Officer Seat
What most people refer to the passenger seat is called the officer seat on an engine. The officer of the engine is either an actual officer or the most senior of the firefighters on the vehicle. The officer is in charge of the vehicle and the personnel on that vehicle and is responsible for all actions taken by the crew. The officer relays the directions to the call by using the map book on the dashboard and equips himself with the portable radios also mounted on the dashboard. The orange flashlight is a heavy duty rechargeable flashlight with an adjustable beam.
The inside controls are mostly operated by the officer including the radio (orange display) for letting the dispatcher know the engine is going to or coming from a call. The lower row of white/green switches are the exterior emergency lights and the box right above those is the electronic siren. The two rows of lights and switches are various other items including emergency system warning lights and lighting for the ground which is needed at incidents.