Why do you number the way you do?

More curiosity than need. All apparatus here in the county have a 4 digit ID. 1234. 1 being zone, 2 battalion or dept, 3 and 4 type and number. On a day-to day basis though, each zone uses a different type of numbering. Up north, all 4 digits are used. The big city and out east, in numerical sequence. Down south, E1 in the 5th dept. is Engine 51 and so on.

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Permalink Reply by Scott on October 25, 2008 at 11:51am

Our countys rather easy on our numbers each station has its number 1-27 Then from there each piece of apperatus in the stations has its own number and letter identifier examples would be
M-26-2
M-26-3
TA-26-4
M-26-5
E-26-6
M-26-7
Each letter stands E-Engine TA-tanker ETA-engine tanker T-truck and M-is miscellaneous its for brush units, ATVs, equipment trucks, air trucks and units that have to small of a pump/tank to quailify as an engine

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Permalink Reply by Barry on October 25, 2008 at 12:26pm

Out here the county is divided into 5 battalions; 1 through 5 the first digit. The second is a department number, not sure how they came up with it. So that makes my department 23. Then a third digit for equipment; 0's tend to be boats, 1's tend to be squad cars (vans and buses), 2's grass trucks, 3's mini pumpers, 4's and 5's pumpers, 6's tankers, 7's tankers (we are not so consistent here though), 8's quints, trucks and sticks, 9's rescues. On the radio we are suppose to identify the type "pumper 234" for example. For officers we add two digits starting with 0; 2301 is our first assistant, 2302 second assistant, . . . down to 2308 second lieutenant. Chiefs are called cars - "Car 23" the only time it makes any sense to me is when it is abbreviated - "C23". Now if you want the fire house on the radio you would call for "Lima Base" or the IC "Lima Command".

Ambulances are a little more complicated, well maybe not complicated just arbitrary they are all in the 800's with ours being 825 and 826. The counties ALS units are in the 70's.

The county north of us has some complicated system that hopefully makes sense for them, they have even given use numbers for when we mutual aid, not they we use them. The county to the east has a similar system to ours.

Hopefully this has been clearer than mud!
Barry 2307