| Apparatus |
| The Boone County Fire Protection District operates in excess of 80 emergency vehicles. The Boone County Fire Protection District ranks third in Missouri in fleet size behind St. Louis and Kansas City. As in all fire departments, various pieces of fire apparatus, as they are called, are used for different types of incidents and are designed specifically to meet the needs of the local jurisdiction.
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| The Boone County Fire Protection District operates a basic compliment of equipment in its fire stations designed to address the routine emergencies in the various locations throughout the county. Additionally, there are specialty units that may be called upon to respond to very specific or technical incidents requiring specialized apparatus.
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Engine Companies
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| Our PIERCE fire engines have to be able to work well in both the industrial, urban, and rural environments. |
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Each Boone County Fire District fire station is equipped with an engine company, which complies with National Fire Protection Association standards for structural firefighting apparatus. These units are equipped with a multitude of fire and rescue appliances. All engine companies are equipped with fire pumps that are rated at 1,000 GPM or above and carry 750 gallons of water. Additionally, a full complement of fire hoses, nozzles, and adapters are carried to ensure maximum flexibility for various types of fire suppression challenges that may be faced in the field. All engine companies, as all pieces of emergency apparatus, carry a full compliment of emergency medical equipment, as well. |
| Engine companies typically have a lifespan of 15 years. The present cost of an engine company, fully equipped, is approximately $210,000. |
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Tanker Companies
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| Operating primarily in a rural environment, the entire Fire District is not protected with adequate numbers and locations of fire hydrants therefore; the Fire District has been forced to develop a mobile water supply strategy that enables the organization to transport large volumes of water to the scene of a fire. A fleet of tankers, or tenders as they are sometimes called, is located throughout the Fire District and is used to supplement and supply the engine companies at the scene of structural fires. |
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| Our PIERCE tankers can quickly unload water at a fire scene. |
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| These units carry 1,500 gallons of water. A quick dump supply system has been developed that enables Fire District personnel to respond to the scene of a fire with these tankers and dump 1,500 gallons of water in less than 45 seconds into an onsite storage tank carried on the apparatus. This water can then be used by the engine company to combat the fire while the tanker is enroute back to a supply point such as a fire hydrant or static water source to fill and return with another load. |
| Tanker companies typically have a lifespan of 15 years. The average cost of a tanker, fully equipped, is approximately $185,000. |
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Heavy Rescue Squads
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Rescue 104 is outfitted for typical medium to heavy rescue incidents.
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The Boone County Fire Protection District operates two heavy rescue squads. One is located at Station 1 in the Columbia area near Lake of the Woods and the other is located at Station 6 in Sturgeon. These units carry a full compliment of heavy rescue equipment and meet the NFPA requirements for heavy rescue squads. They are equipped to provide automobile extrication, high angle rescue, trench rescue, ice rescue, swift water rescue, cave rescue, and confined space rescue. They are, without question, the best-equipped heavy rescue squads outside the St. Louis and Kansas City areas.
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| The Heavy Squads typically have a lifespan of 15 years. Fully equipped, these units are valued at $400,000.
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Quick Response Vehicles
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| Each Fire District Station is equipped with a quick response vehicle (QRV). They are designed for mobility, speed and rapid intervention with minimal personnel. They are 4-wheel drive and have limited fire suppression capability onboard.
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| They are designed and operated with two primary missions in mind. The first is for Wildland Fire response. The Fire District, over the years, has experimented with four generations of vehicles to meet this need. After exhaustive testing and experience, we believe the approach presently in use to be the most versatile and effective. These units carry 300 gallons of water and have an independent pumping system with foam capability onboard. Foam allows us better penetration with water and better viscosity in a wildland environment. |
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| Firefighters depend on each other. |
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| Additionally, these units are designed as the primary delivery vehicles for the emergency medical services within the Fire District. Approximately 60% of all emergency responses are emergency medical in nature and these units are more maneuverable and less expensive to operate than the larger units. Most fire departments use engine companies for the delivery of basic life support EMS services. The Boone County Fire District has chosen to employ more maneuverable units, which involve less expense to operate and maintain. This also allows the District to extend the life of the more expensive units.
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| These units are also equipped with limited structural firefighting capabilities so that in the event that a fire crew is returning from a wildland fire or a medical emergency when a structural fire assignment is dispatched, they are in a position to provide first aid firefighting capability until arrival of the larger units. The Fire District has attempted to create a system that is very versatile, very adaptable and very responsive to a multitude of incidents.
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| The typical lifespan of a QRV is 6 years. The estimated cost of a QRV, fully equipped, is approximately $80,000.
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Hazardous Materials Squad
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Hazardous Materials Squad 504 operates as a regional hazardous materials response unit to chemical spills and releases, meth labs and explosive device incidents.
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The Boone County Fire District operates a regional Hazardous Materials Response Team that, in addition to routine responsibilities in Boone County may be called upon to respond regionally in Central Missouri by the State Emergency Management Agency or the Department of Natural Resources. This unit is fully equipped and compliant with NFPA standards for a Hazardous Materials Response Unit. It carries a multitude of testing devices and containment equipment for various types of chemical and/or biological releases.
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| The estimated value of this unit, fully equipped is $160,000.
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Boats
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 The Fire District operates four boats of various sizes and configurations for rescue and recovery operations on the Missouri River and in small streams and static bodies of water throughout Boone County.
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