Swedish design challenge
Published: 02 April, 2009
Stenungsund in southern Sweden was once an idyllic seaside town that attracted visitors from all over Scandinavia. However, since the 1950’s the place has been transformed into the hub of the Swedish oil and gas industry, with companies such as Borealis, Perstop and Akzo Nobel.
In charge of safety in the industrial area is the Stenungsund municipal fire department, who decided it needed more resources to face industrial incidents. Stenungsund required an ultra-modern vehicle that could deal with industry emergencies as well as perform in a more conventional municipal environment.
The industrial companies based in the industrial area offered to finance a new truck, and Austrian vehicle manufacturer Rosenbauer was involved in the process. After initial talks with the brigade in 2000, the vehicle manufacturer went straight to the drawing board, and started on the design of what would be one of the most unusual designs they had ever created for a municipal brigade. It was another six years before the final design was completed and the order awarded to Rosenbauer.
The design of this vehicle was a considerable challenge, reveals Wolfgang Voraberger, Regional Sales Manager Northern Europe for Rosenbauer. “When we first talked to the Stenungsund fire brigade their requirements indicated that this vehicle should have the capabilities of three different types of vehicles in one. The brigade had not considered road regulations and they expected a pump performance not physically viable on a commercial chassis. However, after several discussions we were able to come to a solution that satisfied their requirements and complied with Swedish regulations.”
The vehicle was built on a Scania chassis with an axle base of 6X2X4 with rear axle steering, a 4,000 litre watertank a 1,000 litre class A foam tank, and 500 kg of dry powder.
The cab was kept very small (1+1) on purpose, because the brigade does not have a large number of personnel. The most remarkable aspect, however, is the 15-metre High Reach Extendable Turret (HRET), manufactured by Crash Rescue. Radio remote controlled, personnel can operate the boom from a distance of maximum 300 metres, making the life of a firefighter substantially safer. This boom is used to extinguish fire in high-rise industrial installations. Voraberger adds that the remote control is a standard aspect on all of Rosenbauer’s industrial vehicles, as well as being completely explosion proof (ATEX certified). And all necessary functions to operate the boom and the nozzle functions – such as the main water, foam and dry powder valves – are incorporated in the portable control panel.
Attached to the extendable turret is a top mounted nozzle with an output of 4,000 lpm that can swivel 180° and can be fully elevated and depressed by the remote control. The top turret is also connected to the dry powder unit.
In order to provide an excellent overview of the incident, and to enable the logging of incidents, a compact colour camera has been mounted on the HRET. This camera has been specifically designed for Nordic climates (-40 to 75 °C), as well as being robust and shockproof.
The second turret, located on the roof of the vehicle, has a capacity of 5,000 lpm, and according to Voraberger it is mainly used for cooling purposes. This deck monitor can also be controlled by remote control.
Ensuring performance whilst maintaining compliance was a definite challenge on this vehicle, recalls Voraberger. “We had to reduce the requested tank capacity in order to comply with road regulations in Sweden. Luckily, we have a local partner, who helped us cover all the necessary regulations. Technical performance was ensured by clear communication with the Stenungsund Fire Department.
“This vehicle is one of its kind, and what makes it so special is the combination of the HRET and the foam system on the rear of the vehicle, which is built on a commercial chassis. Usually, we only have a very small number of industrial clients who require such a vehicle.”
