![Tiller Truck.jpg](/web/20220619224832im_/https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/fire-department/tiller-truck.jpg?%20style=)
The terms "fire engine" and "fire truck" are often used interchangeably, however, they are quite different. While fire engines have water, hose and a pump, fire trucks typically don't. Fire trucks have hundreds of feet of portable ladder and a fixed ladder capable of extending upwards of 100 feet. Staffed by a Captain, Engineer and a Firefighter/Paramedic, Palo Alto’s Truck 66 is a tractor-drawn aerial or Tiller Truck. Tiller style trucks are far more maneuverable than traditional commercial trucks of similar length. Truck 66 is equipped with a variety of specialized equipment including; jaws of life, ventilation fans, chain saws, lighting equipment, airbags for lifting large objects and an array of specialized tools. The primary tasks of Palo Alto’s truck company are search and rescue, roof operations, ventilation, forcible entry, auto extrication, stabilization of collapsed structures, emergency medical response, and a variety of technical rescue emergencies. Although trucks do not generally carry water they can provide a water tower that discharges up to 1250 gpm through the ladder pipe with the help of a pumper engine.