Learn Fire Speak

Did you know that a fire engine is called a pump or that  hazmats are hazardous materials to be careful of? Get to grips with fire service speak with our guide.

PPV (positive pressure fan)
A fan to blow smoke out off a building

Appliance or Pump
Fire engine

RTC
Road traffic collision

HPV
Hydraulic platform

PPE
Personal Protective Equipment which firefighters wear

ALP
Aerial ladder platform

Mobilisation
Sending a fire engine to an incident

Special appliance
Not a fire engine but another vehicle on station i.e. HPV etc

Riders
Someone who crews a fire appliance

Hazmats
Hazardous materials to be careful of

FI
Fire investigation

SAI
Senior Accident Investigator

HVP
High volume pump - a vehicle to move large amounts of water

CPS
Chemical protection suits

BA
Breathing apparatus

HFRA
Home fire risk assessment - a free fire safety check

ICU
Incident Command Unit at big emergencies

OSU
Operational support unit is a mini command vehicle which includes breathing apparatus equipment

AFA
Automatic fire alarm

PDA
Pre-determined attendance - how many fire engines we will send to an incident

FDR1
Fire damage report or fire that is risk to life and or property

Uwfs
Unwanted fire signal