At the press conference in Ulm on 24th and 25th September 2020, Magirus demonstrates its comprehensive expertise and many years of know-how, especially in the field of off-road and forest fire solutions. The company presents numerous innovations and world firsts on both days. Magirus CEO Marc Diening summarises the direction as follows: “Today we are presenting our solutions for the special requirements of off-road operations, which fire departments and other emergency services are increasingly experiencing today and will continue to do in the future. Especially for vegetation fire-fighting, we are presenting ideas and concepts for the future based on our decades of international experience in this field, all of which are available right now, safe and reliably ready for use.”
FireBull: Maximum extinguishing power in places others cannot even reach
The launch of the Magirus FireBull takes place on Friday at the company’s own test site. The tracked fire engine, which is ready for series production, was built on a “PowerBully” caterpillar chassis from Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug AG - one of the world market leaders in tracked vehicles. Thanks to its high payload with low ground pressure - and a fording depth of 1,400 mm, it can be used not only in impassable terrain but also on moors and in swampy areas. In addition to a 10,000 litre extinguishing agent tank, the AirCore extinguishing turbine with a capacity of up to 3,500 litres per minute as well as equipment spaces for loading specific equipment are available in the AirCore version. The PowerBully 18 T chassis has a gross vehicle weight of 30,000 kg. With an operating weight of around 26 tonnes, the vehicle has sufficient spare capacity for individual needs and equipment Where wheeled vehicles reach their limits, the caterpillar drive provides the necessary agility combined with a high level of driving comfort - regardless of the surface.
TLF AirCore: Mobile, turbine-supported fire-fighting in all terrain
Magirus demonstrates a total of three new vehicles in which the highly efficient AirCore water mist technology is used. With the new TLF AirCore, Magirus combines the extinguishing turbine on a lifting device, a tank with 3,500 litres of extinguishing agent and the all-terrain Iveco Eurocargo chassis to create a new type of mobile vehicle concept, which in terms of performance features and equipment picks up on and further develops established, tried-and-tested forest fire solutions from countries such as France and Italy. It meets all requirements for optimal performance and safety in the field.
AirCore TAF60: Fire and rescue equipment under 2 metres in height
As announced at the 2019 press conference, Magirus is taking the next step with its AirCore TAF extinguishing robot. By reducing the overall height from 2.15 meters to less than 2 metres, the range of applications of the vehicle is considerably extended. For the first time, the AirCore technology can also be used to extinguish fires in underground and multi-storey car parks - places where the recovery of vehicles was not possible before. Even burning vehicles can now be brought safely and quickly out of the danger zone by the AirCore TAF, as an accompanying and/or subsequent cooling can be carried out during the clearing operation. In view of the current problems in the recovery of burning electric vehicles, this opens up completely new possibilities. Using camera and remote control technology, these operations can be directed from a safe distance. At the same time, the turbine output has been increased by up to 6,000 litres per minute
Many other innovations and products for the future
Besides the TLF Aircore and the AirCore TAF60, many other innovations were presented on the first day. These include, for example, the production model of the Alpha Wolf R1 - a tactical deployment robot - as well as remote-controlled units for the detection and prevention of potential dangers via air surveillance and by means of transmission of HD video live communication from the company Alpha Robotics. During the press conference, Magirus and Alpha Robotics announced their future collaboration. With his interdisciplinary team, Alpha Robotics Managing Director Oliver Rasche wants to push technological progress in fire departments and disaster control: “We look forward to working with Magirus to find new ways to make the operations and work of fire-fighters and emergency services even easier, better and safer in the future by developing and employing innovative technology and comprehensive tactics.
The company also presented other new products and innovations, including new versions of established vehicle concepts such as the CCFM (French: Camion Citerne Forêts Moyen) forest fire engine to French specifications or the new Magirus MLF (medium pumper), which for the first time is based on an Iveco Daily 4x4 chassis with a gross vehicle weight of 7 tonnes, automatic transmission and a permanently installed pump. The disaster control vehicle LF KatS and the fire engine TLF 4000 are also benefiting from numerous extensions and innovations considering the latest requirements and standards. With the agile fire engine TLF 2000 with its reduced wheelbase, automatic transmission and integrated, internal 2,000-litre water tank, Magirus closes the gap in compact, all-terrain fire engines.
Many of these, as well as other innovations and new products, will be on display on the Magirus stand at the FLORIAN trade fair in Dresden from 8th to 10th October 2020.
