What do firefighters use to rescue people?

Answer 1

It depends upon what kind of fire it is and where it is located.

In many cases, firefighters have easy access to water and a fire is comprised of ordinary combustible materials that can be extinguished using water.

However, some types of fires would react violently with water and different types of fire extinguishers have been invented to address this. Look at Class B, C, D, K extinguishers for more information about these other types of fires.

In wildfire situations, where water is scarce or very expensive to move, firefighters use hand tools, chainsaws, and perhaps bulldozers to stop a fire using a "fuel break". By separating the burning fuel from the unburned, the fire will eventually run out of fuel and stop, if the separation is large enough.

Fire retardant may also be dropped from aircraft onto fires in remote places, cooling the fire and making it more difficult for the fire to spread to other coated materials.

Answer 2

Firefighters can enter buildings to rescue trapped people, and they also use truck-mounted ladders and bucket lifts ("cherry pickers").