If you see people taking out their cell phone around Syracuse fire scenes, it may not be for the reason you expect.

Each apparatus in the Syracuse Fire Department’s fleet is now adorned with a QR code, a scannable bar code, that will take visitors to the Syracuse Fire Department webpage.

Chief Mark McLees says he got the idea from another fire department, and implemented it on the apparatus as a way to connect with the younger generation who don smartphones.

As he demonstrated from his office in the Public Safety Building, the size of the QR code on the truck will allow it to be scanned from eight to ten feet away. The web site that will open includes important notes from the fire department, as well as listings of fire houses and other contact information.