Prince William County VA

[jshippey]

I would have to say that standardization is a good way to go. We are still struggling with it in Frederick County, Maryland right now. We started with Seagrave apparatus in the early 90's and then moved to KME., never had any big orders, just a few units here and there. When more and more companies began requesting apparatus, Frederick County began ordering Pierce apparatus, which remains our current provider of fire apparatus. We have attempted to at least standardize the pump and tank sizes in addition to ladders, hose beds etc. As far as body configurations, that is based on the units assignment, either as a rescue-engine or an engine/engine-tanker.

We have Dash, Velocity and Arrow XT chassis, and a few commerical chassis for our tankers. The amount and type of equipment carried is determined by the counties Apparatus Standards Committee and the documentation they provide. We have engine companies that do not carry ventilation fans, saws, etc relying solely on the support of special services. However, there are engine companies in outlying areas that carry more than required to enable them to act independently.