See how the fire truck is equipped (VIDEO)

Spreaders, car body cutters, hydraulic crane, but also a portable power generator and an ax - we checked what is included in the fire brigade technical rescue vehicle.

Technical rescue vehicles are used by firefighters in the field of road, construction, railway and chemical-environmental rescue. Depending on the mass, these vehicles are divided into three categories: light, medium and heavy technical rescue vehicles.

What equipment are these cars equipped with? We tested this on the example of a heavy technical rescue vehicle. using the Renault Kerax 430.19 DXi chassis. The car is owned by the Municipal Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Kielce. Many units across the country use similar equipment.

The car is equipped with a 430 hp turbodiesel. displacement of 10837 cu. ccwhich drives all the wheels. Top speed has been limited to 95 km/h and average fuel consumption is at level 3.0-35 liters of diesel fuel per 100 km.

Most of the technical rescue vehicles, including the described vehicle, do not have their own water tank, therefore, in the event of a road accident, a fire-fighting vehicle is also taken with it. Instead of a “barrel”, such a car is equipped with many other devices and accessories (including fire extinguishers) that will come in handy when assisting those injured in an accident.

At the rear of the vehicle there is a hydraulic crane with a maximum lifting capacity of 6 tons, but with the 1210-meter arm unfolded, it is only XNUMX kilograms.For quick access to equipment, fire trucks have curtains mounted on the body, and aluminum folding platforms facilitate access to equipment located on the upper shelves. “One of the special tools used in road rescue work is a spreader with a maximum working pressure of up to 72 bar,” explains Karol Januchta, junior fireman from the municipal office of the State Fire Service in Kielce.

The device itself, as the name suggests, can expand as well as compress the car body. This is useful when you need to remove crushed body parts in order to gain access to the victim. The spreader with which the presented machine is equipped weighs more than 18 kilograms and requires great physical effort from the operator. Hydraulic shears are a very useful tool in road rescue work. cutting the front and middle pillars. As a result, rescuers can tilt the roof for easier access to the victim stuck in the car. In addition, high-pressure lifting bags are included. One of them can lift a load weighing more than 30 tons to a height of 348 millimeters.

“These devices are especially useful in post-accident interventions involving trucks or buses, which provide quick access to stranded people or cargo,” says junior firefighter Karol Januchta.. So that firefighters do not have to worry about a constant power source during the intervention, they have at their disposal a portable electric generator with a capacity of 14 horsepower. 

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In addition to sophisticated tools, in the middle of the building we also find an axe, a fire hook and several saws for wood, concrete or steel. Anyone who joins the State Fire Service must complete a CPR (Qualified First Aid) course, which must be retaken after three years of service. It is not surprising that the technical rescue vehicle is equipped with an isothermal film, as well as a side or side. orthopedic.

There is no need to convince anyone that every minute counts during an intervention. Therefore, the Headquarters of the State Fire Service together with the Polish Association of the Automotive Industry and the Association of Car Dealers This year launched the social campaign "Rescue cards in the vehicle".

See also: Car rescue card can save lives

It consists in the fact that drivers stick a sticker on the windshield with the information that the car is equipped with a rescue card (hidden behind the sun visor on the driver's side).

“The map has, among other things, the location of the battery, as well as body reinforcements or seat belt tensioners that will facilitate the work of rescue services in the event of an accident,” explains Senior Brigadier General Robert Sabat, deputy head of the city state fire service in Kielce. - Thanks to this card, you can reduce the time to reach the victim to 10 minutes.On the website www.kartyratownicz.pl information about the action itself is available. From there you can download the rescue map suitable for our car model and also find the points, where windshield stickers are available for free.

We would like to thank the Municipal Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Kielce for help in the implementation of the material