On November 18th, 2019, Pro-Tow was called to assist with heavy-duty towing for a disabled Fire Truck in downtown Seattle. The Fire Truck was a specially equipped Pierce Taylor Ladder Truck, so it required an extraordinary tow truck and special training to handle its recovery. Once we were able to safely secure the fire truck to our heavy-duty towing truck, we towed the truck back to the Seattle Fire Department Maintenance Department.Â
Heavy Duty Fire Trucks Require Heavy Duty Help
For this recovery, Pro-Tow had to use an extraordinary tow truck to help with this truck accident recovery. The reason for this is because the average fire truck can weigh between 36,000 to 60,000 pounds. At Pro-Tow, our heavy-duty towing services cover class 7 and up trucks. Class 7 trucks range between 26,001 and 33,000 pounds, while class 8 covers trucks that are over 33,0001 pounds. That’s why for a truck this heavy, Pro-Tow used our heavy-duty towing to handle the job!Â
Fire Trucks Are Different From Fire Engines
Despite looking the same, a fire truck and a fire engine are different from one another. Fire trucks, like the one mentioned in this recovery blog, are equipped with a large aerial ladder. These extend out from the truck but don’t detach. The truck also has special equipment for search and rescue, forced entry and various types and lengths of ground ladders. Fire trucks will always have a captain and three other firefighters. A captain is identifiable by their red helmet, while the firefighters wear yellow helmets.
A fire engine looks like a fire truck but without the big aerial ladder. These are equipped with hoses, tools and ground ladders. Water tanks, pumps and various types of hoses are the key components of a fire engine, which all help with putting out fires. The water hoses on these fire engines can run up to 300 meters in length. The standard fire engine itself is also able to carry upwards of 2000 litres of water.
