Studying the experience of liquidating recent forest fires, as well as fire tankers for extinguishing ecological systems from other manufacturers, including European ones, we came to a conclusion about what a modern fire tanker for extinguishing fires in ecological systems, in particular in forests, should look like.

Among the main requirements for such equipment, it should be noted:

The chassis on which the tanker is based must be all-wheel drive.

Wheel formula 4×4.1 with single-sided tires on the rear wheels. The best solution for ensuring high cross-country ability and maneuverability of the tanker in difficult terrain or off-road conditions.

The dimensions of the tanker should provide maximum maneuverability in forest stands.

The total permissible weight of the chassis should allow the transportation of 4–5 tons of fire extinguishing agents and the necessary fire-fighting equipment. Transportation of more than 5 tons of fire extinguishing agents is impractical, as it would require the use of a three-axle all-wheel drive chassis with a powerful engine. The use of such a chassis would contradict the second requirement – reducing the dimensions of the tanker.

The chassis clearance must be at least 300 mm, since the fire truck will move off-road.

The ability to supply fire extinguishing agents while moving is a prerequisite, regardless of the direction of movement (forward or backward) and the speed of movement.

The gun barrel, through which fire extinguishing agents can be supplied while moving, is an obligatory element of the tanker. The optimal location for its location is the front bumper, not the roof of the cab, so as not to increase the overall dimensions of the machine and to ensure effective control of the direction of supply of fire extinguishing agents.,

For the convenience of extinguishing, in some cases, it is necessary to have a hatch in the cab and the ability to supply fire extinguishing agents to firefighters through an opening in the roof.

Protection of the cab, mirrors, headlights, and lighting elements is necessary, because branches can easily damage these expensive elements when driving through the forest.

The wheel arch irrigation system is critically important, because during a forest fire, the crew may encounter dangerous situations. Such a system gives a chance to safely leave the fire zone.

A fire pump is the optimal solution for mid-range forest tankers, since it is capable of simultaneously supplying fire extinguishing agents to both the manual barrels and the carriage barrel and, especially, supplying fire extinguishing agents while moving. And this, in turn, requires a simultaneous supply of fire extinguishing agents with a volume of at least 40 l/s and a pressure at the pump outlet of at least 10 bar.

The possibility of filling the tank with water from an accessible water source in a minimal amount of time, which can be effectively performed only if a fire pump is used.

A hose reel with a hose length of at least 30 m and a fixed barrel, which allows you to quickly start extinguishing a fire without additional preparatory work.

A foam generator, and accordingly a built-in foam tank, must be on a vehicle for extinguishing forest fires, because sometimes it is necessary to use extinguishing with a reel.

A winch is a mandatory element not only for an all-terrain chassis, but also for any fire truck. At the same time, it must provide the necessary traction force for self-extraction (proportionally corresponding to the total weight of the tanker truck).

Searchlight – due to smoke during forest fires, visibility is very limited even during the day, so the presence of additional lighting is definitely not superfluous.

Fire-fighting equipment, which should be mandatory: a motor pump for drawing water from open sources and extinguishing fires, backpack fire extinguishers, a lighter, barks, shovels, gasoline and conventional saws, etc.

Your ideas, if we forgot something – write in the comments!

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