Wildfire as a Core Competence
Rosenbauer is enhancing its expertise in the area of wildfire and adding new digital solutions to its product portfolio.
Wildfire vehicle with front turret
Combact Wildfire
It is alarming that 15% to 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide are caused by wildfires – with sometimes catastrophic effects on people, nature and the environment. This is why addressing the issue of wildfires is a top priority of Rosenbauer’s 2030 strategy. The approach goes further than ever before: prevention before de-escalation.
Rosenbauer last year initiated a broad-based program exploring the problem of wildfires in all its myriad facets with a view to offering an appropriate range of new products and services. The R&D department established the scientific basis, conducted a range of interviews with experts and formulated an initial road map. Product Development, Product Management and Sales contributed their knowledge and provided information on existing solutions. Dedicated employees submitted their proposals and suggestions as part of an idea management process. The program is being stepped up this year to further expand the company’s expertise in the area of wildfires. An initial exchange forum with international experts has already taken place and the insights gained from this will be incorporated in the road map.
We intend to make the combating of wildfires one of our core competencies and further expand not only our know-how but also our product portfolio.”
STEVE JOHN, TOPIC MANAGER - WILDFIRE
A (near-)comprehensive range of products
Rosenbauer already offers an extensive portfolio of products designed for fighting wildfires, ranging from personal protective equipment and special firefighting systems to forest firefighting vehicles with off-road capability. New products such as robots and drones are also waiting in the wings. Rosenbauer is currently conducting research into digital environment monitoring systems, which are essential for remotely controlling robotic systems. This technology will also be needed in the future for autonomous deployments. The company is partnering with various scientific institutions and startups here to develop a sensor kit that is specially designed for fire departments and can be integrated in existing systems.
The portfolio of products for fighting wildfires is being expanded in the areas of air support and special devices. In the future, the offering will include not only folding tanks for helicopters but also removable tank systems for airplanes designed to either transport large volumes of extinguishing water to inaccessible areas or release the water from the air. Rosenbauer will also be offering heavy-duty equipment designed to, for example, clear a path for firefighting vehicles or dig firebreaks.
of forest area was destroyed by the Dixie Fire in California from June to October 2021.
In the future, heavy-duty equipment for wildfire operations will also be available from Rosenbauer.
FOREST FIRE
PORTFOLIO
Personal protective equipment,
special firefighting systems, forest firefighting vehicles, robots, drones, removable tank systems, heavy-duty equipment, digital early detection.
Digital early detection
At the same time, Rosenbauer is working on a digital early detection system and is also collaborating with external partners specialized in detection systems or the analysis of different data sources.
But when it comes to combating forest fires, Rosenbauer’s mindset goes well beyond the actual firefighting process. After all, the best way to ensure that nature, property, people and the climate are protected is to prevent fires from breaking out in the first place. Early detection plays a key role here, albeit in a more advanced form involving a system that monitors the vegetation in a particular area. A system like this provides data concerning not only the density, height, age and economic viability of a forest but also – and above all – the extent to which the vegetation is suffering from stress caused by, for example, long, hot spells, dry soil, freak weather or inadequate forest sanitation. This data could then be used to identify high-risk areas and initiate targeted, preventive steps – whether forestry-related, official or societal measures or measures aimed at raising awareness among recreational athletes.
In conjunction with various other factors, early detection can make a key contribution to preventing and tackling forest fires.”
VERENA HÖRANDNER, RESEARCH & INNOVATION
Prevention before de-escalation
As anchored in its 2030 strategy as a central theme, Rosenbauer is taking the problem of forest fires seriously and going above and beyond its own boundaries in the process. The company is not only moving forward with innovative products and new digital services but also ensuring better communication and data coordination among emergency services and better interconnectedness among all the experts specialized in forest fires.