"Nicknames" for Your Apparatus?

So... I'm just curious as to some of the general and more specific names given to apparatus from the US and around the world... for example, our pumper is called an engine (yeah, i know alot of people call it that), airel apparatus around our area are refered to as towers, ladders, airel's, trucks... an ambulance is known as a bus or a rig.

More specifically... we have a huge tanker that we call the whale and our older pumper is known as the "popemobile" due to the very high roof on the crew area.

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Permalink Reply by the Happy Medic on February 24, 2009 at 7:23pm

Medic 99 because we feel ignored and at the end of the earth.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Young on February 24, 2009 at 7:36pm

Quint 3 : Ragin Red
Engine 4 : the Mudcat
Engine 6: Dragon Slayer
Brush 6: Mighty Mud 1

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Permalink Reply by Chris Harris on February 24, 2009 at 7:43pm

251 - Big Red
252 - the Frog
M25 - Smokebuster II

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Permalink Reply by Gordon "Gopher" Runer on February 27, 2009 at 2:55am

Hey we have those same units. lol

Gopher

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Permalink Reply by John Mc. on March 1, 2009 at 3:15pm

Our Rescue engine is a 4wd E-One Cyclone and the truck has about 2 inches of clearance from the roof of the truck to the ceiling. Where it says "Rescue" on the compartment body we wanted to goldleaf "SQUADZILLA" but we figured that would be unprofessional lol

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Permalink Reply by Scott on March 1, 2009 at 3:53pm

We had a 1980 Mack that was referred to as the War Wagon. Old beat up but tuff as nails. It is now long gone, no longer a fire truck. The Chief allowed us to put War Wagon on it. The local highway dept sign shop made reflective sticker for us.
In the same house we had a 1989 Simon/Duplex/LTI 110 ft truck. It was the slowest (amount of calls) rig on the dept as well as how difficult it was to maneuver in the area we covered it got tagged with the moniker USS Never Sail.
At one time we had an ambulance that was so old and in such poor condition (barely passed State inspections) it was called S*&%Box 1. Drove the EMS Chief over the edge when he heard that. It too has gone to the crusher.

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Permalink Reply by Jesse 202 on March 1, 2009 at 4:15pm

Engine 1- Pumper
Tanker 1- Deuce, Deuce 1/2, General
Tanker 2- 5-ton, Sarge
Brush1- Brush Truck
Chief's Car- Crown Slick
Brush 2- Brush Baby
Rescue 1- Bambulance

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Permalink Reply by Paul Dudan on March 4, 2009 at 5:25pm

Within my station on the east end of town, we have the "Beast of the East" for our '72 Pierce International Scout 4x4. We also have the "Broadway Express" for our first due engine, known for being the first apparatus to roll up on scene.

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Permalink Reply by Chris on April 4, 2009 at 12:07am

We have;
Pumper
Rescue Pumper (same as pumper, but in Primary Rescue config.)
Hazmat Pumper (same as pumper, but in Hazmat config.)
Arial Pumper (has a set of ladders)
Ladder Platform (Has ladders and a platform)
Tanker (usally a cat 1 4x4 3000l )
Hazmat Tanker
Heavy Hazmat (Dedicated)
Rescue (dedicated)
Heavy Rescue (dedicated)
BA Hazmat Semi Trailer
Marine 1 (boat)
Fire Air 1 (helicopter)
All Pumpers and Tankers regardless of format are FIRE/RESCUE/HAZMAT capaple.

All appliance call signs are appliance then station number ie. Rescue Pumper 412, Pumper 412 alpha, Pumper 412 bravo etc.
Our station has a Rescue Pumper as the primary responding rescue appliance, a Pumper secondary responding rescue and a 4x4 Cat 1 Tanker. We also own a vintage 1931 Dennis 250 Pumper, which is the only appliance given a nick name "THE ACE"
Cheers guys

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Permalink Reply by Jake Fireman on April 4, 2009 at 12:12am

Some of those are really good. In my vollie department we had this old 1981 White Crown Engine. We called it TATANKA...which I guess means white buffalo...and she was!

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Permalink Reply by jdstamp on April 4, 2009 at 12:59am

We have a brush rig called "Mad Max"

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Permalink Reply by Bryan Kinderknecht on April 4, 2009 at 1:41am

Every year during Fire Prevention Week we let Elementary school children write down names they would like to see on the trucks and draw them from jars, and get decals made. My favorite name this year is on one of our 1500 gal. city pumpers... "Super Soaker"