Panther Prowls at Christchurch

On 17 July, Christchurch International Airport Ltd (CIAL) officially launched the first of two new Rosenbauer CA-5 Panther fire appliances that it has ordered as replacements for appliances in its ageing fleet. The vehicle is the first of its type in New Zealand and, according to CIAL, it represents a massive step forward in terms of fire fighting technology.

The former fire tender vehicles at Christchurch International Airport used two engines to achieve simultaneous pumping and driving capability. Newer vehicles, such as the Rosenbauer, take advantage of technological improvements to operate with a single engine, and therefore provide reductions in carbon emissions as well as operating and maintenance costs.

This first of CIAL’s two new appliances arrived into Lyttelton on 24 June after a month at sea from Europe, where it was manufactured at the Rosenbauer factory in Austria. CIAL chose Rosenbauer to supply its new appliances because Rosenbauer is one of the world’s leading emergency response vehicle manufacturers and has a well-established trading history.

Earlier this year, CIAL’s Chief Fire Officer, Peter Moore, travelled to Austria to supervise the vehicle’s acceptance testing.  “Testing of our appliance involved ensuring that the truck meets our needs and complies with the international specifications for airport fire appliances.  I am pleased to say that the final result is an excellent vehicle that exceeds my expectations,” he said.

CIAL purchased two new fire appliances after assessing a number of factors including: the airport’s future safety needs in alignment with expected growth, the age of the current vehicle fleet and anticipated future investment opportunities for future resource efficiencies.

According to CIAL, the technologically advanced fire fighting equipment and increased extinguishing capacity of the two new Rosenbauer vehicles exceed that of the three former vehicles, which Christchurch has sold to Hamilton Airport. The second Rosenbauer appliance arrives in 2009.

Rosenbauer CA-5 Panther 6×6 Specifications:
•    705 hp Caterpillar C-18 turbocharged diesel engine,
•    Water tank capacity of 13,000 litres,
•    Carries 250 kg of Purple K dry powder,
•    A roof monitor discharge of 5,800 litres per minute with a 100-metre throw.