I thought I asked this before but here in Delaware we just have plain old boring engines, rescues and ladders. I see apparatus called pipelines and squads. Now Pipelines look like engines but squads are everything from engines to rescues to mini pumpers and even ambulance like box trucks.

 

So my question is; what is a pipeline and a squad

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WestPhilly can do a better job on describing a Pipeline company, but in Philadelphia, Pipelines are specialized engine companies that carry more LDH supply line than their regular engines.

Squad terminology is confusing. A squad can be a rescue pumper, a light-duty rescue, a heavy-duty rescue, a service company, or in New Orleans, a "Flying Squad" that is essentially a manpower unit. Some places call ambulances a "squad", a "rescue", or a "bus". This one is situational, depending upon where you're sitting at the moment.
What makes a Wagon?
I like this Craig - a way to talk about all the different ways vehicles can be named. Non right, non wrong, just different!

Pipeline? A big heavy pipe that is used to pass water or gas from one part of the country to another?

Squad? Doesn't exist here. Not in the fire service, not in the military.

There you are, do my answers work OK?

Here a truck with ladders, water, a pump, hoses and people to use them is a 'Pumper'. Unless the same vehicle happens to be 4WD then it's usually a 'Tanker'. An Aerial is just that - perhaps split into either a Tele-boom' or a 'Hydraulic Platform'.

An ambulance is just that, an Ambulance - and used by a separate service.
I do know that CFA does have a couple of hose lay trucks and are called just that Hose Lays. So i would assume they are similar to a pipeline and just are full of hoses. Apparently they have enough hose to pipe water from near by suburbs to supply mulitple Aerial appliances when the mains cant keep up. They spit hard suction hose out the back with crews following connecting it all up. Also carry all other hoses that we use. They look the same as a heavy rescue.
In Virginia a Wagon is the First Due engine (in a 2 engine firehouse) and
Engine(s) are 2nd,3rd due etc. In florida i think I have successfully squashed the term "articulating platform" by making sure the truck actually has
"tower ladder" or "truck" painted on it. i have decided i can live with a ladder truck being painted with the words-"ladder truck" but i'm old school and love the term "hook and ladder" because i love it when people ask, "Where's the hook"? or "how big is your hook on the hook and ladder truck" St. Petersburg Fl had generator trucks they used to call "power" companies. Tampa, Fl had a couple of PPV trucks labeled "vent"
In DC, our engines are called wagons. The driver/technician spot is called the wagon driver. Our pieces are still identified as Engine 1, Engine 2, etc and are still dispatched like that. So that's the unit. It's just more of a traditional term we use when talking about the actual piece itself and not identifying the piece and the crew together for an incident. Not sure if I'm saying that right. Wagon goes back to when we had two piece engines with the wagon and the pumper.

Our squads are called Rescue Squads. They are heavy duty rescues in the city. Some people refer to them as Rescues and some Squads.
A squad for us is a unit that does no transport with patients but runs back to back with a rescue or an ambulance. Most generally squads have water capability on them but not all, and have some but not all rescue equipment with some patient care equipment. Its a multiuse piece of apparatus that can multi task and run second out next to a rescue or ambulance.
If I can kidnap this thread a bit ,I'm up north of y'all and have heard that I believe FDNY has a monitor mounted on a trucK (BIG MOE? ) and some associated trucks with it , can someone enlighten me about those trucks.
For WNY it a rescue pumper. Ours have a 1750 gpm pump, and 750 tank. With enough rescue space to go to a multiple MVA.
Just PLain Bro Craig --

In the days before the introduction of Large Diameter Hose, in most cities and suburbs, an Engine Company consisted of two piece, both of which were pumpers. The wagon (or the attack piece) was the engine which laid into the scene and fought the fire. The 2nd piece, the pump, was positioned at the hydrant and the operator would pick up the line laid by the wagon, attach it to the discharge on his rig, so pressure on the supply line could be increased.

Depending on the size of the fire, the pump operator would often be instructed to nconduct a reverse lay from the fire, then pump several 2 and a half inch supply lines. Of course, we now know that it would take 8 or so deuce and a half inch lines to move the same water as a single 5" supply line does today.

Going back a little further -- the 2 piece engine company consisted of a hose wagon, which had no pump at all, which was followed by the steam operated pumper. Some cities like Los Angeles City Fire Department still have a few 2-piece engine companies in service, referring to the company units as a wagon and pump.

The City of Wilmington used that concept until the early 1970's (when the department began to use 3" supply line) and even volunteer companies like Mill Creek continued to use it until they converted to Rescue-Engines and Quints in the 90's.

An interesting note; during the early day of promoting 5-inch hose sales, Angus and others made the claim that they could extinguish fires with fewer firefighters because the 2nd piece of the engine company could be abandoned. Didn't go well with the front line guys, so the pitch changed to "5-inch supply line increases the effectiveness of engine companies."

Squad has various meanings around the country, but the best way to explain an FDNY Squad Company is that the officer and firefighters remain versatile being used for support operations or actual extinguishment. In St. Louis, the department's 2 squads are Heavy Rescues, but it is not unusual for squad crews to relieve the first in quint company of their attack line -- whether they want to be relieved or not:)

Lou
Along time ago in the DC metro area a wagon was the first unit of a two piece engine company. The Hose wagon would go to the fire and the second unit or Engine would go to the water supply. The Engine would pump to the wagon. But there are so many terms for different units. Here in South Fla a rescue is a paramedic ambulance but in FDNY it's a special unit created mainly to rescue fireman first and civilians second. So go figure. It might be better to be boring and just have engines,ladders,Rescues and ambulances.
Are you talking about the super pumper system? Don't know what big moe is

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