The first fire trucks in Russia appeared in 1904. At that time it was a fairly simple and reliable means. They had simple equipment and could carry up to 10 people. But progress does not stand still. The installed equipment was modernized, as well as the equipment itself. It has become more capacious, efficient and reliable. Let's look at the main fire engines, their features and key differences.
Some general information
Fire fighting equipment is a means to extinguish a fire using special equipment. The first cars of this type had the simplest equipment and pumps, and on some models the latter were completely absent. The water pressure in this case was provided using a hydrant. However, it was not always available, which caused serious problems. Currently, the main fire trucks are equipped with sophisticated equipment that allows you to control the intensity of the water supply and special extinguishing media, security systems and much more.
I would also like to note that there are fire engines for general and special purposes. The former are used to deliver personnel to the scene of the accident, transport fire extinguishing equipment and supply them to the fire source. These are the cars we most often see on the streets of the city. Specials are much less common, and a little later we will figure out why.
Car color
All of us have long been accustomed to the fact that fire engines are painted red with white stripes. This is due to the increased danger of technology, which has a large number of retractable elements that can harm human health. Yes, and GOST provides for just such a palette, since it catches the eye from afar. The undercarriage of a car is usually painted black. In addition, there are special requirements that prohibit the placement on the body of various stickers and inscriptions, other than those provided by the manufacturer.
The chassis was based on heavy domestic equipment such as the Urals, KamAZ, ZIL and KrAZ. This decision is fully justified, because a passable and reliable chassis in this matter is more important than comfortable. Well, now let's go further and consider in more detail these types of cars :
- tankers (AC);
- pump and hose (AHR);
- first aid (APP);
- with high pressure pump (AED).
About fire tankers
Fire tankers are very widespread. They are used not only for the delivery of fire extinguishing agents to their destination, but also for the transportation of combat crews. Fire extinguishing is carried out with water or foam. Accordingly, in the latter case, there is such equipment as a foaming agent. There are also fire pumps, modifications of which may differ, and highways through which water or foam passes.
Tankers are the main fire engines of general use, which almost always have the same equipment, but the characteristics of the equipment can vary significantly. For example, a tanker truck can be light, medium or heavy, depending on the capacity of the tank. Accordingly, the pump performance varies over a wide range. This also applies to other equipment. The tank for transporting fire extinguishing agents is most often made of high-strength carbon steel or fiberglass, which in the absence of mechanical damage lasts quite a long time.
Pump and hose fire truck
The key difference between this type of equipment and the tank truck is that there is no water tank. This type of equipment is intended for transporting crew and combat crew. Such vehicles are often used to transport fire equipment.
In addition to the fact that the pump-hose type of equipment delivers the crew and fire trucks to the source of ignition, it effectively copes with another task. For example, if you want to extinguish a large warehouse, and there is a pond nearby, then sleeves are laid to it, and with the help of a high-pressure pump, water is pumped into a tank truck or fed directly to the source of ignition. The pump-hose fire truck boasts increased cross-country ability, as well as the fact that any water sources, even remote ones, can be used to extinguish a fire. In general, this is a very effective fire engine, which can drive up to inaccessible places where conventional fire fighting equipment cannot reach.
Rapid response fire engine
A first aid car, it is also a quick response, stands out among other fire fighting equipment. This is due to high mobility and small dimensions. This technique is most relevant in megacities, where it is able to quickly pass kilometer traffic jams.
The main and special rapid response fire engines are equipped with a light chassis of small payload capacity. Accordingly, far from always one such calculation is able to cope with a major fire. But often this is not required, since the main objective of such a technique is to provide first aid to the victims and extinguish the fire before help arrives in the form of a heavier and more efficient technique. Options, depending on the destination, can vary significantly, this also applies to the spaciousness of the cabin to accommodate combat crew. The main disadvantage of this technique is its limited cross-country ability. That is why it is perfect for large cities and the least effective in mountainous areas or on rough terrain.
With high pressure pump
If we consider the main firefighting and rescue vehicles, then we can not but mention the technique that is used to extinguish fires in high-rise buildings. A fire engine, which is equipped with a high pressure pump (AED), is able to extinguish fires, the focus of which is at high altitude.
This technique has impressive dimensions and several compartments. One of them is a tank with a fire extinguishing agent, the other is a place for combat crew and additional equipment. Liquid under high pressure is supplied along the highways, quickly reaching the source of ignition. The main disadvantage of this technique is its size, which greatly complicates the approach to the place of ignition.
The main fire engines of the target application
Target application machines are used to extinguish fires in difficult situations, for example, at such facilities:
- Airports
- cultural buildings;
- plants;
- various infrastructure facilities.
At present, 7 categories of target-use machines are distinguished: airfield, powder extinguishing, foam and combined extinguishing, pump station, gas and gas-water extinguishing machines. Let's look at each type of equipment in more detail, because almost all of them differ from each other and are used depending on the current situation.
About aerodrome cars
In the event of a fire on aircraft, such as helicopters and airplanes, a fire engine comes to the call, which is often based near the airfield. A large amount of equipment makes this technique quite heavy, but very functional. An airfield car is great for evacuating people from an aircraft, softening a landing with a layer of foam, etc.
The equipment usually includes circular saws for opening the aircraft, if necessary, foam tanks, a pump compartment and water tanks. In some cases, airfield equipment is equipped with additional fire extinguishing means. Usually at the airport there are several such cars. They must have excellent cross-country ability to operate outside the aerodrome in conditions of complete impassability.
Fire trucks for the petrochemical industry
Foam, powder and gas-water type machines are actively used to combat fires of varying severity in the petrochemical industry. In forestry and gas industry facilities, combined quenching is most often used.
This technique is equipped with containers in which the fire extinguishing agent is stored, transducers, and fire monitors. The staff is located in the cab. All add-ons are installed on a base taken from heavy equipment.
Self-pumping stations are used to combat large-scale fires. Their key feature is that a high-capacity pump feeds water to the fire monitors along the highways. The patency of such equipment is above average, and the pump performance is more than 100 liters per second. This technique is equipped with two engines. One for the chassis, the second for the pump.
To summarize
So we have considered the purpose of the main fire engines. Such a technique should always be in good condition. This applies to the technical part, the proper operation of the highway, pumps and other equipment. There are a lot of types of fire fighting equipment. This is due to the fact that a mobile and light vehicle will not cope with a big fire, and a heavy and dimensional vehicle will not be able to quickly drive through a metropolis in traffic jams.
It is for this reason that the classification of major fire engines is so extensive. When it comes to forest fires, where ground equipment is ineffective, they use special helicopters that have tanks with fire extinguishing equipment on board. To control the situation, light aircraft are used that patrol the territory and transmit data. But even modern technology does not always quickly cope with large-scale fires, especially forest fires, when whole hectares of territory burn out in a matter of hours.