Rosenbauer handed over the 100th tank firefighting vehicle with an MT body to the plant fire department of Covestro Deutschland AG at the Brunsbüttel site. The milestone vehicle is a Universal Firefighting Vehicle (Universallöschfahrzeug, ULF) based on a Scania P500 6x2*4 NB, making it the 100th tank firefighting vehicle with an MT body in Germany.
MT stands for Modular Technology and describes a modular construction concept that allows vehicles to be configured individually for each application area - from municipal, industrial, and airport fire departments to fighting forest fires. The body is individually assembled from up to five standardised modules. The pump compartment module for extinguishing technology including foam proportioning system and the tank module for water or foam are always on board. The equipment compartment module for the technical fire equipment, the Rosenbauer proCAB as a crew compartment module for an additional crew of 2 to 7 emergency personnel, and the HRET module with the Rosenbauer STINGER boom can also be added to the body as options. The modules themselves can also be adapted in terms of both length and height depending on the requirements. All modules and the extinguishing technology are manufactured in-house. The extinguishing water tanks come from the Radgona plant in Slovenia, and the module attachment and final assembly of the vehicles takes place on a separate production line in Leonding, Austria.
A key advantage of the modular system is the short delivery times, because the modules can be pre-produced independently of the chassis. Depending on the version, the delivery time for tank firefighting vehicles of the MT series is currently around one year.
"The delivery of the 100th tank firefighting vehicle with MT an body in Germany underscores the successful introduction of our modular concept. In particular, it meets the requirements of industrial customers, who benefit from reliable delivery times. Industrial applications account for around 30% of orders," says Ronald Reisinger, Managing Director of Rosenbauer Deutschland.
The short delivery time was also a deciding factor for the procurement of the new ULF by the Covestro plant fire department. "Rosenbauer's lead time was 14 months, while the two competitors' were 27 and 29 months," reports Leif Strufe, Project Manager at Covestro. In addition, positive experiences with existing Rosenbauer vehicles confirmed the decision. The two existing ULFs in the plant fire department's fleet also come from the global market leader.
1,900 liters of water, 3,000 liters of foam concentrate
The new ULF at Covestro is configured with three modules for equipment, extinguishing agent supplies, and extinguishing technology. The CrewCab from the chassis manufacturer Scania is used as standard for the crew. The vehicle carries 1,900 liters of water and 3,000 liters of foam concentrate.
"The water supply in the 420-hectare industrial park is truly excellent. We only need the amount of water for the initial attack in the vehicle," explains Broder Brandt, Technical Operations Manager and Head of the Technical Division for the plant fire department.
The firefighting pump is an N65 single-stage standard pressure pump that nominally delivers at least 6,500 liters per minute at 10 bar. The foam concentrate is mixed using a HYDROMATIC-800 system. The hydraulically driven and electronically controlled foam proportioning system delivers up to 800 liters per minute at 17 bar. In principle, mixing ratios between 0.5% and 6% are possible. At Covestro, 1% and 3% are used.
First vehicle with front monitor for the Covestro plant fire department
The extinguishing agent can be discharged via the RM 80C roof-mounted monitor (water and foam, up to 9,500 l/min, range 90 meters for foam and 100 meters for water) or the RM 15C front monitor (water and foam, up to 2,000 l/min, range 47 meters and 70 meters).
The fire engine at the Covestro plant fire department is the first to be equipped with a front monitor. In conjunction with the roof monitor, this makes it possible to construct a water curtain, for example for gas leaks. Handheld nozzles and foam nozzles can also be used for conventional firefighting.
In the future, the new ULF will be deployed as the first-response vehicle in the industrial park. Other equipment includes a 5-ton winch on the front bumper and extra equipment for technical rescue operations, including battery-powered cutters and spreaders, and equipment for rescue operations at heights and depths.
A permanently mounted thermal imaging camera on the roof of the cab allows the detection of hydrogen fires as soon as they arrive at the scene. Given the increasing use of hydrogen as an energy source, it supports the emergency services in the event of fires that are barely visible to the eye.
Workplace safety is a top priority
Workplace safety is very important throughout the facility and was also a key factor when choosing the chassis. The crash-tested crew cabin has airbags fitted for every seat.
A Bird's Eye View system and a rear-view camera offer additional security when maneuvering. Distinctive yellow hatching at the rear and front increases the visibility of the vehicle. With around 25,000 truck movements per year in the Brunsbüttel industrial park, stringent requirements are required for both active and passive vehicle safety.
At the Brunsbüttel site, around 1,200 employees of Covestro and partner companies produce upstream products for rigid foams and other plastics. The plant fire department currently has 55 emergency personnel.