This fire truck is more than a fire extinguisher on wheels

Hopefully you will never need to call upon it yourself, but the leviathan that is the Mercedes Benz Atego 1528 forms the chassis for one of the most important vehicles on our roads: a fire truck.

Responding to car accidents, collapsed buildings, bush fires and burning structures are just some of the things this life-saving monster is needed for and is able to heave a team of firefighters to any call for rescue within seconds.

Almost as fit as the team that drives it, the 1528 has a six-cylinder turbocharged diesel motor that can carry over two tons of water, hydraulic rams, cutters and spreaders, fire hoses, generators, pumps, ladders and foam with over 800 N.m. of torque and grunt.

It is not surprising that Tongaat Fire Department fire chief Reggie Moodley keeps the truck in tip-top condition for the call to respond at any moment.

“We will respond to any location to assist, no matter where it is,” said Moodley, who gives the truck a complete inspection with its equipment every day.

“The truck also needs to be able to stand for long periods and pump water.”

The modified 1528 requires a code 11 drivers licence to operate, but firefighters can also obtain their licence while training at the fire department.

The size of the truck and the load it carries is critical for the public to take into consideration when fire trucks respond to emergencies with their lights and sirens on.

“The truck takes a long time to accelerate and brake, so building up speed is difficult when motorists get in our way or do not pull over to let us pass,” said Moodley.

Keeping the firefighters fit and strong to operate and work the heavy and crucial equipment that the truck carries, such as the hydraulic ‘jaws of life’, means that the men and women put in at least an hour of training every day, sticking to a fitness regimen with a series of challenges which each firefighter must complete in a minimum time.

Dragging tyres, climbing stairs while carrying equipment, crawling into confined spaces simulate the every day call for emergency help that the truck is ready for at any given moment.

Moodley stressed that the truck was taken out of the fire station only when calls for help were received.

“When we receive a call that there is a small domestic fire, we have to send the truck and team to the scene, even if it is merely to warn the person responsible that what they are doing is dangerous and in the case of burning garden or domestic refuse, against the law,” said Moodley, who added that operating the truck unnecessarily drains taxpayers’ money and could be used at a scene elsewhere.

The 1528 fire truck carries the burden of saving lives and carrying life-saving equipment and does so with an unassuming ease, with its cargo bay doors open and ready for action.

Within minutes, it commands attention by stepping into action, lights and sirens on and rushing to an emergency.

The fire truck is a vehicle that deserves the utmost respect, and as a vehicle that carries critical members of public service, it is certainly one truck that will always own the road.

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