The current color scheme for department apparatus is white over dark forest green with green and white reflective striping. This color scheme was adopted starting with the delivery of the heavy rescue squad in November 2000. Staff vehicles are white with green reflective striping. Older vehicles are being repainted and restriped to match the current scheme as appropriate. Previous vehicle color schemes have included white over lime-yellow and all white.

Each fire station is assigned two engines (one front line, on reserve), a truck, a tanker and a staff car. The remaining apparatus are housed at Station 1 because of available space. Dane County's Command Van (DCCV1) is housed at Station 2 along with the ambulances of Fitch-Rona EMS.

Apparatus is replaced on a regular basis depending on its type. Engines and staff vehicles are currently replaced every 5-7 years because of the frequency that they respond calls. The remaining vehicles typically remain in service with the department for 20 years before they are replaced.

To buy a fire truck, don’t you just open a catalog, call the company and order one up? Actually, you can. Most fire apparatus manufacturers build “stock” units available for immediate purchase but the trucks typically have just basic features and a limited number of options. This type of truck and buying method is appropriate for some departments but they are typically smaller organizations that respond to only a few calls each month. Larger, busier fire departments, like Fitchburg’s, are better served by purchasing apparatus that are designed to meet the specific needs of their community. The number of calls, types of emergencies, building construction, available water supply, etc. all factor into what features are needed on the vehicle. What works well in New York City, or even Madison (an adjacent community), isn’t necessarily appropriate for Fitchburg.

The purchasing process begins with the Fitchburg City Council approving money in the capital improvement budget for the purchase of a vehicle. This establishes the budget for the project. To help ensure that Fitchburg purchases the right vehicle for the job, a committee of fire department personnel is then formed to write a specification. The specification is developed based on an evaluation of the department's current and future needs, how it operates at emergencies, what vendors are offering in terms of technology and design, what national standards recommend, and other ideas and suggestions made by department members. During this development phase, committee members will read trade magazines, visit manufacturers, attend trade shows, and talk to other fire departments in an effort to gather as much information and as many ideas as possible for the project.

Once the specification has been written and carefully reviewed, it is sent to a list of reputable fire apparatus manufacturers whom the committee believes are capable of building a high quality vehicle that meets the specification. All manufacturers are required to return a sealed bid to the fire department by a specified date and time. The bids are opened and then evaluated by the committee. As needed, the committee will meet with the bidders to review their proposal. The goal of the group is to make as close of an “apple-to-apple” comparison as is possible. Based on the evaluations, a recommendation is made first to the fire chief, then the finance committee and finally, the city council.

After receiving all necessary approvals, a contract is awarded to the winning bidder and the construction phase begins. Before the vehicle is built, the manufacturer will review the entire vehicle with the committee at a pre-construction meeting. Once those details have been agreed upon, the manufacturer will schedule the vehicle for production. The typical delivery date for large, custom designed fire apparatus is nine to twelve months after the contract is signed. Adding in the time spent developing the specification, letting the bids, reviewing the proposals, and getting the necessary approvals, the entire process may take two years or more. But the results are worth the effort.

Ask for a “tanker” in Dane County, Wisconsin, and a truck carrying several thousand gallons of water will be dispatched to your location. Make the same request in California and you are likely to have an airplane flying low over your head, dropping either water or fire retardant. What we call a “ladder”, someone else might call a “truck”. So to prevent confusion on the radio, fire departments in Dane County use the following naming scheme to designate their vehicles:

• ENGINE: a vehicle with a water pump, water tank and hose for fighting fires
  
• LADDER: a vehicle with an aerial device (straight ladder, elevating platform, articulating boom, etc.) which may also have a pumper, water tank and hose.
  
• SQUAD: a vehicle that carries specialized firefighting and rescue equipment
  
• TANKER: a vehicle equipped with a large water tank for supplying water to rural emergency scenes
  
• BRUSH: a vehicle designed for off-road fire suppression activities
  
• UTILITY: a vehicle that carries support equipment
  
• CAR: any staff vehicle
  
• ATV: an all-terrain vehicle that may have fire, rescue, and/or EMS capabilities
  
• RESCUE: an ambulance of any care level

All units also are assigned a numeric designation that follows the type designation (i.e. “ENGINE 1”). The numbering is generally at the discretion of the agency. In Fitchburg, front line vehicles are numbered based on their assigned station. Reserve units have a two-digit variant based on the assigned station (i.e. “ENGINE 11”). Staff vehicles, which are not assigned to specific stations, use a sequential number; a single digit for emergency radio designation (i.e. “CAR 1”) and two digits for internal, non-emergency designation (i.e. “CAR 21”).

Fitchburg also uses a naming scheme for maintenance purposes which combines the unit type with the year that the vehicle (i.e. “ENGINE 99”) was delivered to the department. This alternative scheme is used because apparatus is occasionally reassigned to the stations; this “permanent” name helps keep maintenance and other records with the vehicle.