Under the improvement plan, all three stations were slated for identical units running first out. In the United States, the fire service rarely standardizes equipment. At RFPD, however, firefighters can simultaneously perform drills on equivalent apparatus at three stations. In this district, every piece of apparatus is the same. All trucks start alike and pump in the same way.
Commonality extends to such details as how nozzles flush and saws start.
All firefighters train by the Rattlesnake method. Choosing a Builder Initially, the department sent a simple, performance-oriented, generic spec to several apparatus builders. RFPD selected W.S. Darley to build the new units, based on that company's 100-page bid. RFPD wanted trucks that would result from collaboration between the builder and department members. Darley's representatives listened to community needs, whereas most other manufacturers wanted to sell standard versions of their own fire trucks.