A fire chief's vehicle, also called a "chief unit" or a "fire chief's car" or a "fire car", is a car, truck, or SUV that is used by a fire chief at fire scenes. Its specialized markings clearly indicate the Chief's rank, often making it a focal point at a large emergency scene. In the United States fire chiefs' cars tend to be very similar to police cars and are equipped with the same variants: (lightbars or light beacons, sirens, long-range and short-range radio antennas, bumper guards, communications systems, specialized engines, special equipment, etc.). Fire marshals also use very similar vehicles. In most other countries, fire chiefs are rarely assigned their own vehicles, and are expected to travel on ordinary fire engines. Other sedans and small emergency vehicles belonging to a fire service are used by battalion chiefs, public information officers, building inspectors, first responders, safety educators, chaplains, and fire police. Major fire departments in the United States find it efficient to equip Chief officers who respond to emergency incidents in Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV). The SUV, when equipped with a command module at the rear of the vehicle provides a useful command unit for communicating with and tracking incident resources.
