Ten new XS turntable ladders for Frankfurt's Professional Fire Department

The fire department in Frankfurt am Main has to deal with 12,000 fire and rescue operations per year. Special vehicles can be used for particularly difficult operations - such as ten new L32A-XS 3.0 turntable ladders.

Nearly 750,000 people live in Frankfurt am Main, Germany's fifth largest city. The fire department naturally plays a central role in the safety of the city's residents. The professional fire department has about 1,100 employees, divided between twelve firehouses. The volunteer fire department has around 900 volunteer members spread across 29 locations in the city. Every year, the fire departments are called on to carry out around 12,000 firefighting and emergency operations, plus around 100,000 rescue operations.

400 vehicles in operation

In order to be able to cope with this high number of missions, not only the personnel but also the appropriate equipment is needed. Among others, the fleet comprises a total of 400 vehicles. These include not only vehicles for fire protection, emergency assistance, rescue services, and disaster protection, but also special vehicles for special challenges - such as the new L32A-XS 3.0 turntable ladder from Rosenbauer.

In the award procedure for the purchase of ten new turntable ladders, the Frankfurt professional fire department attached importance to various factors: the vehicles had to be maneuverable, reliable, equipped with innovative technolog,y and also as environmentally friendly as possible. With the L32A-XS 3.0, these wishes were realized by Rosenbauer's engineers.

Flexible use

As the name of the L32A-XS 3.0 suggests, the fully automatic, five-part ladder can be brought up to a working height of 32 meters, but the lowerable cage boom also enables underfloor use. One of the major highlights is the multi-functional rescue cage with a live load of 500 kilograms. This allows the turntable ladder to show its strengths in a wide variety of operations. When fighting fires, the RM8 water turret with a capacity of 2,000 l/min can be utilized from the cage. For rescue operations, the rescue stretcher holder has proven very valuable. It can either be fixed to the cage floor or attached to the railing. For technical tasks or operations, not only is the power riser (24/230/400 Volt) very practical, but also the rubbish dump that can be attached to the cage.

The unit is controller by means of the tried and tested CAN bus, and the operator is supported by numerous auxiliary systems. These include the automatic return of the ladder to the ladder headrest, the automatic callback function, the target memory system (automatic maneuvering to a defined point), and the vertical rescue system, in which the cage moves only in the vertical direction. A camera on the cage boom enables monitoring even when direct visual contact with the cage is no longer possible.

As with all XS turntable ladders from Rosenbauer, the maneuverability of the L32A-XS 3.0 is especially advantageous in inner-city areas. The 3-axle chassis from Mercedes-Benz with special wheelbase also plays a part in this. The necessary propulsion is provided by the 299 hp engine which, thanks to the EURO VI standard, also meets the requirements of high environmental compatibility.

A successful development

The new L32A-XS 3.0 turntable ladders offer excellent support for the fire department in Frankfurt in everyday and in particularly difficult operations. The professional fire department in Frankfurt is also excited about this: "With the successful development of this vehicle, a powerful, safe, and environmentally friendly technical resource has been created."