Firefighting equipment has improved and evolved in the fifty years since NFIRS was put in place, and NERIS has increased the list of apparatus / unit types according. Firefighting ATVs/UTVs were not a thing back then, and nor were drones/UAVs.
Whereas NFIRS provided apparatus type, NERIS provides unit type to include teams (e.g. hand crews) and UAVs and more. Vehicles like mobile command posts and mobile communications equipment are somewhat newer, too.
These are some of the more commonly used “NERIS unit types” for VFDs.
| Definition | Editorial | NERIS Value |
|---|---|---|
| Engine (Structural) | Structural Firefighting Engine | ENGINE_STRUCT |
| Water Tender/Tanker | Mobile Water Supply | TENDER |
| Rescue Unit, Multi-Function, Light | Basic rescue equipment for simple extrication and medical support. May be built on a smaller chassis. | RESCUE_LIGHT |
| Chief/Staff/Command Officer | — | CHIEF_STAFF_COMMAND |
| Engine (Wildland Interface) | Grass, wildland or brush truck (including Type 6.) | ENGINE_WUI |
| Ambulance, BLS | Basic Life Support | BLS_AMB |
| Privately Owned Vehicle | A POV is a firefighters personal vehicle, their car or truck. Sometimes firefighters (especially volunteers) dispatch directly to scene, going POV, to rendezvous with firefighters bringing the apparatus. | POV |
| All Terrain Vehicle, Fire Suppression | All-Terrain Vehicle, Utility Terrain Vehicle | ATV_FIRE |
| General Purpose/Utility Unit | — | UTIL |
Wildland fire, especially in the wildland urban interface (WUI), will utilize structural firefighter apparatus and vice versa, bit these are listed by primary purpose to keep the lists shorter.
| Definition | Editorial | NERIS Value |
|---|---|---|
| Engine (Structural) | Structural Firefighting Engine | ENGINE_STRUCT |
| Water Tender/Tanker | Mobile Water Supply | TENDER |
| Ladder or Truck, Rear or Mid-Mount Ladder < 75' No Suppression Capability | — | LADDER_SMALL |
| Ladder or Truck, Rear or Mid-Mount Ladder < 75' Suppression Capable | — | LADDER_QUINT |
| Ladder or Truck, Rear or Mid-Mount Ladder 75'+ No Suppression Capability | — | LADDER_TALL |
| Ladder or Truck, Rear or Mid-Mount Ladder 75'+ Suppression Capable | — | QUINT_TALL |
| Elevated Platform, Rear or Mid-Mount Ladder > 75' No Suppression Capability | — | PLATFORM |
| Elevated Platform, Rear or Mid-Mount Ladder > 75' with Suppression Capability | — | PLATFORM_QUINT |
| Tractor-drawn Aerial unit | — | LADDER_TILLER |
| Foam Tender | — | FOAM |
| Chief/Staff/Command Officer | — | CHIEF_STAFF_COMMAND |
| Privately Owned Vehicle | A POV is a firefighters personal vehicle, their car or truck. Sometimes firefighters (especially volunteers) dispatch directly to scene, going POV, to rendezvous with firefighters bringing the apparatus. | POV |
| SCBA Support Unit | — | SCBA |
| Air and Light Unit | — | AIR_LIGHT |
| Rehabilitation or Canteen Unit | — | REHAB |
| Fire investigation Unit | — | INVEST |
| General Purpose/Utility Unit | — | UTIL |
| Definition | Editorial | NERIS Value |
|---|---|---|
| Engine (Wildland Interface) | Grass, wildland or brush truck (including Type 6.) | ENGINE_WUI |
| Hand Crew | — | CREW |
| Crew Transport | — | CREW_TRANS |
| Helicopter, Multiuse | — | HELO_GENERAL |
| Helicopter, Fire Suppression | — | HELO_FIRE |
| Drone/UAV - Fire Suppression | — | UAS_FIRE |
| Drone/UAV - Recon or Situational Awareness | — | UAS_RECON |
| Fixed Wing, Fire Suppression | — | AIR_TANKER |
| Fixed Wing, Recon or Other | — | AIR_RECON |
| Mobile Command Post | — | MOBILE_ICP |
| Mobile Communications Equipment | — | MOBILE_COMMS |
| Bulldozer / Dozer | — | DOZER |
| Other Ground Equipment | — | OTHER_GROUND |
| All Terrain Vehicle, Fire Suppression | All-Terrain Vehicle, Utility Terrain Vehicle | ATV_FIRE |
| General Purpose/Utility Unit | — | UTIL |
| Definition | Editorial | NERIS Value |
|---|---|---|
| Helicopter, Rescue/EMS | — | HELO_RESCUE |
| Fixed Wing, EMS | — | AIR_EMS |
| Ambulance, ALS | Advanced Life Support | ALS_AMB |
| Ambulance, BLS | Basic Life Support | BLS_AMB |
| EMS Response Vehicle (Non-Transport) | — | EMS_NOTRANS |
| EMS Supervisor | — | EMS_SUPV |
| Medical Ambulance Bus (MAB) | A Medical Ambulance Bus (MAB) is a vehicle that transports and treats multiple patients who need medical care. MABs are used in a variety of situations, including mass casualty incidents, disasters, and large events. | MAB |
| All Terrain Vehicle, EMS/Rescue | — | ATV_EMS |
| Definition | Editorial | NERIS Value |
|---|---|---|
| Helicopter, Rescue/EMS | — | HELO_RESCUE |
| Drone/UAV - Recon or Situational Awareness | — | UAS_RECON |
| Rescue Unit, Multi-Function, Heavy | Heavy rescues are equipped for complex rescue operations like structural collapses, confined space rescues, and vehicle extrication. | RESCUE_HEAVY |
| Rescue Unit, Multi-Function, Medium | Carries more advanced rescue tools than a light rescue, but may not be as fully equipped as a heavy rescue . | RESCUE_MEDIUM |
| Rescue Unit, Multi-Function, Light | Basic rescue equipment for simple extrication and medical support. May be built on a smaller chassis. | RESCUE_LIGHT |
| Rescue Unit, US&R | A US&R (Urban Search and Rescue) unit is a team that locates, rescues, and stabilizes people trapped in confined spaces. US&R units can be deployed to respond to disasters like hurricanes, building collapses, and transportation accidents. | RESCUE_USAR |
| Rescue Unit, Water Rescue | — | RESCUE_WATER |
| All Terrain Vehicle, EMS/Rescue | — | ATV_EMS |
| Definition | Editorial | NERIS Value |
|---|---|---|
| Hazardous Materials Unit | — | HAZMAT |
| Decontamination Unit | — | DECON |
| Rehabilitation or Canteen Unit | — | REHAB |
| Fire investigation Unit | — | INVEST |
As volunteer fire departments we typically run light rescues for the flexibility, maneuverability and (relative) affordability. Medium duty and heavy duty rescues are options more for city departments. That said, size your own rescue.
LIGHT: A light duty rescue is typically a crew carrier with basic medical and extrication equipment, used for rapid response medical incidents, and MVAs.
MEDIUM: A medium duty rescue has more storage capacity, for specialty extrication, stabilization and other rescue equipment. (note: This image is likely showing the low end of the medium rescue.)
HEAVY: A heavy duty rescue has the most storage capacity for the most & specialty equipment
| Definition | Editorial | NERIS Value |
|---|---|---|
| Engine (Structural) | Structural Firefighting Engine | ENGINE_STRUCT |
| Water Tender/Tanker | Mobile Water Supply | TENDER |
| Engine (Wildland Interface) | Grass, wildland or brush truck (including Type 6.) | ENGINE_WUI |
| Hand Crew | — | CREW |
| Crew Transport | — | CREW_TRANS |
| Fire / Rescue Boat, Small (Craft Length of < 20 feet) | — | BOAT |
| Fire Boat, Large (Craft Length of 20+ feet) | — | BOAT_LARGE |
| Ladder or Truck, Rear or Mid-Mount Ladder < 75' No Suppression Capability | — | LADDER_SMALL |
| Ladder or Truck, Rear or Mid-Mount Ladder < 75' Suppression Capable | — | LADDER_QUINT |
| Ladder or Truck, Rear or Mid-Mount Ladder 75'+ No Suppression Capability | — | LADDER_TALL |
| Ladder or Truck, Rear or Mid-Mount Ladder 75'+ Suppression Capable | — | QUINT_TALL |
| Elevated Platform, Rear or Mid-Mount Ladder > 75' No Suppression Capability | — | PLATFORM |
| Elevated Platform, Rear or Mid-Mount Ladder > 75' with Suppression Capability | — | PLATFORM_QUINT |
| Tractor-drawn Aerial unit | — | LADDER_TILLER |
| ARFF Response Vehicle | An Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) vehicle is a specialized fire truck used by airport fire departments to respond to aircraft emergencies. ARFF vehicles are designed to quickly respond to aircraft issues, such as fires, evacuations, and medical emergencies. | ARFF |
| Foam Tender | — | FOAM |
| Helicopter, Multiuse | — | HELO_GENERAL |
| Helicopter, Fire Suppression | — | HELO_FIRE |
| Helicopter, Rescue/EMS | — | HELO_RESCUE |
| Drone/UAV - Fire Suppression | — | UAS_FIRE |
| Drone/UAV - Recon or Situational Awareness | — | UAS_RECON |
| Fixed Wing, Fire Suppression | — | AIR_TANKER |
| Fixed Wing, EMS | — | AIR_EMS |
| Fixed Wing, Recon or Other | — | AIR_RECON |
| Ambulance, ALS | Advanced Life Support | ALS_AMB |
| Ambulance, BLS | Basic Life Support | BLS_AMB |
| EMS Response Vehicle (Non-Transport) | — | EMS_NOTRANS |
| EMS Supervisor | — | EMS_SUPV |
| Medical Ambulance Bus (MAB) | A Medical Ambulance Bus (MAB) is a vehicle that transports and treats multiple patients who need medical care. MABs are used in a variety of situations, including mass casualty incidents, disasters, and large events. | MAB |
| Chief/Staff/Command Officer | — | CHIEF_STAFF_COMMAND |
| Hazardous Materials Unit | — | HAZMAT |
| Decontamination Unit | — | DECON |
| Privately Owned Vehicle | A POV is a firefighters personal vehicle, their car or truck. Sometimes firefighters (especially volunteers) dispatch directly to scene, going POV, to rendezvous with firefighters bringing the apparatus. | POV |
| Rescue Unit, Multi-Function, Heavy | Heavy rescues are equipped for complex rescue operations like structural collapses, confined space rescues, and vehicle extrication. | RESCUE_HEAVY |
| Rescue Unit, Multi-Function, Medium | Carries more advanced rescue tools than a light rescue, but may not be as fully equipped as a heavy rescue . | RESCUE_MEDIUM |
| Rescue Unit, Multi-Function, Light | Basic rescue equipment for simple extrication and medical support. May be built on a smaller chassis. | RESCUE_LIGHT |
| Rescue Unit, US&R | A US&R (Urban Search and Rescue) unit is a team that locates, rescues, and stabilizes people trapped in confined spaces. US&R units can be deployed to respond to disasters like hurricanes, building collapses, and transportation accidents. | RESCUE_USAR |
| Rescue Unit, Water Rescue | — | RESCUE_WATER |
| SCBA Support Unit | — | SCBA |
| Air and Light Unit | — | AIR_LIGHT |
| Rehabilitation or Canteen Unit | — | REHAB |
| Mobile Command Post | — | MOBILE_ICP |
| Mobile Communications Equipment | — | MOBILE_COMMS |
| Bulldozer / Dozer | — | DOZER |
| Other Ground Equipment | — | OTHER_GROUND |
| All Terrain Vehicle, EMS/Rescue | — | ATV_EMS |
| All Terrain Vehicle, Fire Suppression | All-Terrain Vehicle, Utility Terrain Vehicle | ATV_FIRE |
| Fire investigation Unit | — | INVEST |
| General Purpose/Utility Unit | — | UTIL |
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