What's in a fire truck: a detailed guide to equipment and tools

When a fire truck rushes past with its sirens blaring, few people think about what is hidden behind its bright red doors. Meanwhile, this is not just a vehicle, but a real mobile fire-fighting headquarters, equipped with dozens of specialized tools and systems. From powerful pumps to medical first aid kits, each device here has its own strict purpose and place.

In this article we will look in detail at what's in a fire truck modern model, how its internal space is arranged, and why even small details at first glance (for example, hydraulic tool or smoke exhauster) can save lives. You'll learn the differences between city and wildland fire trucks, and how firefighters get their vehicles ready to go in minutes.

The material will be useful not only to those who are curious, but also to those who plan to purchase a used fire truck for household needs or refurbishment. We will also touch on legal nuances - whether such equipment can be legally used for personal purposes and what documents are required for this.

Main types of fire engines and their purpose

Before diving into the list of equipment, it is important to understand that fire trucks are divided into several categories depending on their tasks. The most common:

• 🚒 Tanker trucks (AT) — universal machines with a water tank (usually 2–4 tons) and a pump. Used to extinguish fires in cities and enterprises.
• 🌲 Forest fire trucks — equipped with powerful off-road chassis (for example, Ural-4320 or KAMAZ-43118) and additional containers for foaming agent.
• 🏗️ Automobile ladders (AL) and articulated lifts — designed to rescue people from upper floors (height up to 50 meters).
• 🚑 First Aid Vehicles (ASA) — combine firefighting and medical equipment to eliminate the consequences of road accidents.

The most common in Russia ATs-4.0-40 (based on ZIL-4331) and ATs-5.0-40 (on KAMAZ-43114). Their equipment is regulated GOST R 53248-2009, but many fire departments are upgrading equipment to suit their needs. For example, in machines for extinguishing petroleum products they add high expansion foam generators, and in urban areas - smoke exhausters to remove carbon monoxide.

Water system: pumps, hoses and foam generators

The heart of any fire engine is fire pump. In modern models, centrifugal pumps are installed with a capacity of up to 40 liters per second (for example, NTsPN-40/100). They are capable of delivering water to a height of up to 100 meters or a distance of up to 200 meters horizontally. The pump is connected to the tank of the car or to an external source (fire hydrant, reservoir).

Key elements of the water system:

• 💦 Water tank — volume from 2 to 10 m³ (in forestry machines it is often less due to weight). The inside is covered with an anti-corrosion layer.
• 🔄 Foam mixer — automatically doses the foaming agent (usually PO-6TS or Sthamex F-15).
• 🔥 Fire monitor — mounted on the roof and controlled remotely. Water consumption up to 20 l/s.
• 📏 Sleeves - pressure (diameter 51, 66 or 77 mm) and suction (diameter 100–150 mm). The length of one sleeve is 20 meters.

Interesting fact: some cars have water mist fire extinguishing systems (for example, Hi-Fog). It consumes 10 times less water than traditional trunks, but is more effective at cooling the source of fire.

How does a foam generator work?

The foam generator mixes water, foaming agent and air in a ratio of 3:1:6. The resulting foam covers the burning surface with a film, blocking the access of oxygen. Forest fire engines use low expansion foam (up to 20:1), and high expansion foam (up to 1000:1) for petroleum products.

Equipment	Purpose	Specifications
Pump NTsPN-40/100	Pressurized water/foam supply	Capacity: 40 l/s, head: 100 m
Fire monitor PLS-P20	Remote extinguishing	Flow: 20 l/s, range: 60 m
Pressure hose RN-66	Transporting water to the trunk	Diameter: 66 mm, working pressure: 1.6 MPa
Foam generator GPS-600	Creation of air-mechanical foam	Capacity: 600 l/min, foam ratio: up to 100

Autopsy and Rescue Tools

Firefighters are often faced with the need to enter locked rooms or free victims from rubble. For this purpose the car has hydraulic rescue tool (HASI). Standard kit includes:

• 🔧 Unclamps (for example, HURST Jaws of Life) - push metal apart with a force of up to 50 tons.
• ✂️ Scissors - cut fittings, seat belts, metal bars.
• 🔨 Hydraulic jack — lifts weights up to 20 tons (used in case of collapses).
• 🔥 Thermal tool — petrol cutter or plasma cutter for working with thick metal.

All hydraulic tools are powered by pumping station (for example, Holmatro Power Unit), which can be powered either from the vehicle’s on-board network or from an autonomous gas generator. The deployment time of the kit is no more than 2 minutes.

In addition, the car always has:

• 🪓 Fire axes (with insulated handles for live operation).
• 🔑 Set of master keys (officially approved for opening doors in emergency situations).
• 🧲 Magnetic grips - for carrying metal debris.

⚠️ Warning: Using hydraulic tools without a certificate may result in injury! Before purchasing a used SASI, check availability product data sheets and test report (valid for 1 year).

Smoke exhausters, fans and respiratory protection equipment

In case of a fire, it is not the fire itself that is less dangerous, but smoke and carbon monoxide. To remove them, firefighters use:

• 💨 Smoke exhausters (for example, RV-18) - create a directed air flow to ventilate rooms. Capacity up to 18,000 m³/h.
• 🌀 Axial fans — installed in doorways to create an “air cushion”.
• 😷 Breathing apparatus (DASV) — AP "Omega" or Draeger PSS 7000 with compressed air cylinder (6.8 l, 300 bar).

The car also stores thermal imagers (for example, FLIR K55) to search for fires in smoke-filled rooms and gas analyzers (for example, Gang-4) to determine the concentration of CO, CH₄ and other hazardous gases.

Important: the operating time of one DASV cylinder is about 30–40 minutes. Therefore, there are always spare cylinders in the car and security post (special panel with pressure gauges for monitoring pressure in devices).

Medical and rescue equipment

Fire trucks, especially ASA (first aid vehicles) are equipped with medical kits for first aid. The standard kit includes:

• 🩹 Trauma first aid kit - tourniquets, bandages, Kramer splint, hemostatic agents (Celox).
• 🩺 Resuscitation kit - ambu bag, laryngoscope, air ducts.
• 💉 Epinephrine auto-injectors - to relieve anaphylactic shock.
• 🩸 Carbon monoxide test strips - for express diagnosis of poisoning.

There is also in the car stretcher (including vacuum for immobilization of victims with spinal injuries), pneumatic tires and thermal blankets to prevent hypothermia.

Recently, fire departments have been seeing defibrillators (for example, ZOLL AED Plus) and pulse oximeters - their presence is regulated Order of the Ministry of Emergency Situations No. 405 of 2018.

⚠️ Warning: Use of medical equipment from a fire truck by civilians prohibited - this may qualify as unauthorized use of special equipment (Article 19.13 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation).

Communications and navigation

The effectiveness of firefighters largely depends on the speed of information transfer. Each machine is equipped with:

• 📻 Radio stations — Motorola APX 8000 or Hytera PD785 with support for digital channels.
• 📡 VHF/MF antennas - for communication at a distance of up to 50 km (in the city - up to 10 km).
• 📱 Tablets with GLONASS/GPS — for navigation and access to fire hydrant maps.
• 🔊 Loudspeakers - to notify people in the fire zone.

They are also installed in cars telemetry systems, which transmit data about the location, water level in the tank and pressure in the pump to the control center. This makes it possible to coordinate several teams on large fires.

Interestingly, in some regions fire trucks are equipped drones (for example, DJI Matrice 300 RTK) with thermal imagers for reconnaissance of fires from the air.

Additional equipment and household supplies

In addition to specialized tools, a fire truck has a lot of little things, without which work would be impossible:

• 🔦 Lanterns and spotlights — LED floodlights with 10,000 lumens and custom lights Petzl.
• 🧯 Fire extinguishers — OP-8 (powder) and OU-5 (carbon dioxide) for operational extinguishing.
• 🧤 Firefighter equipment — combat suits (TK-800), helmets (Helmet PB-3), boots (Union).
• 📋 Documentation — logbooks for recording trips, maps of reservoirs, operating instructions for equipment.

Also in the car there is always emergency stock: drinking water, energy bars, warm blankets and even electricity generator (for example, Honda EU22i) to power tools in the field.

Forest fire engines are additionally equipped with winches (with a lifting capacity of up to 5 tons) and snow chains to overcome off-road conditions.

Legal nuances: can a private individual buy a fire truck?

Purchasing a used fire truck is completely legal, but there are several important points:

1. 📄 Deregistration with the Ministry of Emergency Situations — the car must be written off and excluded from the register of special equipment.
2. 🔧 Refurbishment — if you plan to use it for other purposes (for example, as a water carrier), you will need certificate of conformity.
3. 🚛 Registration with the traffic police — after conversion, the car is registered as truck or special equipment.

The cost of a used fire truck varies from 500,000 to 3,000,000 rubles depending on model and condition. For example, ATs-40(131)N based on ZIL-131 can be found for 800,000–1,200,000 rubles, and KAMAZ-43114 with pump NTsPN-40 will cost 1,500,000–2,500,000 rubles.

⚠️ Attention: Use of fire sirens and flashing lights on civilian vehicles prohibited (Article 12.4 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation). Their presence is equivalent to the illegal use of special signals.

Before purchasing, be sure to check:

• Availability vehicle passport (PTS).
• Condition chassis and engine (the service life of fire trucks is often 80–90% exhausted).
• Performance pump and tank (repairs can cost 200,000–500,000 rubles).

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about fire trucks

Can a fire hose be used to water a garden?

Technically yes, but the hoses are designed for high pressure (up to 1.6 MPa) and aggressive media (foaming agent, oil). Better suited for watering gardening hoses - they are cheaper and last longer. Fire hoses lose their elasticity over time and may burst if handled carelessly.

How much does a fire truck weigh?

Weight depends on model:

• ATs-40(131)N based on ZIL-131 — ~8 tons.
• ATs-5.0-40 on KAMAZ-43114 — ~12 tons.
• Forest fire truck on Ural-4320 - up to 15 tons.

The total weight with crew and equipment can exceed 20 tons.

How often is the equipment on a fire truck checked?

According to Order of the Ministry of Emergency Situations No. 3, checks are carried out:

• Daily - visual inspection of hoses, tools, liquid levels.
• Monthly - test run of the pump, checking the pressure in DASV cylinders.
• Every six months - full maintenance with disassembly of the pump and hydraulics.

All results are entered into technical condition log.

Is it possible to convert a fire truck into a camper?

Yes, but it will require:

1. Removal of all fire equipment (pump, tank, hoses).
2. Insulation and redevelopment of the interior (installation of beds, kitchen, heating).
3. How to re-register with the traffic police motorhome or cargo van.

An example of a successful remodel - project "Firetruck Camper" based on ATs-40, where the tank was replaced with living compartments.

What fuel is used in fire engines?

Most fire engines operate on diesel fuel (Euro-5 or Euro-6). Exceptions:

• ZIL-131 and Ural-4320 older years - AI-92 gasoline.
• Modern MAN or Scania — diesel with system AdBlue.

Fuel consumption is from 20 to 40 liters per 100 km, depending on the load.