Fire Engines | Ladder Trucks | Medic & Aid Units
Technical Teams | Showcase
Fire Engines vs. Ladder Trucks
it comes to fire suppression, the Seattle Fire Department primarily
utilizes two types of fire fighting apparatus, engines and ladders.
Both of these vehicles are referred to as a "Company".
In the case of ladder trucks, the terms "Ladder Company"
and "Truck Company" are both used to refer to a ladder
truck, while the term "Engine Company" refers only to a
The major distinction between an Engine and a Ladder company is:
- Engines primarily carry water, hose and a pump.
- Ladders primarily carry ladders and a large assortment of tools used for
ventilation, rescue, forcible entry, thermal imaging and salvage
among other uses.
- Seattle Ladder Companies do not carry any hose or water. All water
at a fire is supplied by the Engine Companies that respond to the
- All Seattle Ladder Companies are equipped with a 100 foot aerial
ladder and several ground ladders while Engine Companies are
equipped with only a few ground ladders.
While Engine and Ladder companies perform very different firefighting
tasks, they do have some commonality:
- Both are equipped with heart defibrillators and respond to emergency
medical incidents since Seattle Firefighters are trained as
Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT's).
- Each Engine and Ladder company has a Driver and a Company Officer
assigned to it.
- An additional 1 to 3 firefighters are assigned to each company.
Together, the Officer, Driver and firefighters comprise the
"crew" of that particular company.
Aid Units vs. Medic Units
Aid and Medic Units in
the Seattle Fire Department look almost exactly the same and while
their primary function is to respond to emergency 911 incidents,
there are differences in the type of medical care each can deliver at
the scene of a medical emergency.
From the outside, the
only major distinction between them is the unit's number which
appears on the front, back and sides of the vehicle. For
example an Aid Unit will have a number such as "A5" or
"A2" displayed while a Medic Unit displays a number such
as "M1" or "M10". Another distinction,
although much more subtle, is the color of the crew's uniform.
Aid Unit personnel wear dark blue shirts while Medic One personnel
wear white shirts.
Similarities between an Aid Unit and a Medic Unit are:
- Both respond to 911 medical and fire incidents.
- Both are equipped with heart monitors and defibrillators.
- Both respond with a minimum crew of two personnel.
- Both can transport patients to area
hospitals but if the patient does not have a medical emergency
situation they are most likely transported by private ambulance.
This allows Aid and Medic Units to remain available and in-service
for the next incident.
Major differences between Medic and Aid Units are:
- Aid Units are staffed with two Firefighters trained as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT).
- Medic Units are staffed with two Firefighter/Paramedics.
- Aid Units deliver Basic Life Support
(BLS) services. Personnel are not allowed to administer drug
therapies nor do they carry drugs onboard. Care is limited
to a level within the requirements and restrictions of the EMT
training personnel have received.
- Medic Unit personnel perform
Advanced Life Support (ALS) services. Paramedics are
trained, for example, to start drug therapies on-scene and perform
intubation (airway) therapies.
- Medic Units are equipped with radios
that allow Paramedics to speak directly to emergency room doctors.
This allows doctors to begin patient care through the skill of the
Paramedics before the patient arrives at the hospital.
December 21, 2009