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Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service has invested in a second Mercedes-Benz Unimog to extend their ‘go anywhere’ capability and respond to a wide range of incidents.
The Unimog transports mission-specific pods, each one packed with specialist equipment, which allows the service to respond to wildfires, floods and other incidents across the county. Mercedes-Benz showed the new vehicle at The Emergency Services Show last week.
Group Manager Mark Salter is part of the Assets Team at Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service. He said, “The Mercedes-Benz Unimog was the obvious chassis on which to base this new and highly specialised appliance. Given some of the rough terrain here in Cornwall, exceptional off-road performance was an absolute ‘must’. No other vehicle with a similar carrying capacity can match the Unimog’s ‘go anywhere’ aptitude.”
The pods are made by Emergency One and the Unimog now based at Tolvaddon Community Fire Station, Camborne has four pods – one each for wildfire response, flood response, line Rescue and disaster response.
Dealer South Cave Tractors supplied the 4×4 chassis, which has the maximum permissible gross weight of 14.5 tonnes. Technicians at its workshop in Brough, East Yorkshire, also fitted a sub-frame and, immediately behind the cab, the Palfinger PK12502 SH crane used to lift the pods on and off the vehicle, as well as the outriggers and winches front and rear.
Commending the specification process and interaction with suppliers, GM Salter added, “I’ve every confidence that this impressive vehicle will prove its worth by providing the increased operational capability for which it was designed.”