Fire service historian and author
Roger Mardon
www.romar.org.uk
© Copyright Roger Mardon
www.romar.org.uk
All rights reserved
Many enthusiasts and professional firefighters adhere to the view that Britain's firefighting vehicles are properly called fire appliances. They may be right but, in common with many people I know who build them and most members of the public, I believe fire engines is a perfectly acceptable term. Indeed, 'engins' for the extinguishing of fires were built long before the first 'appliance' rolled off the production line. In America an engine is a pump or pumper but in the UK a fire engine is a generic term for any emergency vehicle operated by the fire service.
For many years the British fire service used standard terminology and abbreviations to identify appliances. Now some brigades seem in competition to find the longest name to denote appliances with similar capabilities. For example, a water tender ladder with rescue equipment can be a rescue water tender ladder (R/WrL), a water tender ladder rescue (WrL/R), a water tender ladder/emergency tender (WrL/ET), or a even fire and rescue tender (FRT), according to where you are. By the way, an FRT is not the same thing as an FRU which is a London Fire Brigade fire rescue unit, called a rescue tender just about everywhere else. Confusing, isn't it?
I will try and guide you through the maze.
After World War 2 the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council's Joint Committee on
Design and Development of Appliances and Equipment issued specifications for different
types of fire appliance -
The following list indicates the main features of each type of appliance now or previously in use, drawing on the JCDD specifications as appropriate. There will still be local variations but anything I have omitted can probably be worked out with a little imagination.
You will see that some of the vehicles we call fire engines are not used for fighting fires at all. This is because the fire service has long been equipped, and therefore recognised, as the main rescue service, even though it was not until 2004 that Parliament imposed a statutory duty on the service to respond to such things as road accidents. And unless you live in Cleveland or London you now have a fire and rescue service not a fire brigade.
Preparation of the list is not an exact science and all additions will be welcome.
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Appliance Type |
Abbreviation |
Description |
Accident rescue unit/vehicle
|
ARU, ARV |
Vehicle equipped for rescuing people trapped in road traffic accidents. |
Aerial appliance |
|
Generic term for any appliance such as a turntable ladder, hydraulic platform or aerial ladder platform. |
Aerial ladder |
|
American term for a turntable ladder. |
Aerial ladder platform |
ALP |
Appliance with extending booms and ladder running alongside, with a rescue cage at the head, such as a Bronto Skylift. |
Aerial rescue pump |
ARP |
A pumping appliance fitted with an aerial platform such as the Magirus Multistar or Vema. The modern equivalent of the pump hydraulic platform. |
Airport rescue and firefighting vehicle |
ARFFV |
Modern term originating in America for an airport crash tender. |
All- |
ATV |
A light multi- |
Ambulance |
Amb |
|
Animal rescue unit |
ARU |
Appliance, usually 4- |
Auxiliary towing vehicle |
ATV |
AFS/NFS appliance introduced in 1941 to tow trailer pumps. There is no evidence to suggest this was known as the ATV until after the war. |
Bikini unit |
E/TWU |
Popular name for the AFS transportable water unit. |
Breakdown lorry |
BL |
Recovery vehicle sometimes equipped with heavy rescue equipment for emergency response. |
Breathing apparatus control van |
BACV |
Vehicle with equipment to provide BA control. |
Breathing apparatus support unit/vehicle |
BASU, BASV |
Vehicle carrying spare BA cylinders and equipped to clean and recharge BA sets at the scene of an incident. |
Breathing apparatus tender |
BAT |
Same as a breathing apparatus support unit. The first pumps in London to carry BA were called BA tenders. |
Bridging parts carrier |
E/BrC |
AFS appliance carrying 6- |
Bulk foam carrier/unit |
BFC, BFU |
Longer name for a foam carrier. |
Bulk water carrier |
BWrC, BWC |
Longer name for a water carrier. |
Canteen van |
CaV |
Vehicle equipped to provide hot food and drink to crews at protracted incidents. |
Chemical incident unit |
CIU |
Appliance equipped for dealing with chemical spillages etc. |
Cliff rescue unit |
CRU |
See also line rescue unit and rope rescue rescue unit. |
Combined aerial rescue pump |
CARP |
Four word name for an aerial rescue pump. |
Combined ladder platform |
CLP |
Another name for an aerial ladder platform. |
Command car |
E/CmdCar |
AFS light 4- |
Command support unit/vehicle |
CSU, CSV |
Usually a smaller version of a command unit, often providing the initial command and control facility at an escalating incident. |
Command unit |
CU |
Another name for a control unit. |
Communication unit (stores and service van) |
E/CommsS |
AFS vehicle fitted to maintain and carry spare parts for radio equipment. |
Communications unit layer (line layer) |
E/CommsL |
AFS 2- |
Compact water tender ladder |
C/WrL |
A smaller than standard water tender ladder. At least one brigade has/had two sizes of vehicle with an identical equipment inventory. |
Control unit |
CU |
Mobile HQ and communications centre for the officer in charge of a large fire or incident. |
Control unit |
E/CU |
AFS control unit. |
Crash tender |
CrT |
Appliance specially equipped to deal with aircraft crashes and fires in aircraft. |
Dam lorry |
|
Improvised wartime appliance comprising a lorry carrying a water container (dam) generally of 500 or 1,000 gallons. See also mobile dam unit. |
Damage control unit |
DCU |
Another name for a salvage tender. |
Damage limitation unit |
DLU |
Another name for a salvage tender. |
Decontamination unit |
DCU, DecU, DeconU |
Appliance equipped to decontaminate personnel engaged in chemical incidents. |
Deluge set trailer |
DST |
Applicable to Scotland. |
Detection, identification and monitoring unit |
DIM |
New Dimension appliance equipped to detect, identify and monitor hazardous materials at an incident. |
Disrobe module |
MDD |
A New Dimension appliance with equipment to replenish incident response units. |
Driver training vehicle/lorry |
DTV, DTL |
|
Dual purpose appliance |
DP |
Appliance equipped to run as a pump escape or a pump, or as a pump ladder or a pump. |
Emergency catering unit |
ECU |
Long name for a canteen van. |
Emergency pump |
E/P |
AFS rear- |
Emergency rescue tender |
ERT |
Long name for an emergency tender. |
Emergency salvage tender |
EST |
Appliance combining the functions of an emergency tender and a salvage tender. |
Emergency tender |
ET |
Appliance carrying special firefighting, rescue and other equipment not available
on a standard fire engine. Would have carried breathing apparatus before this was
available on pumping appliances. Type- |
Enhanced command support vehicle |
ECSV |
New Dimension appliance for command and control. |
Escape |
|
Extending ladder mounted on a wheeled carriage, originally hand- |
Escape carrying unit |
ECU |
Wartime appliance equipped with 130- |
Escape tender |
|
Pre- |
Escape van |
|
Obsolete appliance with no pump carrying a wheeled escape, sometimes used synonymously with escape tender. |
Exhibition unit |
ExU |
Vehicle used for staging fire safety and recruiting exhibitions. |
Extra heavy unit |
EHU |
Wartime pumping appliance with 6- |
Fire and rescue tender |
FRT |
Another term for a rescue pump used by Dumfries & Galloway Fire & Rescue Service. |
Fire float |
|
Obsolete term for a boat or barge equipped for firefighting, not usually self- |
Fire fogging unit |
FFU |
Light 4- |
Fire investigation unit |
FIU |
Vehicle with technical and administrative facilities for investigating the cause of a fire. |
Fire rescue unit |
FRU |
London FB term for a rescue tender. |
Fireboat |
FBt |
Self- |
First strike appliance |
|
Light appliance with hose- |
First- |
|
Obsolete appliance with basic firefighting tools and possibly a hose- |
Foam carrier |
FoC |
Tanker or vehicle carrying large quantity of foam compound in containers. |
Foam salvage tender |
FST |
Appliance combining the functions of a foam tender and a salvage tender. |
Foam tender |
FoT, FT |
Appliance carrying foam and foam- |
Foam tender |
E/FoamT |
AFS general purpose lorry adapted to carry 100 5- |
Foam trailer |
FoTr, FTr |
Trailer carrying foam and foam- |
Food & drinking water carrier |
E/FoodC |
AFS general purpose lorry fitted to carry portable cooking equipment and food and water for mobile fire columns. |
Forced entry and lighting unit |
FEL |
A London appliance of the 1970s. |
Fork- |
FLT |
Vehicle used for loading and unloading containerised or palletised equipment from
e.g. operational support units and incident response units. Carried piggy- |
Forward control unit |
FCU |
A light vehicle that can be used as a control point closer to an incident than would be practical with a main control or command unit, similar to a command support unit. |
General purpose lorry |
E/GP |
AFS dropside lorry with canvas tilt for carrying general loads. |
General purpose lorry/vehicle/van |
GPL, GPV |
|
Green Goddess |
E/P |
Popular name for the AFS emergency pump. |
Hazardous materials unit |
HazMat, HMU |
Appliance equipped for dealing with hazardous materials similar to a chemical incident unit. |
Heavy demountable chassis |
HDC |
London Fire Brigade term for a large prime mover. |
Heavy rescue tender/vehicle |
HRT, HRV |
Term used by some brigades for a large rescue tender with extensive range of equipment. |
Heavy unit |
HU |
Wartime pumping appliance with 4- |
Height vehicle |
|
Term used by Kent Fire & Rescue Service for an aerial appliance. |
Hi- |
|
Appliance designed to generate and deliver high expansion foam. |
High volume pumping unit |
HVPU |
New Dimension appliance with demountable pump and hose laying facility. |
Hose carrier |
HoC, HC |
Appliance whose principal purpose is to carry hose. |
Hose foam tender |
HFoT, HFT |
Appliance combining the functions of a hose layer or carrier and a foam tender. |
Hose layer |
E/HL |
AFS hose layer. |
Hose layer, hose laying lorry |
HL, HLL |
Appliance designed to pay out hose as it travels. |
Hose- |
|
Same as escape tender. |
Hose- |
HRT |
Largely obsolete appliance with water tank and hose- |
Hydraulic platform |
HP |
Aerial appliance with two hinged booms, and sometimes a third fly boom, with a cage at the head mounted on a turntable and typically extending to a maximum working height of between 65 and 90 feet. Popularly called a 'Snorkel' after the original platform by Simon Engineering. |
Hydraulic platform pump |
HPP |
A hydraulic platform with a pump to provide water for the monitor (water cannon) mounted on the cage. Not the same as a pump hydraulic platform. |
Incident command and control unit |
ICCU |
Long name for a control unit. |
Incident command unit |
ICU |
Another name for a control unit. |
Incident response unit |
IRU |
New Dimension appliance with decontamination equipment for use at chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents. It's a big decontamination unit. |
Incident support unit |
ISU |
Appliance carrying special firefighting and other equipment not available on a standard fire engine. See also operational support unit. |
Inflatable rescue boat |
IRBt |
Carried on some rescue tenders or towed on a trailer. |
Light 2- |
L2T |
Similar to a hose- |
Light 2- |
L2P |
Similar to a first strike appliance. |
Light 4- |
L4R |
Light rescue tender with off- |
Light 4- |
L4V |
Vehicle with off- |
Light 4- |
L4T |
Similar to a hose- |
Light 4- |
L4P |
Light pump with off- |
Light 6- |
L6R |
Light rescue tender with off- |
Light 6- |
L6T |
Similar to a hose- |
Light 6- |
L6P |
Light pump with off- |
Light demountable chassis |
LDC |
London Fire Brigade term for a light prime mover. |
Light fire appliance |
LFA |
Light van- |
Light portable pump |
LPP |
A pump carried on a water tender or other appliance that can be used away from the vehicle. |
Light portable pump carrier |
E/LPPCr |
AFS general purpose lorry adapted to carry six E/LPPs and associated equipment. |
Light rescue tender |
LRT |
Light vehicle equipped for rescuing people trapped in precarious situations such as road traffic accidents. |
Light strike appliance |
|
Term used by Guernsey Fire Brigade for a first strike appliance. |
Light water tender |
LWrT |
Usually a water tender with less than a 400- |
Lighting unit |
LU |
Appliance equipped to provide lighting at the scene of an incident. |
Lighting unit trailer |
LUTr |
Trailer equipped to provide lighting at the scene of an incident. |
Lightweight portable pump |
E/LPP |
Specially designed light portable pump for the AFS emergency pump (Green Goddess). |
Line rescue unit |
LiRU |
See also rope rescue unit and cliff rescue unit. |
Maintenance vehicle |
E/MV |
AFS general purpose lorry fitted and equipped as a service vehicle to maintain appliances in a mobile fire column. |
Major pump |
MP |
Term once used in some brigades for a pump that was bigger than the 400/500gpm appliance provided for in the JCDD specification. |
Major rescue tender |
MRT |
Same as a heavy rescue tender. |
Manual pump |
|
Obsolete reciprocating pump operated by working levers up and down by hand. Came
in various sizes and the larger ones were horse- |
Mass decontamination unit |
|
Generic term for the New Dimension disrobe and re- |
Medium demountable chassis |
MDC |
London Fire Brigade term for a medium prime mover. |
Mobile dam unit |
MDU |
Dam lorry either towing or carrying a pump. The forerunner of the modern water tender. |
Mobile display unit |
MDU |
Same as an exhibition unit. |
Mobile kitchen |
E/KT |
AFS vehicle equipped to provide and serve hot meals for 300 personnel. |
Mobile workshop |
MW, MWS |
Vehicle equipped to repair appliances on station or even on the fireground. |
Motor pump |
MP |
Term used for early petrol- |
Motor tender |
MT |
Obsolete term for a vehicle carrying basic firefighting tools and often used as a towing vehicle for trailer pumps. |
Motor- |
Mc |
|
Motor- |
E/Mc |
AFS solo motorcycle used to assist in the control of mobile fire columns and for dispatch riding. |
Motor- |
MComb |
Motor- |
Multi- |
MRV |
Appliance able to load containerised or palletised equipment according to need. |
Operational support unit Operations support unit |
OSU |
Appliance carrying special firefighting and other equipment, often containerised or palletised, not available on a standard fire engine. See also incident support unit. |
Personnel carrying vehicle |
PCV |
Personnel carrier, i.e. a vehicle used for transporting personnel between locations, usually a minibus. |
Personnel carrying vehicle |
E/PCV |
AFS general purpose lorry fitted with removeable bench seating for 28 personnel in the back. |
Petrol carrier |
PetC |
Vehicle carrying petrol to refuel appliances on the fireground. Modern appliances
are diesel- |
Petrol carrier |
E/PetrolC |
AFS general purpose lorry adapted to carry 144 20- |
Pipe carrier |
E/PipeC |
AFS lorry designed to carry 1/3 mile of 6- |
Portable pump |
PP |
Applicable to Scotland. |
Prime mover |
PM |
A vehicle fitted with a system to load and transport different specialised bodies or pods according to need. |
Pump |
P |
A fire engine with a built- |
Pump escape |
PE |
A pump carrying a wheeled escape ladder usually extending to 50 feet. Replaced by the pump ladder/water tender ladder and no longer in use. |
Pump escape with breathing apparatus |
PE(BA) |
Once applicable to Scotland. |
Pump foam tender |
PFT |
A foam tender with a built- |
Pump hydraulic platform |
PHP |
A pump fitted with a 50 foot (usually) hydraulic platform conceived in 1962 to combine the roles of a pumping appliance and small aerial appliance. Not the same as a hydraulic platform pump. |
Pump ladder |
PL |
A pump carrying the 3- |
Pump ladder rescue/rescue pump ladder |
PRL, RPL |
A pump ladder equipped with accident rescue equipment. |
Pump salvage tender |
PST |
A salvage tender with a built- |
Pump water tender |
PWT |
An out- |
Pump with breathing apparatus |
P(BA) |
Applicable to Scotland. |
Pumping appliance |
|
Generic term for any appliance with a built- |
Quad |
|
An American term to denote a triple combination pumper (pump, hose and water tank) also carrying ground ladders. Included to compare with quint which is included as a British appliance. See also triple.
|
Quint |
|
An American term to denote a quad (see above) fitted with an aerial device such as
a mid- |
Radio repeater unit |
E/Rep Stn |
AFS light 4- |
Rail support unit |
RSU |
Road vehicle able to travel on railway lines, e.g. as used by Avon FRS for use in the Avon Tunnel. |
Ramps, dams and hose carrier |
E/Ramps, Dams & Hose C |
AFS general purpose lorry adapted to carry portable water reservoirs (dams), hose and hose ramps. |
Rapid intervention vehicle |
RIV |
A fast vehicle which is lighter than a full- |
Re- |
MDR |
A New Dimension appliance with equipment to replenish incident response units. |
Reconnaisance car |
E/RecceC |
AFS command car when used for reconnaissance purposes. |
Recovery vehicle |
RV, RcyV |
Breakdown lorry used for towing disabled appliances. |
Recovery vehicle |
E/RcyV |
AFS breakdown lorry with crane. |
Regional towing vehicle |
RTV |
The name said to be given to some wartime towing vehicles. |
Rescue pump |
RP |
A pump equipped with accident rescue equipment. |
Rescue pump ladder |
RPL |
A pump ladder with accident rescue equipment. |
Rescue pump platform |
RPP |
A rescue pump with an HVG road traffic accident rescue platform instead of a 13.5m ladder. |
Rescue support vehicle |
RSV |
Another name for a rescue tender. |
Rescue tender |
RT |
An appliance with special equipment for rescuing people trapped in precarious situations, such as road and industrial accidents. Many are also equipped for effecting water rescues. |
Road accident vehicle |
RAV |
Another name for an accident rescue unit. |
Road rescue unit/vehicle |
RRU, RRV |
Another name for an accident rescue unit. |
Rope rescue unit |
RRU |
See also line rescue unit and cliff rescue unit. |
Salvage tender |
ST |
Appliance carrying a range of equipment to minimise the effect of water, smoke and fire damage and to rescue goods from a fire. |
Salvage trailer |
STr |
Trailer carrying equipment to minimise the effect of water, smoke and fire damage and to rescue goods from a fire. |
Salvage trap |
|
Horse- |
Scientific support unit |
SSU |
Vehicle operated by London FB with a similar function to a DIM unit. |
Scoosher |
|
Appliance developed by Glasgow Fire Brigade in the late 1960s comprising a pumping
appliance fitted with two articulated booms on top of the body. At their head was
a water monitor, a window- |
Self- |
SPP |
Obsolete term for a motorised pumping appliance. The AFS emergency pump or "Green
Goddess" was described as a self- |
Service vehicle/van |
SV |
Vehicle less comprehensively equipped than a mobile workshop to service appliances on station. |
Simonitor |
|
Trade name for a single telescopic boom with a maximum working height of 50 feet (15 metres) and monitor at the head that could be installed on top of an appliance body. Manufactured by Simon Engineering. Simonitors were fitted to some pumps and a few foam tenders. |
Small fires unit |
SFU |
Light van- |
Snorkel |
|
Trade name for Simon Engineering hydraulic platform. |
Snozzle |
|
Trade name for a two- |
Spare clothing carrier |
E/Spare Clothing |
AFS general purpose lorry adapted to carry spare clothing for personnel in a mobile fire column. |
Special appliance |
|
Any appliance that is not a pumping appliance. |
Special equipment unit |
SEU |
Term used by Hampshire FRS for an incident/operational support unit. |
Staff car |
Car, S/Car |
|
Steam pump |
|
19th century pump operated by steam power produced by an on- |
Tactical response vehicle Targeted response vehicle |
TRV |
Light appliance, often van- |
Towing vehicle |
TV |
Vehicle used to tow a trailer pump or other equipment. |
Trailer pump |
TrP |
Pump designed to be towed behind a motor vehicle and best known for its widespread use in World War 2. |
Trailer pump, large |
|
World War 2 trailer pump with output between about 430 and 500gpm (1,955 and 2,270 l/min). |
Trailer pump, light |
|
World War 2 trailer pump with output between about 140 and 175gpm (635 and 795 l/min). |
Trailer pump, medium |
|
World War 2 trailer pump with output between about 230 and 320gpm (1,045 and 1,455 l/min). |
Transportable water unit |
E/TWU |
AFS vehicle carrying three inflatable rafts and nine light portable pumps developed as a means of pumping large quantities of water from places inaccessible to standard appliances. Popularly known as the Bikini unit. |
Triple Triple combination pumper |
|
An American term to denote an appliance with pump, hose and water tank. Included to compare with quint which is included as a British appliance. See also quad. |
Turntable ladder |
TL, (TTL obsolete) |
Aerial appliance comprising a self- |
Turntable ladder pump |
TLP |
Turntable ladder with a pump to provide water for the monitor (water cannon) mounted at the head. |
Turntable ladder, 60 foot |
TL(60) |
A hand- |
Urban search and rescue unit |
USAR |
A set of New Dimension appliances equipped to deal with major structural collapse
and transport- |
Utility vehicle/van |
UV |
Small general purpose vehicle. |
Water carrier |
WrC |
Tanker carrying large quantity of water. |
Water incident unit |
WIU |
Appliance equipped for effecting rescues from water. |
Water management unit |
WMU |
Kent FRS appliance able to operate as a hose layer with hydraulic hose retrieval system, carrying dams and ground monitors. |
Water rescue unit |
WRU |
Appliance equipped for effecting rescues from water. |
Water safety unit |
WSU |
Appliance equipped for effecting rescues from water and ensuring safety of personnel engaged in activities close to water. |
Water tender |
WrT |
Pumping appliance with a water tank of at least 400 gallons (1,818 litres) and built- |
Water tender escape |
WrE |
A water tender carrying a wheeled escape ladder usually extending to 50 feet. Replaced by the water tender ladder and no longer in use. |
Water tender hydraulic platform |
WrHP |
A popular designation for a pump hydraulic platform but incorrect as no WrHP was
fitted with the minimum 400- |
Water tender ladder |
WrL |
Water tender carrying the 3- |
Water tender ladder rescue/rescue water tender ladder |
WrL/R, R/WrL |
Water tender ladder equipped with accident rescue equipment. |
Water tender Type A |
WrT(A) |
Early post- |
Water tender Type B |
WrT(B) |
Post- |
Water tender/ladder |
WrT/L |
Term used in some fleet lists to indicate a water tender that can carry either a
35- |
Wireless car |
W/Car |
Car fitted with radio primarily for use by officers. |
Wireless van/vehicle |
WV |
Van or other vehicle fitted with radio, originating before the fitting of radios to fire vehicles was standard when a wireless van accompanied appliances to an incident. |