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made a full recovery. She survived due to a rapid response, in a dependable piece of fire <br />apparatus. <br /> <br />Prior to 1997, the City of Martinsville did not have a formal fire vehicle replacement policy. <br />Instead, fire apparatus was replaced as needed, and averaged a vehicle purchase every five years. <br />This informal approach was questioned with the leadership of City Manager Earl B. Reynolds, <br />Jr. Mr. Reynolds requested that fire administration examine the department's fire apparatus <br />needs and recommend a strategic vehicle replacement policy. <br /> <br />That directive was executed and subsequently recommended the replacement of fire apparatus <br />once the truck reaches an age of 20-25 years. At that time the department had 4 engines and one <br />ladder truck. Today, the department still operates with four engines and one ladder. With 5 <br />pieces of fire apparatus, this equates to an average of purchasing a fire truck every five years in <br />order to maintain a fleet of reliable firefighting vehicles. In conclusion, the 1997 policy <br />affirmed what the department had been doing since 1975, replacing one piece of fire <br />apparatus every five years. <br /> <br />1. Identify the uses of each type of fire apparatus. <br /> <br />Fire pumpers: Pumpers are also known as an "engine". Fire pumpers are trucks that contain a <br />fire pump that is usually rated at 1250, 1500, or 2000 gallons of water per minute. This is the <br />most basic piece of fire apparatus. These trucks carry fire personnel to all types of emergencies. <br />Pumpers respond to brush fires, vehicle fires, structure fires, and general fire alarms. They also <br />carry ground ladders, fire attack lines, water supply hose, fire appliances, breathing apparatus, <br />basic hand tools, and a thermal imaging camera. Today, they house many pieces of specialized <br />medial equipment such as oxygen, a defibrillator, IV fluids, a medication box with over 20 <br />cardiac medications, and specialized airway equipment. <br /> <br />The primary function of a pumper is to provide water for the attack crew who is acting to <br />extinguish the fire. Pumpers have an additional role often, water supply. In these instances, one <br />or more pumpers may connect to a fire hydrant and relay water to the pumper providing fire <br />attack. <br /> <br />Reserve Engine: This is a pumper that is available for response when a primary pumper is in <br />the shop for servicing or when a primary piece of apparatus is out of service. There is no <br />substitute for a fire engine as no other type of municipal equipment can step up to this important <br />role. <br /> <br />Ladder truck: Ladder trucks provide basic functions including rescue, ventilation, access to <br />roofs and elevated locations, and elevated water streams. <br />This type of apparatus is a large fire truck body with a ladder. Typical ladder lengths range from <br />50' to over 100'. Due to the increased size of the truck, maneuverability is sacrificed, especially <br />with larger lengths of the ladder. When maneuverability is of concern, this results in sending <br /> <br />4 <br /> <br /> <br />