Fire Engines Photos

What role does this unit fulfil?

Added by Rob Johnson on 24 July 2014.

Ugly brute. I believe these were designed for use in countries with dusty tracks and poor roads. Did the floods in Berkshire really cause that much damage, or have RBFRS gone for overkill?

Added by Tony Morris on 25 July 2014.

Good question. The Zetos is a rare bird, even in Germany, and very rarely used as a fire truck.

Added by Rob Johnson on 25 July 2014.

i have no idea who or whom decided this was a god use of public mney but ithas to be in the same class as crap debacle and I bet it cost a whole lot more per unit , we do not live in the sahara or gobi desert neither is RBFRS a fire service that serves in greece , unbeleivable waste of money , did the fleet boss get a new c class recently???

Added by Donny on 25 July 2014.

Nice to see a brigade investing for a change. These will wade and leave others standing cross country. Ok, Unimogs are brilliant but the capacities are limited on gear and medium. This adds an axle so tech spec should be greater.

Added by John Stott on 25 July 2014.

Hi Tony! The Mercedes Zetros is a military vehicle from beggining!Some of them has been in service by german f&rs.According to a german magazine, Feurwehr, is the noiselevel high in the cab!

Anders F. Sweden

Added by Anders Fallström on 25 July 2014.

Rob by the look of the double rear wheels, locker configuration and what looks like a water tank between the lockers it looks very much like a water tanker/tender of some sort, very smart machine and would be useful in rural areas when water supplies may be thin on the ground, i have seen them used in other countries and they seem well suited to their firefighting role, they remind me very much of a russian fire appliance with the large engine in front of the cab, makes a refreshing change to see something different in this country instead of the same old, same old

Added by Brandweer 112 on 27 July 2014.

Rob I think if you have a look at the picture taken from the rear of this vehicle you will see, what I think is the piping from the pump to the deliveries, probably due to the height of the vehicle it would be more user friendly to site them just below the rear lockers which is prety much standared throughout europe.

Added by Brandweer 112 on 27 July 2014.

The whole concept of this new unit really came out of the Swinley Forest Incident, not the flooding. It fulfills two roles, one has a truly off-road capable fire appliance, and second as a replacement for the Water Bowser at Pangbourne (it will carry around 9000 litres). Hope this helps.

Added by Steve (RBFRS RDS) on 28 July 2014.

If it has a 9000 liter tank, it certainly does exceed the 6X6 Unimog. The Marseille Military Fire Service operates 6X6 Unimogs with a 7, 000 liter tank, but I suspect its cross-country performance is probably equalto the Zetros, if not superior.

Added by Rob Johnson on 31 July 2014.

The vehicle is fitted with a 4000l water tank and 2000l on board foam tank.... As well as a water carrier / bowser it is fitted with a high capacity pump, bumper and roof monitor capable of delivering water or foam on the move and has air field capabilities... Ideal for defensive firefighting and high capacity pumping / water removal

Added by John Smith on 22 January 2015.

A reminder of the only British Zetros ever to enter service. RBFRS were probably traumatised by a forest fire (Swinley) in a suburban/urban area.

Added by Petros on 27 June 2021.

have a look at this evaluation of Swinley fire in 2011

www.kfwf.org.uk/_assets/documents/swinleyforest/TELSMITH_SwinleyWildfire%20Seminar_Modelling_10April2015.pdf

Added by Petros on 27 June 2021.

We seem to have two different inputs here; I suspect this must be a 9,000 litre tanker, as Steve suggests, because a total of 6,000 litres as John indicates is well within the capacity of the 6X6 Unimog, which I think would be just as capable off road and less costly.
French fire services, which operate over 4, 000 brush pumpers on 4X4 chassis with tanks from 1,000 to 6,000 litres, also operate several hundred tankers with capacities up to 13, 000 liters.

Most of these are Renault, Iveco, Mercedes and MAN commercial 6X6 chassis or occasionally 8X4, but because of the numbers of 4X4 brush units they do not seem to have found any use for strictly military heavy duty 6X6 trucks like the Zetros.

I assume the UK Zetros was thought necessary because brigade had few, if any, brush pumpers. The French SOP to to send three brush pumpers and one tanker as a tactical unit to each fire (or sector, as needed). The tanker takes up a position to replenish the brush units and/or is used independently to protect accessible exposures, and multiple tankers will also provide a shuttle supply if circumstances demand it.

Newer tankers have US style collapsible dams which they can fill, leave in position, and then go off to replenish their tanks, thereby reducing the number of tankers needed in a shuttle operation.

Added by Rob Johnson on 27 June 2021.

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