San Jose Fire Department

The two basic firefighting units in most fire departments are engine companies and ladder companies. Engine companies operate trucks called engines, which carry a pump and hoses for spraying water on a fire. Ladder companies use ladder trucks, which carry ladders of various lengths. Ladder trucks also have a hydraulically extendable ladder or elevating platform to rescue people through windows or to spray water from a raised position. Both kinds of trucks also have other rescue equipment and firefighting tools. At a fire, engine and ladder companies work together under the direction of an officer of the fire department.

Engines have a large pump that takes water from a fire hydrant or other source. The pump boosts the pressure of the water and forces it through hoses. Engines carry several sizes of hoses and nozzles. Many also have a small-diameter hose called a booster line, which is wound on a reel. The booster line is used chiefly to put out small outdoor fires. Engines used for fighting grass or brush fires carry a tank of water and such tools as shovels and rakes.

There are two kinds of ladder trucks—aerial ladder trucks and elevating platform trucks. An aerial ladder truck has a metal extension ladder mounted on a turntable. The ladder can be raised as high as 100 feet (30 meters), or about eight stories. An elevating-platform truck has a cagelike platform that can hold several people. The platform is attached to a lifting device that is mounted on a turntable. The lifting device consists of either a hinged boom (long metal arm) or an extendable boom made of several sections that fit inside each other.

Rescue trucks are enclosed vehicles equipped with many of the same kinds of forcible entry tools that ladder trucks carry. But rescue trucks also carry additional equipment for unusual rescues. They have such tools as oxyacetylene torches, for cutting through metal, and hydraulic jacks, for lifting heavy objects. Rescue trucks may also carry other hydraulic tools. With a hydraulic rescue tool, commonly known by the trade name Jaws of Life, firefighters can apply a large amount of pressure to two objects to squeeze them together or pry them apart. The tool is often used to free people trapped in automobiles and other vehicles after an accident.