August 2007

Rosenbauer Articulating Platform Increases Safety Of Firefighters

Rosenbauer launched a new articulating platform that allows fire departments to decrease set-up time and increase firefighter safety when accessing parapet roofs or performing difficult below grade rescues from bridges and waterways.

Offering an aerial height of 102 feet and equipped with a 2,000-gpm pump, 300-gallon water tank, Class A foam and room for 115 feet of ground ladders, the new Rosenbauer-Metz articulating platform helps decrease property loss by setting up in 25 to 30 seconds, according to the manufacturer. Marketed in North America as “T-Rex,” the articulating platform incorporates Metz’s electronic technology for smooth, agile movements.

Since it’s unveiling, three departments have placed T-Rex orders: Cochrane, Alberta, Canada; Chestermere, Alberta, Canada; and Craig, Colo.

Deputy Chief David Humphrey, of the Cochrane Fire Department, notes that safety and ease-of-use were primary reasons for purchasing a T-Rex.

“We’re a combined Fire/EMS department that’s both part-time and full-time, so for some of our personnel, they don’t have the opportunity to work with a specific piece of equipment all day, every day,” Humphrey said. “That’s why we have to choose the next best thing – a piece of equipment that allows our firefighters to become comfortable with it in just a few minutes of routine weekly or monthly training. I was very impressed on how easy the T-Rex was to operate and how safe I felt.”

Humphrey added that another big selling feature is the T-Rex platform collision avoidance feature.

“I waved my arm underneath the basket just before it came to a resting position on the ground,” he said. “The basket sensed my movement and stopped so that the aerial operator knew something was moving underneath. That’s a wonderful feature for any operator to have.”

Craig Rural Fire Protection District purchased its T-Rex because of its ability to provide alternatives to roof access.

“We have a lot of metal roofs and T-Rex gives us several options of not having to put firefighters on these slick surfaces during the winter,” said Craig Deputy Chief Bill Johnston. “Once we compared its ability to operate in a short jack mode on both sides, our work group was sold.”

The T-Rex is National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) compliant as either a platform or a quint device, according to Dave McAlice, Rosenbauer’s aerial sales manager.

He explained the new aerial has a 1,400-pound tip capacity, which translates to four firefighters and 400 pounds of gear, and pivots 96 degrees uninterrupted. The aerial also allows firefighters to secure a Stokes-type rescue basket and has three full-height easy-access gates.

“That’s why we’re calling this our ‘all-purposes aerial,’” McAlice said.

T-Rex is one of two new aerials offered in the Rosenbauer-Metz product line. The “Raptor” is a 102-foot rescue-platform based on the previous L32 model and features a larger cage, advanced electronic controls and also offers the fastest aerial speed in the industry.

In 1998, Rosenbauer purchased German aerial manufacturer Metz. The Metz family started producing fire fighting and rescue equipment in 1842 and by 1924, had designed their first steel aerial. By 1935, the family held a patent on their first hydraulically operated aerial device.

For information call 605-543-5591 or go to www.rosenbaueramerica.com.