Frequently asked questions
Why is the ladder truck called a quint?
It is called a quint in honor of the Los Angeles County Fire Department's Quint 127, housed in Station 127, in which the TV show Emergency! was filmed. It is also an RLFD regulation.
It is called a quint in honor of the Los Angeles County Fire Department's Quint 127, housed in Station 127, in which the TV show Emergency! was filmed. It is also an RLFD regulation.
What is a quint?
In firefighting terms, a quint is an apparatus that has an aerial ladder with a pre-piped waterway, ground ladders, hoses (supply and attack), a water tank, and a pump. It is similar to a triple combo (also called a pumper or engine), which has a pump, supply and attack hoses, and a tank.
In firefighting terms, a quint is an apparatus that has an aerial ladder with a pre-piped waterway, ground ladders, hoses (supply and attack), a water tank, and a pump. It is similar to a triple combo (also called a pumper or engine), which has a pump, supply and attack hoses, and a tank.
Why does the quint have outriggers?
Quint 2 has custom-made outriggers because of the length of its ladder. If it were to conduct horizontal rescues (where the aerial is used to reach out rather than to climb), it would tip the apparatus. It is the same in real-life, where ladder trucks put down their outriggers before conducting any maneuvers with the aerial. See Quint 2's photos page for pictures of the outriggers.
Quint 2 has custom-made outriggers because of the length of its ladder. If it were to conduct horizontal rescues (where the aerial is used to reach out rather than to climb), it would tip the apparatus. It is the same in real-life, where ladder trucks put down their outriggers before conducting any maneuvers with the aerial. See Quint 2's photos page for pictures of the outriggers.
How is the aerial ladder 105 feet and the ground ladder 28 feet?
The aerial is 105 scale feet, based on the following assumption: each Lego minifigure (which is 1.75 inches tall) is equivalent to 6 human feet. The aerial ladder is 22 inches fully extended. The scale length of the aerial is calculated below:
The aerial is 105 scale feet, based on the following assumption: each Lego minifigure (which is 1.75 inches tall) is equivalent to 6 human feet. The aerial ladder is 22 inches fully extended. The scale length of the aerial is calculated below:
Similarly, the ground ladder measures 8.25 inches fully extended. Assuming that a minifigure is 6 human feet, the ground ladder is a 28-scale foot ground ladder. Each section of the ground ladder is 4.4375 inches making two sections 8.875 inches. However, there is some overlap in the sections for the ground ladder, so it is 28 scale feet instead of 30 scale feet. The scale length of the ground ladder is calculated below:
What is that thing on the front of the quint?
After some upgrades, the quint has added a Roto-Ray on the front. It has three colors: blue, red, and white. Roto-Rays have become less popular over the years, but it is tradition to place them on apparatus as an additional visual warning device. The following links show Roto-Rays in action:
https://youtu.be/VCGShGls5mU
https://youtu.be/YTJpMsy5rZk
After some upgrades, the quint has added a Roto-Ray on the front. It has three colors: blue, red, and white. Roto-Rays have become less popular over the years, but it is tradition to place them on apparatus as an additional visual warning device. The following links show Roto-Rays in action:
https://youtu.be/VCGShGls5mU
https://youtu.be/YTJpMsy5rZk
How were the ladders extended?
The brickmaster has extended the aerial ladder two separate times and the ground ladder once. (A careful observer may notice the different length aerial ladder in older photos.) Before its first extension, the aerial ladder only had three sections to it. The first extension added two more sections and the second added three for a total of eight sections, including the base. The ladder extensions (as well as some other tools) were purchased through the Pick-a-Brick program on the Lego website. There, one can purchase individual pieces or enough bricks to build a custom fire apparatus. This program has become very useful for lost pieces, too.
The brickmaster has extended the aerial ladder two separate times and the ground ladder once. (A careful observer may notice the different length aerial ladder in older photos.) Before its first extension, the aerial ladder only had three sections to it. The first extension added two more sections and the second added three for a total of eight sections, including the base. The ladder extensions (as well as some other tools) were purchased through the Pick-a-Brick program on the Lego website. There, one can purchase individual pieces or enough bricks to build a custom fire apparatus. This program has become very useful for lost pieces, too.
What is a box alarm?
A box alarm is an alarm that is rung by an activated call box in a certain building. In accordance with the state fire code, certain buildings such as schools, the library, city hall, and most office buildings in Royal Lego have a fire alarms connected to the box alarm system. Some of these buildings also have automatic sprinkler systems in addition to alarm boxes. These boxes make it easy for the fire department to be called to an emergency. The alarm goes directly to the fire dispatcher to tell units to respond.
A box alarm is an alarm that is rung by an activated call box in a certain building. In accordance with the state fire code, certain buildings such as schools, the library, city hall, and most office buildings in Royal Lego have a fire alarms connected to the box alarm system. Some of these buildings also have automatic sprinkler systems in addition to alarm boxes. These boxes make it easy for the fire department to be called to an emergency. The alarm goes directly to the fire dispatcher to tell units to respond.
What is the difference between a traffic crash and a traffic accident?
In layman's terms, there is no difference between a crash and an accident. In recent years, however, police and fire agencies have been instructed that there is a cause behind every incident that occurs on the roads. For example, a traffic crash caused by a drunk driver would not necessarily be an accident. "Traffic crash" would be a better term to describe this type of incident. Therefore, "crash" replaces "accident".
In layman's terms, there is no difference between a crash and an accident. In recent years, however, police and fire agencies have been instructed that there is a cause behind every incident that occurs on the roads. For example, a traffic crash caused by a drunk driver would not necessarily be an accident. "Traffic crash" would be a better term to describe this type of incident. Therefore, "crash" replaces "accident".
What is the difference between a medical call and a medical assistance call?
Some medical runs require more manpower than two paramedics on an ambulance. Such calls include maternity calls (childbirth), heart attacks, and incidents involving more than one victim. A medical call would involve dispatching an ambulance first (if one is available), while a medical assistance call would mean that another unit would back up paramedics on the ambulance. In Royal Lego, other units may be called in to back-up an ambulance unit or to respond in place of an ambulance if it is not available. ALS units are the priority first response unit in cases where the ambulance is not available.
Some medical runs require more manpower than two paramedics on an ambulance. Such calls include maternity calls (childbirth), heart attacks, and incidents involving more than one victim. A medical call would involve dispatching an ambulance first (if one is available), while a medical assistance call would mean that another unit would back up paramedics on the ambulance. In Royal Lego, other units may be called in to back-up an ambulance unit or to respond in place of an ambulance if it is not available. ALS units are the priority first response unit in cases where the ambulance is not available.
What is the difference between BLS and ALS?
BLS stands for basic life support and ALS stands for advanced life support. To be put simply, a BLS company is a company where the members are certified emergency medical technician-basic (EMT-B) while ALS units are companies that are staffed by paramedics. In Royal Lego, all firefighters are certified at least to the EMT-B level. Firefighters in the department have the opportunity to become paramedics. If all members of a certain company choose to become paramedics, then that specific company becomes an ALS unit, such as ALS Quint 2.
BLS stands for basic life support and ALS stands for advanced life support. To be put simply, a BLS company is a company where the members are certified emergency medical technician-basic (EMT-B) while ALS units are companies that are staffed by paramedics. In Royal Lego, all firefighters are certified at least to the EMT-B level. Firefighters in the department have the opportunity to become paramedics. If all members of a certain company choose to become paramedics, then that specific company becomes an ALS unit, such as ALS Quint 2.