---
title: "How loud is a fire truck?"
description: "A fire truck reaches 110–129 dB. How that compares to other things, and where the number comes from."
url: https://atoneplace.net/loud/fire-truck/
site: "At One Place"
---

# How loud is a fire truck?

**Typical loudness: 110–129 dB**

A firefighting vehicle carrying a pump, hose and water, or an aerial ladder or platform.

> NIDCD puts sirens at 110-129 dBA close to the source.

## How that compares

*Fire truck against things of a similar loudness.*

- Fire truck: 110–129 dB
- Ambulance: 110–129 dB
- Chainsaw: 100–115 dB
- Drum kit: 95–115 dB
- Jackhammer: 95–115 dB
- Church bell: 90–120 dB
- Motorcycle: 80–110 dB
- Blender: 80–95 dB

## How long you can safely listen

Immediately damaging — hearing protection is required for any exposure.

Decibels are logarithmic, which makes the intuitive arithmetic wrong in a way worth knowing: every 10 dB is ten times the sound energy, and two identical sources together are 3 dB louder than one — not double. So two 70 dB fans are 73 dB, not 140 dB.

> Levels are measured at roughly one metre unless stated otherwise. Sound falls off with distance — about 6 dB per doubling — so the same appliance is noticeably quieter across a room than beside your ear.

## More about a fire truck

- [How much does a fire truck weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/fire-truck/) — 14,000–36,000 kg
- [How much does a fire truck cost?](https://atoneplace.net/cost/fire-truck/) — 500,000–2,200,000 $
- [Fire truck vs Semi truck](https://atoneplace.net/vs/fire-truck-vs-semi-truck/) — Side by side
- [Fire truck vs City bus](https://atoneplace.net/vs/city-bus-vs-fire-truck/) — Side by side
- [Fire truck vs Garbage truck](https://atoneplace.net/vs/fire-truck-vs-garbage-truck/) — Side by side
- [Fire truck vs Concrete mixer truck](https://atoneplace.net/vs/concrete-mixer-truck-vs-fire-truck/) — Side by side
- [Fire truck vs School bus](https://atoneplace.net/vs/fire-truck-vs-school-bus/) — Side by side

## Common questions

### How loud is a fire truck?

A fire truck reaches 110–129 dB. NIDCD puts sirens at 110-129 dBA close to the source.

## Related pages

- [How much does a fire truck weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/fire-truck/)
- [How much does a fire truck cost?](https://atoneplace.net/cost/fire-truck/)
- [How loud is a motorcycle?](https://atoneplace.net/loud/motorcycle/)
- [How loud is a ambulance?](https://atoneplace.net/loud/ambulance/)
- [Fire truck vs Semi truck](https://atoneplace.net/vs/fire-truck-vs-semi-truck/)
- [Fire truck vs City bus](https://atoneplace.net/vs/city-bus-vs-fire-truck/)
- [Fire truck vs Garbage truck](https://atoneplace.net/vs/fire-truck-vs-garbage-truck/)
- [Fire truck vs Concrete mixer truck](https://atoneplace.net/vs/concrete-mixer-truck-vs-fire-truck/)
- [Fire truck vs School bus](https://atoneplace.net/vs/fire-truck-vs-school-bus/)

## Sources

- Noise-Induced Hearing Loss — National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noise-induced-hearing-loss) [Public domain (US Government)]
- What Noises Cause Hearing Loss? — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/what_noises_cause_hearing_loss.html) [Public domain (US Government)]
- Occupational Noise Exposure — Occupational Safety and Health Administration (https://www.osha.gov/noise) [Public domain (US Government)]