5 (in my case, my company had Engine 101, Engine 102 [sold], Engine 103 and Engine 104). Ambulances carried the suffix designation of 7, 8 or 9.


However, when Prince George's County moved to the Council of Government, or COG, numbering system, it changed. Prince George's County carries the 8 designation, followed by the station ID; in this case, my station is 810. The front line engine (wagon) carries the designation of Engine 810, regardless of which unit it is (one of two Seagraves, or an American LaFrance/4 Guys). The second line engine (pumper) carries the B designation (Engine 810B); the front line unit carries what is essentially a silent A. The only time an A suffix is verbalized is in the case of a volunteer deputy chief ("A chief"). The same method applies to all other apparatus, be it ambulances, medic units, breathing air units, or fire chiefs.


Dan, where'd you visit?

 

[DLuccia]

We were in Baltimore well some city near it began with a C we went 95 to 395. Took bout 5-1/2 hours. From CT with 2 stops for gas and traffic in NY and MD


I wanted to head to PG county wanted to see clinton and kentland stations


But I had to be back Sunday for fathers day and work this morning @ 430


Next time I wana make it a long weekend see a few stations maybe even stop in a paid house if they let me. Now that I know its not that far from me without traffic

 

[tnems7]

Think hose wagons or hose tenders. You need to go way back to the times where some communities could do direct lay and hydrants could supply sufficient water with a small manifold (no pump). Or when more firehose was needed. These were hose wagons or hose tenders.


Also, for ISO ratings, older engines that had less than sufficient tank capacity (less than 125 gallons, for example) or pumps less than 500 gpm might be keep in use for relays or water volume. They would no longer be rated as an engine or pumper. So they were relegated for use as "hose wagons".

 

[mcpd2025]

Exactly what Doug said. COG changed the names of all the apparatus. Its just easier and less confusing for some houses to name it Engine 701 or Pumper 701 instead of Engine 701a or 701b.


And no, not a closet firefighter. I've got some friends at the local house, but I have no desire to be involved in any more drama than I already am. Fire stations are like 7th grade all over again. Billy is mad at Timmy because Shelly said that Karen heard Timmy say he didn't like Johnny's shoes and Billy and Johnny are best friends.....

 

[DLuccia]

Thanks I was wondering


That's gota be a pain if your running more the 1 station in the same town then unless its given a different number.


If it works that's all that matters.

 

[DLuccia]

i think http://www.ledpolicestrobelight.com may help you

What would a lighting site selling warning lights have to do with a post asking about the difference between a wagon and a engine ?

 

[Doug]

Thanks I was wondering

That's gota be a pain if your running more the 1 station in the same town then unless its given a different number.


If it works that's all that matters.

Each station, regardless of which company it may (or may not) be a part of, is assigned a station number. Most services, including the fire service, are managed on the county levels.

 

[Doug]

Exactly what Doug said. COG changed the names of all the apparatus. Its just easier and less confusing for some houses to name it Engine 701 or Pumper 701 instead of Engine 701a or 701b.

Just to be clear, though - the wagon and pumper designations are unofficial. The radio designations remain Engine 8xx and 8xxB, C, D, etc.

 

[mcpd2025]

Just to be clear, though - the wagon and pumper designations are unofficial. The radio designations remain Engine 8xx and 8xxB, C, D, etc.

Oh.... didn't know that. Disregard what I wrote then.

 

[DLuccia]

So in a nutshell the first number is the county and the 2nd is the station


Ok as my example it would be engine 810 responding. Now if its a second piece would it be engine 810-2 or or 810b when it responds.


Cause at my station we have 2 engines we have W7 our 2000 gal tanker engine and W8 our 1000 gal engine


We don't do county numbers around my area so I was curious


Ambulances are different I think they are a county or state wide number not sure. We don't do ems only fire and rescue. We have Wolcott Ambulance and a pvt ambulance company in gtown.

 

[Doug]

It would be Engine 810, Engine 810B, Engine 810C, Tower 810, Ambulance 810, Chief 810, Chief 810A (remember, this is the only unit designation that uses the A suffix), Chief 810B.

 

[RL1]

My old dept just did it by station number. Station one had e-1, r-1, lt-1, s-1 (ambulance), and e-11 (only station with more than one engine). Squads used to be numbered randomly, but in the past couple of years they have been numbered like the others. When a reserve truck goes on line, it uses the number of the truck it's replacing. During the G8, we did the whole e-1a, e2-b, etc, and it sucked.

 

[Chasselber1]

Well Doug hit the nail on the head. I've also been told that the term "wagon" came from DCFD when they would run 2-peice engine companies out of the same house. Again as Doug stated the "wagon" layed out from the hydrant to the fire and the "pumper" picked up the hydrant and supplied the wagon. Dan next time you come down and wanna stop by shoot me a PM. My GF is a member at Clinton and I'm good friends with the Chief.

 

[Alovebaby41]

I have always used the term "Wagon" For two things in the fire service = Just a truck that responds to multiple alarm fires that require a lot of hose to be used. In police work some officers with use the the term to depict the paddy wagon or prisoner transport. As for the quad i really coun't tell you one way or another but my guess would be maybe a brush off road rehivle maybe like a yamaha mule or something like that but i would put my money on what the other member said as far as as quint just missing a thing or two. Just my inputs and what we use the words for.

 

[Chasselber1]

A Quad is a rather old school term and not really seen/used anymore. It is an apparatus consisting of 1. hose 2. water tank 3. a pump and 4. ground ladders. These units are usually larger then a regular engine company and had a large compliment of ground ladders as well.