Most winches, regardless of the drive type, will have a free wheel mode, if you need it. However, there is no reason a hydraulic winch HAS to freewheel out. If your running a solenoid valve to control the flow, all you have to do is use a double acting valve to allow reversal of the motor.
If you plan to do a lot of high duty cycle work, then a hydraulic will definitely be your best bet as many can run off a simple power steering pump. I would imagine on a fire truck you'd be able to drive off a PTO pump a lot easier.
That said, a worm gear winch is typically going to put less stress on the motor than a planetary type. I've got an 8000 lb, worm gear drive, Warn on my old Jeep J10. I've used it long and hard without ever having any problems. Once I used it to get am 806 International, with a full bailer, unstuck. I got the combination moved enough to unhook the bailer, and then got the tractor out. From there I shifted position, tied the rear bumper to a tree, and drug the bailer nearly 100 yards uphill. All of this happened over about a 2-3 hour time span. The winch is still going strong.
On the hydraulic side, take a look at the link below. Braden, now apparently Paccar, has been making hydraulic winches for a long time. Something like the AU8, which has a free wheel capability, would be the type you probably need. They can also be set up with a long shaft off one end to allow it's use, with ropes, as a capstan if you need that capability.
That all said, if I was going to choose a winch for the type use ya'll need it for, I'd go with a worm drive, regardless of the drive. I say this because a worm drive, by design, is typically going to be self locking. In other words, the cut of the gear teeth work together in such a way that it doesn't need a brake to keep it from freewheeling when in gear, unlike a planetary style winch will always need a brake.
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Today's Featured Article - History of the Nuffield Tractor - by Anthony West. The Nuffield tractor story started in early 1945. The British government still reeling from the effects of the war on the economy, approached the Nuffield organization to see if they would design and build an "ALL NEW" British built wheeled tractor, suitable for both British and world farming.
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