Three new fire appliances unveiled at Cardiff Airport

Following a procurement project undertaken with Cardiff Airport’s Fire Service, Terberg DTS UK and Oshkosh Corporation, a global specialist in designing and building fire safety vehicles, three brand new state-of-the-art fire vehicles have been unveiled at Cardiff Airport.

The three Oshkosh 6×6 Striker vehicles, which will be in service officially from 28 June, are a step change in technology for the Airport fire team, who have undergone an intensive 12 week training programme to become familiarised with the appliances.

The Oshkosh Striker was identified as the vehicle of choice, each state of the art major foam vehicle is able to carry 12,000 litres of water and 1,600 litres of foam. This allows the vehicles to produce over 60,000 litres of firefighting foam every minute from a forward facing bumper monitor with a jet throw in excess of 90 metres. Also mounted on the roof of the vehicle is a high reach extending turret (SNOZZLE®).

The SNOZZLE® is the recognized industry leading product and has become one of the most innovative products for fire suppression agent delivery in emergency situations. It is a multi-function, quick-attack tool that redefines firefighting performance by aggressively extinguishing fires without delay and gives the operator instantaneous capability to place suppression agents at the fire source without having to commit firefighters to the hazard zone. The operation is all controlled from within the vehicle cab.

The SNOZZLE® apparatus is also available with a piercing nozzle that can strategically enter an aircraft’s passenger cabin, cargo compartment or other structure for direct application of firefighting agents to extinguish the fire or create survivable conditions within the cabin to assist those that cannot self-evacuate. The lightweight, highly flexible extendable turret is able to operate as an elevated water tower through a doorway or over a wing exit without endangering firefighters and deliver both water, foam and dry powder through the monitor head.

The three new Global Strikers were supplied in conjunction with Terberg DTS, the official UK and Irish supplier for Oshkosh. The deal sees Terberg carrying out contracted on-site maintenance, routine service and repair work required for years to come.

The appliances features were demonstrated to an audience of emergency services professionals, industry leaders and Airport staff at a launch event which took place at Cardiff Airport’s fire training ground today. The names of the three new vehicles were also unveiled as FireFly, Merlin and Y Ddraig Goch (The Welsh Dragon) – as chosen by pupils of nearby Rhws Primary School.

Debra Barber, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer at Cardiff Airport, commented: “The fire and rescue service is a critical part of our operation, and so we wanted to ensure that the new appliances would be completely future proofed and a solid investment for the Airport.

“We were hugely impressed with the service delivered to us by Oshkosh, as specialists we were confident in their guidance and advice which has resulted in the delivery of three, bespoke appliances that meet our needs. The safety and security of our staff and passengers remains our number one priority – and we’re proud to also be able to help protect the local community too.”

Ray Imperato, Cardiff Airport Fire Service Manager, says: “When dealing with any emergency at an airport you need the best equipment available and this is exactly what we have been able to acquire here at Cardiff. We have been working in partnership with Oshkosh for over two years and have been able to take their top selling and highly valued 6×6 Striker vehicle and adapt it to meet the specific needs of our Fire & Rescue service here at Cardiff Airport. We have also been able to make improvements in equipment storage design, vehicle cab design along with a much improved thermal imaging system for the roof mounted elevated waterway”.

Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corporation Executive Vice President and President, Fire and Emergency Segment, added: “We are honoured to have been selected by Cardiff Airport for the renewal of their Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting fleet. This is a great testament to Oshkosh’s experience, our industry leading technology, and to our dealer Terberg DTS (UK) which will help us support these vehicles for many years to come. Cardiff Airport equipped their three Strikers with state-of-the-art fire suppression and fire fighters’ safety systems with particular emphasis on the SNOZZLE® High Reach Extensible Turret which allows firefighting operation to be conducted safely from within the cab. We would like to thank Cardiff Airport for their trust in Oshkosh, our dealer Terberg DTS and our vehicles.”

Fire vehicle overview

Top Speed: Greater than 70 mph
Turning Diameter: 23.8 m

Dimensions:
Length – 475 in. (1207 cm)
Width –3m
Height with HRET –3.75m (with full water tank)

Independent suspension system with superior all-terrain mobility, ride quality and handling

To view the highlights video click here: https://youtu.be/FnNuyqsqQd4