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Truck Update the type 3 prototype – Back to the future Firefighters are starting to evaluate the prototype rear-mounted Type 3 heavy-pumping appliance – with Christchurch crews given the first opportunity to test it out. The prototype, with the pump mounted on the rear instead of in the middle of the chassis, was commissioned because the Fire Service has had difficulty managing the weight restrictions on the front axle of the chassis of the midmount pump. National Advisor Operations, John Sutherland, says New Zealand has a 6,000 kg weight limit on the front axle. “To meet requirements, we’ve had to remove some components or transfer them to the back of the truck.” The rear-mount is used by European and Australian fire services and has greater load-carrying capability and more locker space, including large through-lockers, than the midmount. The New Zealand prototype has a major modification. “We’ve moved the delivery outlets and feeder inlets out to either side of the body to give the pump operator more clear and safer working space in front of the pump panel,” said John. Plenty of room in the side lockers of the rear mount. 10 Issue No. 60 The prototype will spend six months being tested in Christchurch, Auckland, and Wellington and feedback will contribute to the specification of the next evolution. John says Christchurch City Station did the fit out of the prototype in less than a week. “I was just stunned by how quickly the appliance was commissioned,” he said. Christchurch City Station Officer, Steve Warner, has been taking part in the evaluation and says so far it has gone well and the crews are happy with the changed configuration and performance. “We’re using it as the first running appliance out of the station, which is one of the busiest appliances in the country. The additional locker space is very useful and lets us lay out the equipment in ways that make it more accessible. The pump is good to use and the driving is the same as the current Scanias,” he said. The major difference is that crews now have to site the appliance past the fire and with its rear toward the fire – so the pump operator is better protected from traffic. This also gives better access to the deliveries. “For some situations, this is better protection than the mid-mount – which left the operator more exposed if the fire was on the right hand side of the road.” There’s a sense of déjà vu for Steve. “Back when I first joined the Fire Service we used rear-mount appliances and over the years changed to the American-designed mid-mounts.” He says the extra locker space would be particularly useful in its PRT (pump rescue tender) configuration – allowing much more weight to be carried than the mid-mount appliance can tolerate. John Sutherland says the final assessment and design should be known by the end of the year. Rear mount showing the inlets and outlets.
The Levin brigade turns out in force to receive its new truck. Among those at the event were the Minister of Internal Affairs Nathan Guy, National Commander Mike Hall and Region Manager Trevor Brown. number 100 now in service The 100 th Iveco fire appliance has now joined the fleet. When the Levin Volunteer Fire Brigade recently took possession of its new Type 2 Iveco appliance an Australasian representative of Iveco was there to help celebrate its arrival. The Iveco Type 2 is a Fire Service workhorse – suited particularly to small towns and rural areas where the fires are largely in one- and twostorey buildings and where there is strong demand for rescue work. There’ve been some modifications and a facelift for the truck since it was first introduced five years ago and Iveco’s Senior Product Planning Manager, Marco Quaranta, says we can expect to see some more changes in the next few years. “The biggest changes will be to further reduce our impact on the environment,” he said. Increasingly high emissions standards are being The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine introduced in Europe with Euro 6 taking effect in three or four years. Marco says Iveco engineers are working on ways to combine two technologies that will provide lower emissions – EGR (exhaust gas re-circulation) and SCR (selective catalytic reduction). “The result will change the shape of our trucks because adding more technology means the engine gets hotter and needs more cooling so you need a bigger cab to contain it all.” Looking further into the future, Marco predicts that more trucks will be using alternative fuels and storing energy from the sun, or hydraulic pressure. “Fire engines are stationary for a long time and need fast acceleration so I think in 10 or 20 years’ time you Truck Update Iveco’s Marco Quaranta is presented with a firefighter’s helmet by Levin Chief Fire Officer Lindsay Walker. may be using a hydraulic/hybrid drive cylinder which compresses oil to create energy.” Marco says Iveco is already testing a prototype in a rubbish truck in Australia. July 2010 11
Page 1 and 2: July 2010 The New Zealand Fire Serv
Page 3 and 4: Being smokefree saves lives The New
Page 5 and 6: Class A foam and within 10 minutes
Page 7 and 8: Moving to long-life smoke alarms Lo
Page 9: Burn to learn Uncovering the cause
Page 13 and 14: A couple of minutes with... John Su
Page 15 and 16: 2010 Events Events Calendar Calenda

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