The Fire Department of the Future
Electricity is the most efficient and flexible form of energy for fire departments. Electric vehicles are making mission operations electric, environmentally friendly, and largely emissions-free from start to finish.
Fully electric firefighting operations are within our reach. By electrifying the driveline in the firefighting vehicle, electricity becomes the primary source of energy both for the drive system and for the various consumers at the scene. Whether a fire needs extinguishing and people need rescuing or technical assistance is required, electricity is indispensable to operations and is used in a number of different ways:
- for lighting and protecting the firefighting vehicle and its environment, for illuminating the scene, and for traffic control and warning equipment,
- for all tools and rescue equipment (spreader, shears, slide hammer), which were previously gasoline-powered or hydraulically via hydraulic hose connections and are now equipped with rechargeable batteries as battery-powered devices,
- for battery-powered high-performance ventilators, which are used for tactical ventilation purposes (removing smoke from buildings), and electric submersible pumps used to pump out flooded basements,
- for the charging stations for all battery-operated devices and tools, radios, hand lamps, smartphones, tablets, etc.,
- for the compressors of the direct-injection foam proportioning systems and compressed air foam systems (CAFS),
- for auxiliary heating and air conditioning in the cabins as these are used as refuge areas in bad weather and during lengthy disaster missions, and last but not least
- for all vehicle operations at the scene via a digital control system.
Revolutionary Technology
Its all-electric drive concept convinced in the test
Electric pump and power outlet
In some of Rosenbauer’s electric vehicles such as the Revolutionary Technology (RT) or the AT electric, the in-built extinguishing pump – by far the biggest energy consumer at the scene – is powered by electricity as well. Instead of being operated mechanically by taking power from the vehicle’s engine like before, the pump is now powered electrically via an electric power take-off, which draws the required energy from the traction batteries. In addition to the pump, these batteries simultaneously supply a number of electrical devices with a total power consumption of up to 18 kW. The battery capacity has been designed to allow fire crews to carry out a typical standard operation, including driving to and from the scene, and a short firefighting mission without the need to recharge the battery. Multiple back-to-back operations are even possible in practice, as firefighting operations mostly involve technical missions nowadays. This is also confirmed by the Berlin Fire Department, Rosenbauer’s technology partner in the introduction of the RT. During the trial phase, 95 % of all operations were handled purely electrically.
The fire station of the future
Fire stations generate their own electricity and become an energy-autonomous contact point for the population in an emergency.
Standard operations and disaster protection
A major hurdle that electric firefighting vehicles have to clear is the stipulation in the standards (EN 1846, NFPA 1901) that requires the pump to remain operational over several hours to ensure that the vehicles remain disaster-proof during lengthy operations. That is why all Rosenbauer’s electric tank fire trucks (RT/X, AT electric, PANTHER electric) have an energy backup system on board, which automatically recharges the batteries when their charge level drops below a certain figure.
The system turns the vehicles into de facto mobile power plants and secures a self-sufficient, permanent power supply at the scene, another aspect that was acknowledged during the Berlin Fire Department’s trial operation: “As well as enabling a high percentage of all-electric operations, the vehicle also scored points for its disaster-proof design”, the technology partner wrote in its final report, going on to say that “particularly in a situation involving a nationwide blackout, the vehicle concept can still be used without limitation, using the available disaster protection infrastructure.”
Fast and bi-directional charging
Another important criterion for electric firefighting vehicles is how quickly their batteries can be charged and ready for the next call-out after returning from a larger operation. Rosenbauer vehicles are well-equipped for this purpose with a combi charging socket for DC and AC, which allows the batteries to be charged with up to 150 kW at suitable DC charging stations. This can restore the battery charge level from 20% to 80% in 45 minutes. The universal socket means that standard household outlets can also be used to charge the battery with up to 22 kW.
Bi-directional charging will also be possible in the future, enabling the energy that is stored in the vehicle batteries to be fed either into a higher- level grid (vehicle to grid) or into the fire station’s energy system (vehicle to house).
The vision of a CO2-free fire service
Electric vehicles ultimately provide real impetus that will push emergency services to switch their energy supply and infrastructure entirely to electricity. This will allow fire services to become independent of fossil fuels and cover their energy requirements with renewable energies. State-of-the-art PV systems complete with battery storage systems can be set up on fire stations, for example, to provide their own self-sufficient and sustainable power supply. Even the roofs of firefighting vehicles could be fitted with solar panels in the future to make use of solar power during operations, which would work in a similar way to the foldable PV modules for charging units and electric consumers.
The sound of the diesel engine running at the scene, which is still characteristic of all firefighting operations today, should therefore soon be a thing of the past. Electric vehicles have been proven to carry out the vast majority of all urban firefighting operations in a fully electric capacity, with reduced noise levels (journey, site of operation), and without producing any local exhaust emissions. This protects the health of the fire crews and residents alike, and also makes a contribution to establishing CO2-free road traffic. The Berlin Fire Department calculated that over the course of its trial period with the RT, the electric vehicle saved 10.3 t of CO2 equivalents during operations compared with a conventional firefighting vehicle. The findings from the project suggest potential overall savings of more than 16 t of CO2 equivalents per vehicle per year in operation.
Electric Firefighting
Partner for technological change
Rosenbauer not only provides appropriate vehicles and equipment for electric firefighting operations, but it is also actively supporting emergency services as they chart a course to electric mobility. The industry’s leading trade show Interschutz was used as an occasion to spark discussion – using various future scenarios – with experts and opinion leaders from the fire and disaster prevention sector about the future challenges facing fire services and the areas where new solutions are required.
The industry network “Green Energy on Fire”, initiated by Rosenbauer, is working to deepen expertise in conjunction with other stakeholders. The topics it addresses include the legal framework conditions for switching to electric mobility; the funding landscape in various countries; alternative financing models; improved lifecycle costs of electric technology over conventional technology, the required charging infrastructure and how a self-sufficient, sustainable power supply can be integrated into fire stations; and operating an electric vehicle fleet using state-of-the-art fleet and energy management technology.
Raising awareness of technological change among all network partners and the sharing of expertise is bringing the target of a “zero-emission and energy-self-sufficient fire service” that bit closer to within our grasp.