Behind the Badge
The world’s first electric fire truck (EFT) stopped at the North Net training facility in Anaheim recently to give Anaheim Fire & Rescue personnel a look into the future.
Flown in from Austria, the vehicle traveled 5,000 plus miles to mark its U.S. debut.
“We brought our ideas and technologies together to create something which is unique and is fit for the future,” said Rosenbauer Marketing Director Michael Friedmann. “Looking at the push towards zero emissions, we came up with this solution, then Rosenbauer created the concept for the EFT, and Velocity helped build it.”
A series hybrid electric fire truck makes its way around the North Net Training Center in Anaheim during a demonstration.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
Friedman said Rosenbauer wanted to provide firefighters with all the necessary fire service functions, while furthering the truck’s ergonomic, universal, and environmentally friendly details.
The EFT spent the day at North Net on December 5 showcasing its offerings while giving visiting fire agencies a tour of the truck and ride in the vehicle.
“It was cool because I thought with this truck you probably couldn’t pump water for very long,” Anaheim Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Chad Thompson said. “But I found out that it does have that capability because it has a diesel generator which will keep recharging the batteries, which is neat.”
Steve John of Rosenbauer International shows off storage area possibilities on a new prototype series hybrid electric fire truck being demonstrated at the North Net Fire Training Center.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
The 38,000-pound EFT is fully electric but is equipped with a diesel range extender, 2350kW (475 hp) of electrical power, a Rosenbauer NH35 pump, a 1,200-liter water tank, and reaches a top speed of about 70 miles per hour.
The truck can run for approximately two hours before needing a recharge or tapping into the diesel range extender.
The cockpit features conference-style seating with tunable driver and commander seats.
Steve John of Rosenbauer International drives a series hybrid electric fire truck around the North Net Training Center for a demonstration.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
The truck’s central command system is run off a tablet and because the EFT is low or with zero emissions there is excellent noise insulation inside the cabin.
“It’s so quiet it sounds you’re driving in a Tesla,” Thompson said.
An additional unique feature of the EFT is the ground clearance which is adjustable at six, 10, or 21 inches.
A few other features include remote control vehicle functions, smaller turning radius, driving assistance, object recognition, integrated lighting, and an electronic mirror system.
Steve John of Rosenbauer International demonstrates a prototype remote control crawler designed for firefighting and capable of taking a firehose closer to a fire without endangering a firefighter.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
In addition to the EFT, Rosenbauer also brought its Crawler on tour.
The Crawler is a rover that has an interchangeable module on top.
“The Crawler is just the bottom part that moves around but the top module is interchangeable,” said Steve John, Rosenbauer project specialist. “For example, maybe I’ll have a module which has a rubber arm to grab and extract people from a very hazardous environment, or I could attach a FLIR (forward-looking infrared) camera and see what’s going on inside a fire. Firefighters are valuable so it’s all created to try to keep them safe, send in the crawler and not a person.”
From left, Anaheim Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Michael Byard, Division Chief Kevin Stewart and Battalion Chief Chad Thompson with a prototype remote control firefighter crawler and a prototype series hybrid electric fire truck behind them that is being looked over for possible future improvements to the agency.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
While the EFT won’t currently be implemented in Anaheim, the firefighters expressed appreciation to receive a first-hand look at the new innovative technology.
