Wildland fire engine

[2] Often the hose-free technique of pump-and-roll is used where the vehicle drives with the pump engaged while a firefighter uses a hose to spray water on the fire.

Most wildland engines feature four-wheel drive capability and can thus climb hills and make it through rough terrain.

One of the features that makes these engines ideal for vegetation fires is that they can pump water while driving, whereas most, but not all traditional engines must be put into park to flow water, it depends on the specifications to which the Fire Department wants the vehicle to be built.

This pump-and-roll feature allows the engines to make "running attacks" on vegetation fires, a tactic that can help minimize the rate of spread by having a firefighter walk the edge of a fire with a hose line and the engine trailing close behind.

[4] In the fall of 2007, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group agreed on a set of standards for fire engines used for wildland firefighting in the United States.

[8] The Type 3 is the most popular engine in California due to the difficult road access to wildland fires; Type 3 engines typically have a shorter wheelbase allowing tighter turns on forest roads.

[8] Type 6 Engines are built on a pickup truck frame with a medium duty chassis giving a GVWR of 9,000–16,000 pounds (4,100–7,300 kg).