A fire truck from the Santa Monica Fire Department (SMFD) was involved in a vehicle collision on Wednesday morning at about 9am near the intersection of Santa Monica and Cloverfield boulevards, forcing the road to be closed for some time.
Very little is known at this time, but according to the SMFD, a total of four vehicles were involved, including the KME Tractor Drawn Aerial fire truck and two people were transported to local hospitals with minor injuries.
The KME Tractor Drawn Aerial weighs in at nearly 40 tons and comes equipped with a fire management system called "Quint" that incorporates five main features: a pump, water tank, aerial ladder, ground ladders and fire hose. (The name "quint" is derived from the Latin prefix "quinque-" meaning five.) Any type of fire truck or engine can be fitted with Quint and the difference between the two is that a fire engine contains a pump, hose and other firefighting equipment and a fire truck contains heavy rescue equipment.
Moreover, the KME Tractor Drawn Aerial fire truck is uniquely identifiable because it also incorporates a rear driving position, called a "tiller seat" that requires special training and certification. And despite being much longer than a more traditional fire truck, with its unique design, it is intended to be able to navigate obstacles and easily steer into narrow and tight locations making it ideal for suburban communities with cul-de-sacs and busy urban areas.
It is not yet known how fast any of the vehicles involved were traveling and even whether or not the lights and sirens on the fire truck were on.
scott.snowden@smdp.com