Tough test.

They will not soon forget the five days during which the volunteer fire brigades of Mülheim-Kärlich, Bassenheim, the Rheindörfer and the Weißenthurm unit from the collective municipality of the same name were able to try out their new multi-purpose transport vehicles (MPV).

At first, the technical requirements don't even sound so thrilling: "The multi-purpose transport vehicle MPV with loading aid (RP) is used in disaster relief" and is to "transport required equipment and special extinguishing agents as a supply vehicle." But then comes the decisive sentence: "For this purpose, the MPVs should be universally deployable." It goes without saying that the universal motorised unit (Unimog) ultimately emerged as the truck of choice.

The densely wooded state of Rhineland-Palatinate is equipping itself with multifunctional Unimog not only to guard against possible forest and vegetation fires, but also against heavy rainfall and flooding. If necessary, it can also provide assistance nationwide with its vehicles.

An outstanding feature of the four off-road specialists that were equipped by bodybuilder Hensel following a tender by the Municipal Agency NRW is the removable cargo liftgate.

This concept, unique so far in Rhineland-Palatinate, allows the vehicle to be used in a wide variety of situations. The cargo liftgate can, if required, be replaced by a rear tailgate to handle steeper slope angles and to create additional weight reserves. And the tarpaulin-and-bow-frame body can likewise be removed according to the requirement, making the vehicle particularly versatile.

As versatile as its configurability are the Unimog’s areas of application. For emergency assistance in case of fire, it is optimally prepared with a heat protection package, a tyre pressure control system and fold-down rear lights specially designed by Hensel. In addition, the MZF can accommodate IBC containers, water drums or portable fire pumps and thus transport water even while driving. In flood operations the Unimog benefits from a wading capability of up to 1.2 m and double-sealed wheel hubs. So whether fire or water, the Unimog rises to the challenge.

"We first instructed our participants and clarified the basic question: How do I use my vehicle and its equipment?" explains Marcus Spies, expert of the KBM Unimog general distributor Andernach and a senior fire officer himself. Together with demonstration and training driver Timo Werner, he lets the firefighters develop a first feel for driving during a training run on forest tracks, for example for switching between manual gears and AutomaticShift, which relieves drivers during gearshift-intensive operations.

And then it really got going: water-filled ditches, gravel tracks, inclines and dips as well as sections with articulation. "Tasks that sometimes sound easier than they are," says Marcus Spies. "Today we're supported by many electric aids, but you still have to learn how to drive properly."

On the obstacle course, participants were able to explore various features. Whether testing modes such as "Sand," "Mud," "Snow" and "Emergency," using the tyre pressure control system, or engaging various all-wheel-drive differential locks: the demanding off-road section with mud, water and deep ruts posed completely new challenges for the drivers — which they, however, skillfully mastered with the Unimog.

At the final training session, further complex exercises were on the agenda, such as vehicle recovery with two Unimog linked in tandem, fitting anti-skid chains and a tire change off‑road. After five intensive days the participants went home strengthened by valuable practical experience and the feeling of being well prepared for an emergency. And in the end the question of what the Unimog can do was answered: quite a lot, in fact.