Ladder and Rescue Trucks in the United States

An elevating platform truck has a cagelike platform. 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. The boom on the largest trucks can extend 46 metres. A built - in hose runs the length of the boom and is used to direct water on a fire. In most cases, a pump in a nearby engine generates the pressure needed to spray the water.

Rescue trucks are equipped with many of the same kinds of tools ladder trucks carry. Rescue trucks also carry equipment for unusual rescues. With a hydraulic rescue tool, firefighters can apply a large amount of pressure to two objects to squeeze them together or pry them apart.

Rescue trucks also carry small hand tools such as crowbars and saws, and ropes. They also carry medical supplies and equipment.

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HISTORY

Fire protection in North America developed in a tradition of communities helping themselves. Citizens organized volunteer fire companies, even in the largest cities. To put out a fire, the members formed lines called bucket brigades to pass buckets of water from nearby wells. Another row of volunteers passed back the empty buckets.

The governor of New Netherlands, a Dutch colony in the area of present-day New York, made one of the first efforts to establish a fire prevention system. In 1648, he appointed four fire wardens to inspect homes and check chimneys for fire hazards. In 1658, Stuyvesant began one of the first community alarm systems. He appointed men to patrol the streets at night and watch for fires. The men were called the rattle watch because they shook wooden rattles to alert the people whenever a fire was discovered.

In 1679, Boston established the first paid fire department in the American Colonies. In 1736, Benjamin Franklin founded the American Colonies' first volunteer fire department in Philadelphia.

In the mid-1700's, fire companies in North America got their first practical fire pumps, which were made in Europe. Firefighters had to fill the pumps with water and operate and haul them by hand. However, the pumps enabled crews to fight a fire by shooting a steady stream of water from a safe distance.

By the early 1800's, most U.S. cities and towns had volunteer fire companies. The companies required large numbers of volunteers to haul the hand pumps and hose carts to fires. In many cities, prominent citizens belonged to the volunteer companies, which became powerful social and political organizations.

In the mid-1800's, steam-powered pumping engines pulled by horses began to replace hand pumps. The steam pumpers required fewer people to operate them. As a result, many larger cities could switch from volunteer to paid fire departments. From 1910 to 1930, gasoline-powered vehicles replaced horse-drawn fire engines. Since then, many improvements have been made in the equipment and methods used in firefighting.

Recent developments. In the 1970's, fire departments began to put greater emphasis on preventing fires and educating the public about fire safety. In 1974, the United States government established the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration in the Department of Commerce. The agency became the United States Fire Administration (USFA) in 1978 and was transferred to the independent Federal Emergency Management Agency. The USFA works to improve fire prevention and education, firefighting technology, and firefighter health and safety. It also operates the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The academy administers training programs for firefighters and others who work in the field of fire prevention and control. Another government agency, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, develops fire safety information for consumers.

During the 1980's and 1990's, fire departments became more involved in providing emergency medical care, highway accident rescue, hazardous materials handling, and other emergency services. The change of focus coincided with a reduction in the number and size of fires. This reduction resulted from improved public education and better fire safety codes.

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