First responders behind the factory gates.

Preventing hazards and stopping fires before they start: that is what the work of a good plant fire brigade is all about. Lightning-fast response, a wide-ranging overview and full efficiency at the moment of action: that is what makes the Econic a good industrial fire-fighting vehicle. In Moers, the two have come together.

Behind the name Ineos is Europe’s largest manufacturer of synthetic ethanol. West of Duisburg, on a total area of 38 ha, is the largest site of Ineos Solvents Germany. In Moers, around 345 employees produce 340,000 t of synthetic solvents and fine chemicals each year. Sensitive substances that deserve a reliable protector. And the Econic has already made a name for itself as a fire protection helper.

Production sites such as Ineos that choose the Econic benefit not only from the excellent all-round visibility of the DirectVision cab, which is designed for maximum road safety. The Econic’s design as a low-entry vehicle with a low entry of just two steps and an inward-opening glazed folding door also saves emergency personnel valuable seconds in an emergency — seconds that can often decide the success or failure of an operation.

"We placed great importance on safety," says Gerd Kürwers, deputy watch commander of the plant fire brigade. And in that respect the Econic is superior to other firefighting vehicles.

“We found that the new vehicle has to be very compact, because our plant has some side roads where we also have to take tight turning radii,” says Gerd Kürwers. As another obstacle, construction sites often arise during technical upgrades at the Ineos plant. That calls for manoeuvrability – and a compact design. Because, adds the fire brigade’s technical expert, “we have a clearance height of 3.4 m.”

“The cab offers plenty of space and excellent visibility,” enthuses the shift leader. In the generous interior, operational equipment can be stored optimally and is quickly at hand when needed: “As with other fire brigades, we installed the breathing apparatus in the cab, which allowed us to gain more space for the crew compartment,” explains Gerd Kürwers.

Factory-equipped for operations, the Econic also features shock-absorbing full air suspension on all axles, a compact wheelbase for quick manoeuvres and an environmentally friendly 260 kW (354 PS) engine with automatic transmission.

The chemical plant in Moers benefits above all from the variable body configurations that make the Econic maximally adaptable.

The Econic 2635L of the plant fire brigade in Moers is a 6x2/4 model, has a steered trailing axle and has a wheelbase of 3,900 mm. Rosenbauer’s body follows the Econic concept of Modular Technology (MT) – a modular design that is precisely tailored to the intended use at the chemical plant.

For example, the Ineos Econic is equipped with a 1,500-litre water tank, an N65 centrifugal fire-fighting pump with a rated output of 5,500 l/min, a 3,000-litre foam agent tank and a fully automatic Rosenbauer HYDROMATIC 800 foam pressure mixing system. This system allows emergency services to individually select between a water and water-foam mixture at the respective outlets. Perfect in combination with the excellent fire-fighting water supply at the plant, as the Deputy Head of the Security Department emphasises.

In addition, with their Econic the emergency services have an RM 35 C model water/foam launcher at their disposal, with which the plant fire brigade has already had good experiences: "We used the foam/water launcher during an exercise. The launcher offers a throwing distance of 80 m with water," reports Gerd Kürwers. Even with foam, the emergency services still reach a considerable distance of 76 m.

For securing the Moers plant there is also an RM35P-type powder launcher with a flow rate of up to 40 kg/s, as well as a Minimax powder extinguishing system with a filling capacity of 1000 kg in the front equipment compartment. "A highlight" in the truest sense is also the light tower with six LED headlamps and a light point height of 6 m, as well as the side LED ambient lighting integrated into the vehicle, which ensures sufficient light at the operating site.

For the body of the Econic of the plant fire brigade, Rosenbauer has used an optimal combination of materials of steel and aluminium and, for the water/foam agent tank, sustainable and recyclable polypropylene. The materials guarantee the emergency services at Ineos a corrosion-resistant and durable fire-fighting vehicle that can carry a maximum payload at a permissible gross vehicle weight of 26 t.

In addition, the equipment and pump compartment modules are each equipped with LED lighting on the top and sides and are closed by Rosenbauer roller shutters with Barlock closures.

So there is more than one reason why the Ineos plant fire brigade is optimally prepared should it ever be necessary to protect the plant in Moers from major damage. The name of the protector for all cases: Econic.