Charge the hoses!

The ultimate vehicle: 4,500 litres of fire-extinguishing water, 400 litres of foam, nine crew members on board, plus all the tools and hydraulic rescue equipment necessary to provide help as quickly as possible in the event of an accident on the motorway. Wilfried Thelen, head of the volunteer fire service in Aldenhoven near Aachen, and the members of his unit have high expectations of a fire-fighting vehicle. "Putting out fires, rescuing accident victims and clearing the road for traffic again: we have to do all that under intense stress while maintaining the utmost concentration," says Thelen.

"For that we need a real all-rounder that will operate fully automatic extinguishing and pump systems, transport as much extinguishing agent (water, foam) and as many crew members as possible and, at the same time, still have enough space for technical equipment. Rosenbauer offers us exactly the all-round performer we need." The AT (AT stands for "Aluminium Technology") is a "classic" among municipal emergency vehicles. "It is our first fire-fighting vehicle from this manufacturer," says Thelen. And it was a good investment. "Whereas previously we had to take two vehicles out, now one is enough."

The firefighters from Aldenhoven are particularly impressed by the fully automatic extinguishing and pump technology. "When I clap my hands, it has to work," says Thelen, summing up with a grin the demands on the technology. Even though it is not quite as simple as that, despite being so high-tech, it is important to keep the set-up and operating times as short as possible when deploying the fire-fighting equipment at the site of a fire or accident. "At the push of a button, the pump goes into automatic mode and no longer has to be monitored by our people during operation," says Thelen. "Anything that runs automatically is a help to our emergency service personnel. It means that we can concentrate all our efforts on firefighting and rescue."

Retracing the Aldenhoven fire service's search for this solution leads us to Leonding near Linz, in Upper Austria, where Rosenbauer, one of the world's leading manufacturers of fire-fighting equipment, has its production facility. "The extinguishing water pump is the beating heart of any fire-fighting vehicle," says Michael Schöftner, head of mechanical production of fire-extinguishing systems at Rosenbauer, as we make our way to the "pump line" in Plant I. Michael Wizany is at the set-up station there, in the process of aligning a cast aluminium part for a pump distributor for further processing in the milling machine. It is no conventional computer-controlled CNC milling machine that the 28-year-old is operating. His workstation is conspicuously different and is recognisable from some distance away. It is a four-metre-tall, light-grey round tower, with Liebherr RLS 800 written on it in large letters. "The rotary loading system is located upstream of our milling and drill-machining centre," says Schöftner. Small windows in the tower afford a clear view of 21 pallet spaces in which Michael Wizany can place up to 63 different water pump components ready for fully automatic precision machining. "In this way, we can very precisely fit the order-specific production of pump elements into the cutting, turning and milling process," explains Wizany.

The rotary loading system from Liebherr is an automation solution which is connected upstream of the machining of parts as an intelligent transport and storage system. The aim: to lower production costs and enable rapid and flexible responses to demand changes in the market, while simultaneously providing maximum user-friendliness, quality and reliability. The machine can independently process 21 pallets containing up to 63 components with up to four hours follow-on production time. During this time, there doesn't have to be an operator standing at the machine.

"Automation with the aid of the rotary loading system is another milestone for us, enabling us to further customise the manufacture of our pumps and to be very flexible, producing exactly to customer requirements," says Michael Schöftner. "This allows us to work with smaller batch sizes and even, if required, to run a just-in-time production system." The entire system also takes individual delivery dates into account and can be adjusted dynamically according to what the priorities are. And this can be achieved with consistently high efficiency. "Here, we produce an average of 2,000 to 2,500 parts a month, at peak times even 4,000, and this with an error rate of no more than 0.4 per cent," says Michael Wizany. "The RLS 800 is the most productive machine we have," adds Schöftner, the head of production. The time saving in production alone is in the order of 30 to 50 per cent.

"We work a two-shift cycle on the Liebherr machine, but thanks to automation, we can continue production for up to four hours after the end of the shift. The next morning, the employee coming on shift simply takes off the parts that have been machined overnight and can set up new workpieces," explains production manager Michael Schöftner. There is no reason to fear that people will become superfluous. "Trained operators will always be needed. Their expertise in materials science and in assessing the status of the machine, the loading system and the components is essential." Michael Wizany, who has two-and-a-half years' experience in this field, realised a long time ago that "Automated systems will always need professionals to operate them. You always have to be on the ball. For me, that is what makes working with the latest technology so exciting."

Michael Wizany's fascination with technology is fuelled by his fascination with the fire service. "Many of my colleagues are themselves volunteer firefighters. They are really passionate about it." This means that when it comes to innovations in designing and equipping the vehicles, there is always plenty of practical experience to draw on. Right at the top of Rosenbauer's agenda is the need to reduce the weight of vehicles and to ensure that operating them is as easy and intuitive as possible. "Nowadays, because there are more and more women and older firefighters on active service, it is important for people with less physical strength to be able to do the work," says Michael Schöftner. "That's why our technology is aimed at making it possible for on-duty firefighters to work more efficiently, safely, ergonomically and in a more environmentally friendly way."

Rosenbauer obviously has its finger firmly on the pulse of the industry here. Rosenbauer produces approximately 2,500 vehicles worldwide, which are deployed around the globe - in Europe and the USA, in Asia, in the Arab states and in South America. This means constantly having to meet different sets of requirements and standards. They manufacture around 2,000 versions of the pump alone – without automation, this wouldn't really be economically viable nowadays. Fitted with the appropriately configured peripherals and equipped with suction device, venting device, pump pressure regulator, foam premixing system, pipework and controls, the pump is then installed in the vehicle as a ready-to-install component.

For installation in municipal or airport fire engines, the pump will have been shuttled to the nearby Factory II. Prior to this, it will have undergone various machining, finishing and inspection stages. The main focus here is on the pump drive. The so-called "lantern" will later establish the connection with the engine and is often supplemented with a gearbox for optimal synchronisation of the pump speed and the engine speed. During discussions about the design of their new vehicle, the Aldenhoven firefighters were particularly keen for it to have simple, fully automatic and safe user guidance and control technology.

The firefighters had already discussed beforehand all the details and special requirements in terms of vehicle and extinguishing technology with the experts at Rosenbauer. On the AT assembly line, everything they discussed goes straight into the "composition" of the Aldenhoven fire engine. At the various stations, 14 in all, the vehicle "grows" step by step. This process means that not all but very many vehicles are as unique as their customers.

Prior to the fitting-out of the vehicle, the Aldenhoven firefighters had discussed their operational needs right down to the last detail. One month sooner than expected, six men from the Aldenhoven volunteer fire service were finally able to turn out and collect their new vehicle from Rosenbauer's German branch plant in Luckenwalde. "Right from the beginning, our new, custom-built vehicle has been a perfect match for us," says Thelen happily. "It was clear from the very first callouts: This is exciting technology. We have already thought about what the next vehicle will be like."