He follows that with "it looks like a modern fire truck." Apart from things like GPS and maybe improved radio communication, I'm curious as to what design and feature improvements have come along, considering those in nearly all other modes of transportation over the same period, and the importance they serve. E.g. do firetrucks really need to be that huge? It seems like a huge disadvantage, especially in cities.
How many thousands of gallons of water can a Prius hold? =)
This is a fundamental problem with emergency services. When a major emergency happens, it happens all at once, and you need a lot of manpower and equipment to handle it. All the rest of the time, when more routine emergencies happen, all that manpower and equipment looks like total overkill, and it is, except for being prepared for something huge.
So, yeah, you don't need a truck that can carry thousands of gallons of water to respond to a house fire when there's a hydrant down the street. But you want that truck to be available in case the shit really hits the fan hard, and since you have it, you might as well use it.