In the coming months, the fire brigade at Schiphol Airport will gradually put 13 new Rosenbauer PANTHER 8x8 fire engines into service. These represent the largest and fastest category of airport fire engines and are used for aircraft fire protection. The vehicles known as crash tenders replace the current FLF fleet in Schiphol, which has reached the end of its useful life after 15 years.
Special crash tender
The new vehicles are equipped with the latest extinguishing technology. Firefighters can use it to fight fires while driving, which enables a faster and safer extinguishing process. The vehicles can drive and extinguish at the same time and emit large quantities of extinguishing agents in a short time: 13,300 liters of water, 1,600 liters of foam, and more than 250 kg of powder.
With this unloading capacity, Schiphol will in the future be able to meet the strictest requirements and allow the largest aircraft models such as the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A380 to continue to use the airport.
Schiphol's site is unusual and has lots of grass and fields. The new vehicles are therefore equipped with special wide tires and technical features to improve their off-road capabilities. Navigation systems and infrared cameras allow the fire brigade to get safely across the runway even in poor weather conditions such as fog, rain, or snow.
PANTHER fire engines
18 PANTHER are extremely powerful, safe to operate, and equipped with the latest features"
“The Schiphol fire brigade is always on call, day and night, and can reach any taxiway within three minutes if necessary. The airport's priority is the safety of its passengers and employees. I am extremely pleased that we will be using these advanced airport fire engines, ”said Dick Benschop, CEO of the Royal Schiphol Group.
“A complex environment like the one at Schiphol requires special security access. With a fire brigade that is specially trained at this airport and has the right equipment for it. I am proud and happy about such innovative equipment that we can also use outside Schiphol ”, says Marianne Schuurmans, Mayor of Haarlemmermeer.
“The Schiphol Group puts superlative airport fire engines into service. The 18 PANTHER represent the current state of the art in firefighting technology. They are extremely powerful, safe to operate, and equipped with the latest features such as the Rosenbauer EMEREC DEVS location and navigation system. We are very proud that the Schiphol Group has placed its trust in Rosenbauer, ”said Dieter Siegel, CEO Rosenbauer International AG.
Training
The airport fire brigade's emergency response team consists of around 150 employees who can operate the new vehicles. For the past 18 months, all firefighters have undergone extensive training to ensure they have the required skills.
Rotterdam and Lelystad
Rotterdam The Hague Airport and Lelystad Airport will also put three and two Rosenbauer airport fire engines into service. These are a bit smaller as both airports are served by smaller planes.
It is a PANTHER 6x6 with 10,000 l of water, 1,300 l of foam compound, and 250 kg of extinguishing powder on board. Otherwise, the technology is identical to the vehicles in Amsterdam. This standardization offers advantages for vehicle maintenance and management, extinguishing technology, and of course for the training and further education of firefighters.
