Fire service & disaster relief
Half a year cold, half a year winter.
“Half a year it's cold here and half a year it's winter,” jokes Thomas Daus. He is commanding officer of the Albstadt-Tailfingen volunteer fire brigade. And he is not entirely wrong when it comes to the weather in the Swabian Alps: after all, in March 2005 the Albstadt-Degerfeld airfield recorded −36.1 °C – the lowest temperature ever recorded in Baden-Württemberg.
The new TLF 3000 for the Albstadt fire brigade.
An extreme vehicle for extreme weather
Albstadt, with its nine municipalities, also claims to be the third-largest municipal forest owner in the state. The European watershed runs through the centre of the municipal area at 427 metres above sea level. It is the rivers Eyach and Schmiecha that sometimes try the patience of Albstadt's residents when they cause flooding. The city administration takes this force of nature very seriously, even dedicating a separate page to it on its website. For the fire brigade, this means getting through!
The surrounding forest areas, challenging terrain and increasing natural disasters ultimately led to the decision to purchase the new water tender with a crew cab and Lentner body, which carries 3,000 litres of water (TLF 3000), based on a highly off-road-capable Unimog U 5023.
"This allows us to wade through water up to 1.2 m deep and even to drive across a burning stubble field."
Prepared for emergencies.
Also on board: 120 l of F500. This is an environmentally compatible firefighting additive that the pump operator can mix into the extinguishing water. When it reaches the seat of the fire, the agent primarily removes heat from it. A major advantage over foam. Result: less water needs to be deployed. For example, F500 is also suitable for lithium-ion fires (batteries). The pump capacity of the Lentner U 5023 is 3,000 l per minute. "So, when it really matters, we're actually empty after one minute," explains Thomas Daus.
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Prepared for anything.
The Albstadt TLF 3000 differs from other vehicles in its class above all in its equipment tailored to the hazards lurking in the area: tire pressure control system, submersible pumps, suction pumps, chainsaws, a four-meter light mast and heat- and water-insulated lines for the front spraying system, which is located under the bumper. “This allows us, on the one hand, to wade through 1.20 m of water and also to drive over a burning stubble field,” explains Daus.
The total of 280 firefighters in eight divisions respond to around 400 incidents per year. The Unimog, which is stationed in Albstadt-Tailfingen, is called out to about 20 incidents a year. That the Albstadt firefighters always keep a cool head is certain — not least because of the weather conditions on the Swabian Alb.
Project implemented with Unimog general representative: Knoblauch GmbH
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