Kirkwood’s Fire Truck Numbering System

Below is a breakdown of the numbering system used by the Kirkwood Fire Department. This system is widely used by other fire departments throughout St. Louis County.

The first two numbers indicate what district the truck belongs to. For example, all of Kirkwood’s trucks start with “15.”

The third number tells you what fire house the apparatus is based at. For example, 1512 is based in House 1 on Argonne, 1524 is based at House 2, and so on. Generally, a zero will indicate it is an administrative vehicle, as in the case of the Chief’s four-wheel drive vehicle is 1500, the assistant chief is 1501.

The last number tells you what kind of vehicle it is. As a general rule:

0 = pumper

1 = pumper

2 = ladder truck or aerial apparatus

3 = tanker

4 = pumper/rescue

5 = pumper/rescue/ladder, aka “Quint”

6 = rescue vehicle

7 = ambulance

8 = brush truck

9 = indicates either a utility truck or specialized equipment

The exception to this rule for Kirkwood is vehicle 1591, the reserve truck at House Two. This number has been used by various vehicles in the department through the years, and has become somewhat of a tradition to use it on the reserve vehicle.

1512

Vehicle Designation