Certain rules (standards, ordinances, and laws) apply to the placement of products on the EU market. If there is a CE mark on a product, the customer knows that the applicable rules of play are being met by this product.
Where Can I Find The CE Mark On A Nozzle?
Unfortunately, nowhere: O-stream firefighting nozzles do not fall under any of the directives or regulations relevant for CE marking. This is why there are no CE markings to be found on these products. There is, however, a European standard applicable to nozzles; EN 15182. But manufacturers are not obliged to implement these standard specifications.
However, in order to be on the safe side as a customer, one should make sure, especially when purchasing nozzles, that they come from renowned manufacturers and are certified according to EN 15182. That is because this standard specifies requirements in terms of weight, quantity adjustment, throw range, etc., and also requires that the product be subjected to safety-critical tests, such as pressure tests and drop tests.
EN 15182 Certified And Fire Test
Rosenbauer has successfully achieved this certification for both the SELECT FLOW series and the recently introduced RTE FX.
RTE FX has been developed for firefighters across the globe But this process was just a small part of the testing that the new RTE FX had to pass. Since the RTE FX has been developed for firefighters across the globe, the development tests were – and continue to be – based on these conditions. This begins with climate tests, from the Siberian cold at -30 °C to the scorching heat of the Arabian desert, and ends with field tests under real fire conditions.
One of these real fire tests was the use of the nozzle in an instructor course for real fire instructors. That is, on a course for fire container trainers.
Real-life use
Here the test nozzle was continuously in use in firefighting operations at least 8 hours a day, for 5 days. It was deployed as a safety nozzle for flashover training, tactical training, flue gas cooling, and training in correct firefighting methods. And all of this under real conditions with real fires. With this 5-day final test, the RTE FX once again proved, among other things, that it was developed for operational use.
But that was not all, this was just the green light for the long-term testing at reference fire departments worldwide, because the toughest test is real-life use.