Chart of Military Fire & Crash Trucks
The nomenclature of fire fighting trucks describes crash trucks as being used on airstrips in the event of a crash landing while fire trucks are for general purpose firefighting. There are also Rescue Trucks, Pumpers, Ladder Trucks and other special purpose vehicles, generally referred by the all inclusive name fire trucks.
The earliest U.S. Army fire trucks were purchased and organized by the Quartermaster Corps, but that responsibility was transferred to the Corps of Engineers in 1941. During World War II and into the 1950s, fire trucks were described by classes, from Class 100 to Class 700 with trailers in Class 1000. The exact class number was determined by the tank size, pump capacity, hose reels and vehicle mission. Dozens of fire vehicle types were procured within these classes during World War II, as well as before and for a short time afterward. Individual vehicles fell into subclasses such as Class 110 High Pressure CO2 4x4. Very few fire trucks were shipped overseas during WW II and those that did were Class 150 Low Pressure CO2 6x6, arriving in-theater late in the war.
In 1947, the U.S. Air Force was established as an independent service, separating from the U.S. Army. Thereafter, the USAF procured its own fire and crash trucks. Early USAF vehicles in the 1950s included the 530 and 750 series pumpers, By the 1960s trucks for all the services fell into the P-series, ranging from the P-2 ARFF to the P-31 Hazmat truck of post-2000 vintage. (Information in this section compiled from the highly recommended site DodFire.com).
A selection of the most important military fire trucks of the P-series includes:
| Model | Type | Weight kg/lbs | Length m/ft | Width m/ft | Height m/ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P-10 | Rescue Truck | 3,600/8,000 | 9.7/31.7 | 2.8/9.3 | 2.6/8.5 |
| P-15 | ARFF | 59,000/130,860 | 13.8/45.2 | 3.1/10.0 | 4.2/13.8 |
| P-18 | Water Tanker | 25,000/54,000 | 9.6/31.7 | 2.8/9.3 | 3.3/10.8 |
| P-19 | ARFF | 14,700/32,500 | 10.2/33.3 | 3.1/10.0 | 3.8/12.5 |
| P-20 | ARFF | 5,000 10,900 | 10.2/33.3 | 3.2/10.7 | 2.3/7.5 |
| P-21 | Ladder Truck | 31,000/68,700 | 14.7/48.3 | 2.8/9.3 | 3.7/12.0 |
| P-22 | Pumper | 14,600/32,300 | 9.6/31.7 | 2.8/9.3 | 3.3/10.8 |
| P-23 | ARFF | 34,700/77,900 | 9.6/31.7 | 2.9/9.6 | 3.6/11.8 |
| P-24 | Pumper | 16,300/36,700 | 9.6/31.7 | 2.8/9.3 | 3.3/10.8 |
| P-26 | Water Tanker | 31,000/70,000 | 14.5/47.5 | 2.8/9.3 | 3.7/12.0 |
| P-27 | Mini Pumper | 4,900/11,000 | 9.6/31.7 | 2.8/9.3 | 2.5/8.2 |
| P-28 | Heavy Rescue | 16,400/36,000 | 8.6/28.8 | 3.0/9.8 | 3.1/10.2 |
| ARFF = Airport Rescue Fire Fighting | |||||
In addition to the P-series trucks, the services procured others including the MB-5 built by Oshkosh in the late 1960s for the U.S. Navy, 1990s vintage Oshkosh T-3000 (and TI-3000) and the Amertek Military Adaptation of a Commercial Item (MACI) 2500L (fielded early to mid-1980s). The M1142 Tactical Fire Fighting Truck (TFFT) is a modern military fire fighting vehicle, an Oshkosh HEMTT chassis mated with a commercial fire fighting package, fielded in 2007.
In this chart of military fire and crash trucks, click on the photo link to go to the page of photos and information for the specific truck.
| Vehicle | Description | Photo Link |
|---|---|---|
| Class 110 | Chevrolet Truck, Airfield, Crash, 1-1/2 Ton, 4x4 (Class 110) |
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| P-4 | Oshkosh P-4 Truck, Airport Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) |
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| P-15 | Oshkosh P-15 Truck, Airport Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) |
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| P-19 | P-19 Truck, Airport Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) |
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| P-23 | P-23 Truck, Airport Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) |
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| M1142 | Oshkosh M1142 Tactical Fire Fighting Truck (TFFT) |
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