The Fitchburg Fire Department operates four engines (pumpers), one ladder tower, one heavy rescue squad, two water tenders, one utility/support unit, two wildland vehicles, and seven command/staff cars.

The current color scheme for department apparatus is white over dark forest green with green and white reflective striping. This color scheme was adopted starting with the delivery of the heavy rescue squad in November 2000. Staff vehicles are white with green reflective striping. Previous vehicle color schemes have included white over lime-yellow and all white.

Each fire house is assigned two engines (one front line, one reserve), a truck company (ladder or squad), a tender and at least one staff car. Dane County's Command Vehicle (DCCV1) is housed at Fire House No. 2 along with a Fitch-Rona EMS ambulance. The remaining apparatus are kept at Fire House No. 1.

Apparatus is replaced on a regular basis depending on its type. Engines are replaced every ten years and staff vehicles every seven years because of the frequency that they respond calls. The remaining vehicles typically remain in service with the department for 20 years before being replaced.

Retired Apparatus

Vehicle Designations
To prevent confusion on the radio, fire departments in Dane County use the following naming scheme to designate their vehicles:

Engine: a vehicle with a water pump, water tank and hose for fighting fires
Ladder: a vehicle with an aerial device (straight ladder, elevating platform, articulating boom, etc.) which may also have a pumper, water tank and hose.
Squad: a vehicle that carries specialized firefighting and rescue equipment
Tender: (Prior to 2009, this was called a "Tanker"): a vehicle equipped with a large water tank for supplying water to rural emergency scenes
Brush: a vehicle designed for off-road fire suppression activities
Utility: a vehicle that carries support equipment
Car: any staff vehicle
Atv: an all-terrain vehicle that may have fire, rescue, and/or EMS capabilities
Rescue: an ambulance of basic life support care level
Medic: an ambulance of advanced life support care level

All units also are assigned a numeric designation that follows the type designation (i.e. “ENGINE 1”). The numbering is generally at the discretion of the agency. In Fitchburg, front line vehicles are numbered based on their assigned station. Reserve units have a two-digit variant based on the assigned station (i.e. “ENGINE 11”). Staff vehicles, which are not assigned to specific stations, use a sequential number; a single digit for emergency radio designation (i.e. “CAR 1”) and two digits for internal, non-emergency designation (i.e. “CAR 21”).

Fitchburg also uses a naming scheme for maintenance purposes which combines the unit type with the year that the vehicle (i.e. “ENGINE 99”) was delivered to the department. This alternative scheme is used because apparatus is occasionally reassigned to the stations; this “permanent” name helps keep maintenance and other records with the vehicle.