Whenever there is a fire accident reported anywhere, be it a building, an office, a factory or a restaurant, a fire tender is called immediately. If you’re taking any fire and safety courses or pursuing any diploma course like an advanced diploma in industrial safety, then learning about fire fighting vehicles is very important for you. In this post, we will discuss everything about fire tenders, from their types to their uses. Keep reading on!
What Is a Fire Tender?
A fire tender is a collective term used for fire extinguishing vehicles like fire trucks, and fire engines. These are large red vehicles equipped with blazing sirens, huge lights, and multiple fire extinguishing equipment. What started off as a simple water pump placed on wheels has now transformed into a full-fledged fire fighting vehicle carrying all the essential supplies like power tools, ladders, water tank, and rescue gear as it moves from the fire station to the fire accident spot.
It is basically a unit of apparatus that is used by any fire protection service to transport extinguishing agents, equipment, and men to the fire scene.
Types of Fire Tenders
Fire tenders are divided into three categories viz. Basic, Special, and Auxiliary.
Basic
First, the Basic fire tenders include pumpers, tank trucks, pumping engines, motor fire engines, chemical fire engines, airport fire trucks, etc. These engines use water, gas, aerated foam, and other fire extinguishing powders. The main function of these fire fighting vehicles is to transfer fire extinguishers to the fire scene.
Further, a tank truck is the most common basic fire tender. It brings equipment, men, and an uninterrupted supply of fire extinguishing agents to the scene of a fire. It also delivers aerated foam, and water, or simply transports water in areas with no water facility.
Other information on tank trucks :
- There are 3 to 7 firemen in the crew of a tank truck.
- Water and gas carrying fire tenders are usually paired with turbojet units for extinguishing fires at critical areas like gas wells, and petrol pumps.
- Aerated foam fire tenders use foam in the fire centre when petroleum products catch fire in storage areas or refineries.
Special Fire Tenders
These include vehicles equipped with hose, ladder and technical staff. These vehicles transport firemen and the necessary equipment to eliminate smoke from a place, say the building of a factory. Further, they also carry useful equipment for tearing or breaking down buildings, making holes in the roofs or walls, and removing the injured people, if any.
Hose cars are a type of fire vehicle that works in conjunction with pumping engines and are used to transport pressure hoses in case of large fires. Their functions include carrying the hoses, laying them down, and reloading them after the job is done.
Auxiliary Fire Tenders
These are used for large scale fires. They are also used for education purposes. Fuel tankers and buses are good examples of this category.
That’s it!!
This was all about fire tenders or fire fighting vehicles. We hope it helps you in understanding the basic requirements for extinguishing the fire. If you want to learn more about fire and safety, then check out our Fire and Safety courses in Kolhapur. We offer the best Fire and Safety Courses and an Advanced Diploma in Industrial Safety that can help you in Increasing your knowledge and land better job opportunities in the field of fire and safety.