History and Usage
The first quint was patented in 1912 by Metz Aerials, a German-based fire and rescue apparatus manufacturer. Soon after the revolutionary invention, North America-based manufacturers, such as American LaFrance (1935 or earlier) and Seagrave (1940 or earlier), began to produce quints.
While quints have been used to a limited extent since their invention, they became more popular in the 1990s, especially with smaller departments that were not able to properly staff both an engine and a ladder on many calls. Many fire departments in the United States needed budget cuts in the 1990s, which led to the use of quints. Although quints are more expensive than either apparatus separately, and do require more staffing to carry out all their operations, the fact that they are a combination of ladder and an engine allows some departments to carry out operations more efficiently. Still, many departments find them to be unsuitable for various reasons. The decision to use a quint depends on many factors, including fire department location, size, volunteer/combination/career status, and budget.
Read more about this topic: Quint (fire Apparatus)
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