Rosenbauer FIRE TRUCKS AND VEHICLES

Want to know an easy way to judge the quality of a fire department? Look at how much they train. Career, volunteer or combination, fire departments become successful through training. Yet all training is not equal. Focus too much on hands-on training (HOT) and you could be missing important legal and compliance updates. Lean heavily on web-based training and you may fail to identify shortcomings in skills proficiencies. Keep students confined to a classroom and you may lose their interest quickly. Not surprisingly, a balance of all three types of training is needed to produce competent, empowered firefighters. For this article, I was challenged to think about what’s missing from our current fire training programs. As I thought about the varied way we approach fire training, three issues jumped out at me. Base training on facts and statistics Take advantage of new technologies Incorporate policy into your training   Your training program should also be strong in the types of calls you respond to most Base Training On Facts And Statistics If your department has a robust training program, outlined by a calendar of various topics and employing a mix of HOT, online and classroom training, you’re ahead of the curve. But even in departments with well-developed training programs, training is often based on preference or habit, not data. Think about the topics in your training program. Do you know why they’re included? Do they match your call make-up? Are they targeting specific skill shortcomings? (And yes, we all have them!)What’s missing from many fire department training programs is a detailed needs assessment What’s missing from many fire department training programs is a detailed needs assessment that in turn establishes a factual basis for the year’s training topics. The needs assessment should include: Surveying the members to determine the types of training they want or feel they need. Measuring firefighter proficiency on basic tasks, such as NFPA 1403 drills, NFPA 1710 drills and EMS patient assessment skills audits, to assess personnel by mandate or by industry best practice. This will identify skills deficiencies to address through training. Incorporating call volume statistics and details. A significant percentage of the calls fire departments respond to are EMS and vehicle extrication But I’d venture to guess the training programs of most departments don’t match those percentages. Yes, you need to train for the high-risk, low-frequency tasks. But your training program should also be strong in the types of calls you respond to most. Incorporating these “facts and stats” into your training program will help you keep it fresh, relevant and interesting. Firefighters can use their phones and tablets to access department training information and complete training assignments Take Advantage Of New Technologies There is something to be said for back-to-the-basics, keep-it-simple firefighter training. But it’s a mistake to ignore technological advances. From teaching safe apparatus backing procedures to practicing hoseline deployment and Vent/Enter/Isolate/Search (VEIS) tactics, instructors have more options than ever before. Some instructors regard simulators as second-rate to “the real thing.” Certainly, simulation and other forms of technology-driven instruction can’t replace the value of hands-on experience. But they can augment it in important ways. Driver simulators, for example, not only save money because apparatus don’t have to be taken out of service or sustain wear and tear; they also provide an environment where firefighters can learn without risk of injury. If sitting behind a computer isn’t your kind of thing, live-burn simulators, vehicle fire simulators and hazmat simulators are available—and they all significantly boost training efficiency.Technology will never replace hands-on instruction, but it can facilitate it But you don’t need fancy simulators to incorporate technology into your fire training program. Learning management systems (LMS) are another important tool that can increase training program efficiency. Although they’ve been around for a long time, LMS continue to improve. The ability to integrate with mobile devices is huge, allowing firefighters to use their phones and tablets to access department training information and complete training assignments. Leveraging this technology can allow you to more efficiently manage information, schedule training and free up valuable time needed for other important tasks. If you’ve attended some of the larger regional or national fire conferences recently, you may have had the opportunity to see audience response technology in action. By capturing the firefighters’ responses to questions in real-time, instructors can adjust the material to reflect students’ knowledge level. Audience response is also simply a great way to keep firefighters engaged. Technology will never replace hands-on instruction, but it can facilitate it. If you’re using training methods that haven’t changed in decades, something’s missing from your training program.   Without incorporating policy into your training, you’re only giving your firefighters half the equation Incorporate Policy Into Your Training I saved the biggest and best for last. When I work with fire departments across the country, I repeatedly discover the failure to incorporate policy into training. Think about it: Training curricula are almost always designed around procedures—the how of doing something. But isn’t the why just as important? And that’s what policy is all about. Without incorporating policy into your training, you’re only giving your firefighters half the equation.Inevitably firefighters will encounter times when following the procedure isn’t possible Inevitably firefighters will encounter times when following the procedure isn’t possible. That’s when policy training kicks in—firefighters understand the fundamental objective, and they can think on their feet about how to achieve it. Training on policy also helps departments address the issues that so often get firefighters into trouble. How many of your firefighters really understand your department’s social media policy? What about the rules surrounding sick time usage? These are things that trip up firefighters time and time again. If you’re not training on policies, it’s unlikely firefighters remember them. How many of your firefighters really understand your department’s social media policy? In addition, normalization of deviance is a risk to every organization. When personnel fail to follow policies and no negative repercussions result, it can quickly establish a new normal. Policy-based training resets the “normal” and makes sure that members of the organization comply with the policy and not what they think the policy says.Most line-of-duty death reports cite failure to comply with policy or lack of adequate policy Fire instructors often avoid training on policy because they regard it as boring or unrelated to what really matters—firefighter safety and survival. Yet most line-of-duty death reports cite failure to comply with policy or lack of adequate policy as contributing factors in the incident. If you’re worried that policy will make your training program dry and uninteresting, link it to real-world events. An online search provides lots of examples of when things went wrong and how adherence to policy might have produced a different outcome. And limit policy training to small chunks. Take out a 10-page policy and go through it line by line, and your students’ eyes will glaze over in seconds. Instead, look for ways to enrich your current training by bringing relevant pieces of policy into it. Your firefighters will be learning the department’s policies without even realizing it! Focus On Continuous Improvement Fire chiefs and fire instructors have a challenging job. Budgets are tight, and training is often one of the first things to be cut. Yet we need firefighters to be proficient in all-hazards response. Every department has a long training wish list. But if we focus on continuous quality improvement, we can get a little better each year. Looking for opportunities to incorporate statistics, technology and policy into our training is a good place to start.

Within traditional commercial and industrial firefighting systems, engineers have primarily focused on permanent installation designs rather than entertaining alternative or supplemental mobile firefighting systems. Permanent installation design is typically better understood, supported, and supplied throughout the fire protection engineering and manufacturing community. However, mobile firefighting systems provide unique solutions and advantages compared to their permanent installation cousins such as flexible deployment, simpler servicing, improved economy, and much higher performance availability. The combination of both systems is frequently the most strategic solution for the facility operator. Limitations of fixed installation systems Permanent installation (fixed) systems include everything from sprinklers, foam systems, primary watermain pumps, and the plethora of piping in between. A large refinery complex will need to address various hazard mitigation and control problems that span both hardware and personnel needs. In the event standard hazard mitigation safety procedures and equipment have failed, the facility immediately initiates a hazard control operation. Passive fixed systems automatically engage the hazard through an array of sensors, mechanical triggers, and control algorithms. A properly designed system with adequate hazard coverage, preplanning, preventative maintenance, and testing will successfully terminate the hazard, while firefighting personnel respond and ensure no further hazards develop. This conceptual approach relies on hardware and personnel all operating as planned…. Combining permanent and mobile apparatus “According to plan” would never have any failures or fires, but history has a different script. In the worst-case petrochemical scenario, fixed systems fail to extinguish a hazard putting the entire response on human and mobile hardware resources. This would include but is not limited to firetrucks, mobile high-flow pumping systems, large mobile monitors, foam proportioning units, and large diameter layflat hose. This type of response escalates into a larger scale operation, sometimes involving agencies beyond the facility operator itself. Although a low probability event, the risk to life and property is significantly substantial. Fixed systems may be rendered inoperable due to the loss of electrical power or actual physical damage Reducing fire-related expenditureMore typical than the worst-case scenario, facilities experience both maintenance-related system downtimes and natural phenomena damage such as extreme weather and seismic events. In this case, fixed systems may be rendered inoperable due to the loss of electrical power or actual physical damage. In any of these situations, mobile fire apparatus may fill the gap requirements of the facility as their flexible storage and deployment would protect them from everything but the worst natural disasters. Their further benefit is that a smaller set of mobile apparatus resources may be used to protect a larger amount of infrastructure, especially while in use in a mutual-aid program between facilities and communities. According to the NFPA’s report “Total Cost of Fire in the United States”, fire-related damages and expenditures from 1980 to 2014 have risen from roughly $200B (adjusted for inflation to 2014) to nearly $330B. The greatest expenditure is in fire safety costs in building construction, amounting to $57.4B. Although the overall losses per year as a ratio to protection expenditures has dropped by roughly 70% over the past 30 years, petrochemical facility losses have continued to rise over the same time. In the worst-case petrochemical scenario, fixed systems fail to extinguish a hazard  Petrochemical facility challenges According to the NFPA, refineries or natural gas plants had reported an average of 228 fires or explosions per year through the 1990s. Furthering this data with Marsh’s “100 Largest Losses, 25th edition”, refinery losses have continually expanded throughout the last two decades with 11 of the top 20 largest losses of the past 40 years happening during or after the year 2000. Two primary drivers of this trend are the advanced age of petrochemical facilities and their staggering complexity. As oil margins fall, upstream operational businesses are detrimentally affected by reduced investment in everything to new equipment, maintenance and passive safety systems. There is an observable correlation between a major oil price drop followed by upstream facility fire losses. Even with reduced investment and oil throughput growth rates, US refinery utilisation at the end 2017 was at 96.7%, the highest since 2005 (Marsh, The Impact of the Price of Oil). The short story is that systems and personnel are being asked to do more with less with each passing year. Cost-effective mobile apparatus systems  Mobile fire apparatus is generally more cost-effective to procure when using standardised designs and application methodology. They can access open water sources by either drafting (when in close proximity to the water) or using floating source pumps (for variable level or difficult access water sources). Mobile fire apparatus is generally more cost-effective to procure when using standardized designs and application methodology With this open water access, they can provide significantly more water (upwards of 10,000 GPM or more per system if necessary) than any typical fixed fire pumping solution. Moreover, as their primary benefit, they are easy to move and deploy. This benefit allows them to be utilised at the point of hazard as needed while being easily accessible for service. While fixed systems are installed at “every known” hazard and must be continually maintained to operate effectively, mobile systems may be used sitewide or across facilities. This flexibility reduces overall capital expenditure requirements and establishes a valuable primary and secondary firefighting system depending on the hazard and facility resources. Combining fixed and mobile systems Permanent installation fire suppression systems are a mainstay of modern day firefighting. They provide immediate passive response with little human intervention. However, as facility utilisation is pushed to maximum capacity while fixed systems continually age out without adequate replacement or maintenance, mobile systems will need to both fill the response gap and provide a final wall to total loss incidents. The reality is that both fixed and mobile systems need to work together to provide the safest possible operation. Service and training requirements need to also be maintained to manage an adequate, or even better, exemplary response to hazard control incidents. Managing major facility uptime requires continuous oversight and to drive hazard mitigation standards throughout the organisation, including executive management. A safe, reliable and fully-functional plant is also a profitable and cost-effective plant much like a healthy worker is a better worker. Protect your people and property and you will protecting your company’s future.

Rosenbauer International AG, a company of the Rosenbauer Group, and Brandweer Amsterdam Amstelland will be working together on the ongoing development of a new range-extended electrical fire truck over the next two years. The aim of the innovation partnership is to subject the underlying approach of Rosenbauer’s Concept Fire Truck (CFT) to comprehensive practical testing and to analyze its performance in day-to-day operations on the narrow streets of the Dutch capital. Following an implementation phase, the project will begin with the handover of the pre-series vehicle based on the CFT as of the end of 2020. With Berlin, Amsterdam is therefore the second European capital whose fire department is preparing for the integration of a hybrid fire truck in practice. state of the art technology Only by testing equipment in tough circumstances, we will learn how they can fulfil our objectivism" According to its “Clean Air” action plan, Amsterdam has resolved a law that will ban trucks, buses and taxis with combustion engines from entering the municipal area from 2025. A similar ban on private cars with combustion engines will also come into effect in 2030. “This new fire truck might make the fire department of Amsterdam-Amstelland fit for the future. The new possibilities of this range-extended electrical vehicle are appealing. We not only will have state of the art technology and real time information at our disposal. We also contribute to a better environment, since an electrical fire truck is a first step towards an emission-free fire department, our collective goal for 2030”, said Tijs van Lieshout, commander of the Fire Department of Amsterdam-Amstelland. real-life operations “I look forward to this partnership. Only by testing equipment in tough circumstances, we will learn how they can fulfil our objectivism. Our professionals deserve the best equipment in order to conduct their important duties in the safest manner possible. I am delighted by the innovation partnership with the Amsterdam fire department. It is yet another gratifying confirmation of our intensive development work to date,” said Dieter Siegel, CEO of Rosenbauer International. “Working together, we are creating an optimal pre-series vehicle that will be thoroughly put through its paces, while at the same time acquiring practical knowledge of how to ideally integrate it into real-life operations. The city of Amsterdam, with its narrow streets and canals, is the ideal test environment for this.”

m-u-t GmbH, globally renowned company in the field of photonics and part of the Nynomic Group, and Rosenbauer Brandschutz GmbH, a company of the Rosenbauer Group, have gotten off to a flying start with the market launch of IGNIS3D. This highly innovative infrared camera system for early fire detection is the first result of a strategic innovation partnership between the two security companies. It employs long-wave infrared video technology for contactless surface temperature measuring. IGNIS3D is marketed under the Rosenbauer brand. IGNIS3D infrared camera system IGNIS3D infrared camera system measures 3D information using ingenious laser range finding As the world's first camera system of its kind, the IGNIS3D infrared camera system measures three-dimensional information using ingenious laser range finding, and subsequently uses this information to precisely cool down potential hazards. Fabian Peters, Managing Director of m-u-t GmbH, said "We are delighted to have gained a proven specialist and important cooperation partner in the Rosenbauer Group, a global manufacturer of firefighting technology for preventive and defensive firefighting and disaster control. With our many years of experience in developing customer-specific solutions and series production of products for early fire detection, we are an ideal partner for Rosenbauer." Early fire detection system Hubert Heissl, Managing Director of Rosenbauer Brandschutz, said "Our products are used across the globe. Rosenbauer, as a long-standing global market leader and full service provider in fire protection, and m-u-t, with its unique technological expertise, are a perfect match. Together, we hope to play a key role in making early fire detection systems an even more prominent part of preventive fire protection." M-U-T GmbH is a globally renowned company in the field of photonics and part of the Nynomic Group, and Rosenbauer Brandschutz GmbH, is a company of the Rosenbauer International AG Group, and specializes in fire detection and safety systems.

Rosenbauer has expanded its FANERGY series with a practical cordless device. The new high-performance FANERGY B16 fan is powered by an environmentally friendly and very efficient electric motor that causes no exhaust emissions, and the noise level at the point of use is also significantly minimized. Two lithium-ion batteries supply the 1.25 kW synchronous motor from 40 cells and provide a carrier capacity of 2 x 11.6 amp-hours. This allows operating times of at least 60 minutes at full speed before replacing the batteries with the quick-change system or connecting an external power source. The high-performance fan can be operated uninterrupted and permanently when connected with the power cord. Ergonomic handling, intuitive operation With its compact dimensions, the new FANERGY B16 fits into any equipment room and at just under 25 kg, is lightweight With its compact dimensions, the new FANERGY B16 fits into any equipment room and - at just under 25 kilograms - is lightweight and can easily be carried and set up by one person. The deliberately simple and sturdy steel tube frame has good haptic qualities and ensures perfect handling of the device both when removing it from the vehicle and when carrying it to the place of use or via a staircase. The high-performance fan is operated via the uniform Rosenbauer Logic Control System (LCS) to prevent mistakes from happening even in stressful situations. It consists of only one button for switching on, one for switching off, and a digital potentiometer to regulate the engine speed and thus the air outlet quantity. Boost mode can be activated for short-term increases in power requirements, which is permanently available during mains operation. Tactical, adjustable ventilation Like all FANERGY high-performance fans, the new battery-powered B16 fan has a ventilation unit that can be adjusted continuously between + 20 degrees and -20 degrees. The generous tilt angle provides maximum flexibility and efficiency and provides an optimal, preset ventilation position for most firefighting situations. With a +20 degree inclination angle, the airflow can enter a building unhindered and with little loss when placed on entrance steps or pedestals, while the -20 degree setting is particularly well-suited for removing smoke from stairs going up (basements) or light wells. The special design of the FANERGY fan unit (all-in-one airflow technology) ensures a very even and powerful air flow with an optimized suction behavior and flow pattern. In addition, it combines different fan technologies and concepts such as overpressure or turbo ventilation in one device. FANERGY high-performance fans can therefore be used very flexibly and for any kind of tactical ventilation. The new battery-powered fan is also immediately ready for use, which can accelerate rescue and extinguishing measures and significantly increase the safety of all involved. Mobile powered high-performance fan Mobile battery-powered high-performance fan with all-in-one airflow technology Air outlet diameter: 16“ (410 mm) Drive: permanent magnet synchronous motor Performance: 1,250 Watt Batteries: 2 x lithium-ion batteries with quick-change system Rated voltage: 36 V Capacity: 2 x 11.6 Ah Charge: 24 VDC or 110/230 V - 50/60 Hz Dimensions (W x D x H): 520 x 650 x 355 mm Weight: < 25 kg Accessories: power supply (Schuko, NEMA, British Standard, CEE, Switzerland), replacement batteries, all accessories from the FANERGY series