PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Its spacious cabin, whose air is decontaminated, can be used as a meeting room and thus avoid the displacement of a second vehicle serving as a command post, in certain cases. The electric motor, which is much quieter, allows occupants to converse without having to raise their voices when the vehicle is in motion, observes Éric Chagnon, himself a part-time firefighter. “It’s a little destabilizing, there’s almost no noise! »
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
All of the truck’s appliances run on electricity, including the pump, which is electronically controlled. It can even be manipulated remotely with a tablet. “The firefighter who is at the end of the lance sees no difference,” assures Éric Chagnon. The pumper has a 500-gallon tank, or nearly 2,000 liters, and weighs 2.3 tons.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Powered by two 132 kilowatt-hour batteries, the vehicle is still equipped with a generator to avoid breaking down. But it’s rarely needed, shows the experience of firefighters in Los Angeles, USA, who have been using an RTX since September: in 912 hours of operation, the generator only ran for 16 hours, using 83 liters of fuel . The savings amount to C$13,530, the city’s fire department calculated.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Rosenbauer’s RTX is a vehicle of “European inspiration, but adapted to the North American market”, believes Éric Chagnon. The vehicle is narrower than a conventional vehicle, with 2.34 m against 2.54, but it can carry as much material. With four directional wheels, it can also weave through confined spaces or through traffic, having a turning radius of 14.5 m.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
In Canada, only the City of Vancouver has such a vehicle: it received it at the beginning of the month and will put it into service shortly. Victoria and Brampton also ordered one. About 30 fire departments tested it during the week at the facilities of Areo-Feu, which is the Rosenbauer dealer for Quebec and New Brunswick.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
“The enthusiasm is beyond our expectations,” confides the general manager of Areo-Feu, Daniel Renaud. People arrive with certain apprehensions, he admits, but leave “convinced that this is the future”. The challenge then remains to convince the administrations to pay more for the purchase than for a conventional vehicle, but which will generate long-term savings and reduce their carbon footprint, he says, believing that “cities and institutions are in this thought”.