Fire apparatus numbers

[ansky]

Where I live in Essex County there are some towns like Maplewood and Irvington that use this type of numbering system, but the rest of the county like Orange, West Orange, etc. do not follow it.

I used to be a firefighter in Highland Park (Middlesex County). Our fire station (#37) used the county numbering system for the station, but we had our own apparatus numbers that did not follow a county system.

 

[Citywide173]

How about you just say what it is, why numbers? My town Engine 1 to your town Ladder 3. I just listened to a 3 alarm fire in a town where all companies use a county numbering system, they were fumbling all over the numbers, one guy calls a number, the wrong guy answers numerous times. Every big city says what it is (Engine, Ladder, Rescue and so on) and they have no problems, when try to reinvent the wheel.

Quite possibly related to the bell & tape of yesteryear? To allow communications where radios had not yet been deployed, but the fire alarm system had?

Maybe some people envisioned a county based system and this was the start of their visions of grandeur?

When a system has been established we all know that once it entrenches itself as tradition, it is difficult to beat it out of people. How many places are still using codes over plain English more than a decade after the Feds said that only plain English should be used?

 

[RadioChief55]

Quite possibly related to the bell & tape of yesteryear? To allow communications where radios had not yet been deployed, but the fire alarm system had?

Maybe some people envisioned a county based system and this was the start of their visions of grandeur?

When a system has been established we all know that once it entrenches itself as tradition, it is difficult to beat it out of people. How many places are still using codes over plain English more than a decade after the Feds said that only plain English should be used?

It's funny for say bell and taps,We still have that system. I am the Gamewell Fire Alarm superintendent in the town I live, I work part time for the town and hold the NJ Civel Service title an Munucapal Fire Alarm technician . .

 

[jvdet]

Bergen County adopted a county wide numbering system over 20+ years ago;
proposed by OEM and at the time a Fire Chiefs committee ;
many towns don't like the county involved so never was implemented ;
maybe 10 towns out of 70 did/do use their "county number"
today on mutual aid you can still hear town A "engine 1" responding then town 2 "eng 1 responding" then the town chief calling Eng 1 met with silence until they use a town name

 

[Ed-N2QBZ]

Think of the dispatcher. Especially one in a multi-agency center

While I find that some numerical identifier systems seem to defy any sense of logic or are somewhat confusing, a logical apparatus numbering system comes into play in a multi-agency or county level dispatch center keeping track of a lot of units on a Computer Aided Dispatch Console.

A logical numbering system makes keeping track of apparatus either committed to a job or available easier by being able to sort the apparatus on the CAD numerically rather than alphabetically. First off it takes a lot less field space on the screen to display 1102 rather than Anytown Deputy Chief or 2511 instead of Yourtown Engine 1, abbreviating it a YFDE1 wouldn't work if there were a Youngstown FD that also had an Engine 1.

 

[Citywide173]

It's funny for say bell and taps,We still have that system. I am the Gamewell Fire Alarm superintendent in the town I live, I work part time for the town and hold the NJ Civel Service title an Munucapal Fire Alarm technician . .

It was actually the post where the county number was mentioned "20-1771" that made me think of stories from when I rode with the FDNY in the 80's. The guys would tell me about pre-Starfire, having the 3X6AM watch, miscounting the prefix on the bells and turning out the companies for a box that would turn out to be in a different borough. Figured that maybe it was used before radios were in every vehicle, or that radio communications were limited by agency and the only ones who tracked movement were the fire alarm operators.

 

[One13Truck]

Just a update on some numbering for Cape May and Ocean County's

Cape May has started to create a county communication system which most, not all will be working on. As well as most have done away with the old county numbering and has gone to a simple format

Lakewood, Ocean County has gone to a simple format as well. Ex- 6401 is now Engine 1, 6411 is now Engine 11. It is unknown if they will use the county numbering when they are out of town

Bummer. The system they had wasn't the greatest but stil better than going to this. Hopefully they lay out something Countywide when everything switches over.

 

[One13Truck]

How about you just say what it is, why numbers? My town Engine 1 to your town Ladder 3. I just listened to a 3 alarm fire in a town where all companies use a county numbering system, they were fumbling all over the numbers, one guy calls a number, the wrong guy answers numerous times. Every big city says what it is (Engine, Ladder, Rescue and so on) and they have no problems, when try to reinvent the wheel.

I guess I'm a dinosaur but I favor the exact opposite. We HAD great systems here. All that needed to be heard was the number and you knew the town and the officer rank or apparatus type. About 10 years ago in their great wisdom our county forced us onto a fantastic 1960's numbering system where everyone has an Engine 1, Chief 1, Ladder 1, Ambulance 1, Rescue 1, Tanker 1....

Now it's chaos to try to figure out what is going on when you hear: Engine 1 to Engine 1, hit the hydrant and lay in to Engine 1 then send your crew to stage at Engine 1. See Chief 1 or Chief 1 for orders when you get to Engine 1. Water supply is Tanker 1 and Tanker 1 and special call Tanker 1..... WHAT? I still use the old system. The old way worked MUCH better.

 

[npd155]

That's the old system. A couple of years ago Somerset County changed its numbering system to something similar to Mercer County. For example an engine used to be XX-101 and its now Engine XX-1. Ladders are Ladder XX or Tower XX. Ambulances are XX BLS 1 and so on. Much easier to understand for the inexperienced IMHO.

Yeah, I was about to say... That has not been used for years......