Some German fire services have their hazmat teams manning regular rescue pumpers instead of dedicated response vans like this, because of course hazmat incidents are relatively infrequent. But I guess these are probably a bit faster and therefore able to arrive on scene more quickly? FDNY operate one dedicated hazmat company with a truck with a six man crew, three large and very well equipped hazmat technical tenders with two man teams and eight six man squad companies, in addition to a mass decontamination unit and other highly specialized vehicles.
Each squad company is staffed by a fully qualified hazmat team. It has a rescue pumper and a hazmat tender. For fires and rescues, all six crew the pumper, leaving the hazmat rig behind. For hazmat incidents five ride the pumper and the sixth man drives the hazmat truck. In most cases these squad companies are first on scene, followed by a technical tender, then the hazmat company and any other special purpose unit from the central special operations station.
Each squad company is staffed by a fully qualified hazmat team. It has a rescue pumper and a hazmat tender. For fires and rescues, all six crew the pumper, leaving the hazmat rig behind. For hazmat incidents five ride the pumper and the sixth man drives the hazmat truck. In most cases these squad companies are first on scene, followed by a technical tender, then the hazmat company and any other special purpose unit from the central special operations station.
Added by Rob Johnson on 02 May 2026.