• Hessian Ministry of the Interior receives 26 Unimog-based emergency vehicles for disaster control
• The extreme off-road Unimog U 5023 makes operations in forest and flooded areas possible
• The special vehicles have a high wading capacity, tire pressure control system, heat protection package and roof hatch
• Three interchangeable modules are available per vehicle for use in forest fires, floods and evacuations
• Hajo Brunsiek, Segment Manager at Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks: “Extreme off-road Unimog are built so robustly that firefighters can always get as close as possible to the scene of an extreme incident. When extinguishing forest fires, for example, the heat protection package allows them to move right up to the scene of the fire in the forest and work in flowing water up to 1.2 meters deep in the event of flooding.”

Leinfelden-Echterdingen / Wiesbaden / Limburg - The Hessian Ministry of the Interior receives 26 new emergency vehicles for disaster control. They are based on the extreme off-road Mercedes-Benz Unimog. The crane, flatbed and interchangeable modules with suitable interfaces make it possible to quickly adapt the vehicle equipment to different types of operations. In future, the Unimogs can be used to fight forest fires, advance in flood situations, or be deployed as logistics trucks. According to the state of Hesse, the aim of the procurement is to expand capacities in the area of off-road mobility and wading capability and thus to be even better prepared for crisis situations such as forest fires, floods or severe storms.

Hajo Brunsiek, Segment Manager at Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks: “Extreme off-road Unimog are built so robustly that firefighters can always get as close as possible to the scene of an extreme incident. When extinguishing forest fires, for example, the heat protection package allows them to move right up to the scene of the fire in the forest and work in flowing water up to 1.2 meters deep in the event of flooding. As a vehicle manufacturer, we want to enable as many different applications as possible so that the emergency services can help on site flexibly and with full confidence in the vehicles.”

The basic vehicle for the 26 new emergency vehicles is the extreme off-road Mercedes-Benz Unimog U 5023 with a ground clearance of over 50 centimetres under its portal axles. The off-road truck comes with 1.2 meters of wading capacity and a tire pressure regulation system as special equipment. Despite the high ground clearance and the permanently installed loading crane behind the cab, the vehicle complies with the required standard height of 3.3 meters.

Equipped with the appropriate module, the Unimog can be used either as a forest fire fighting vehicle with over 2,000 liters of extinguishing agent, as an evacuation vehicle for rescuing people with eight seats or as a rescue vehicle for flood operations. The various deployment modules can be lifted onto the flatbed by crane and secured using ISO container holders. The modules are supplied with electrical and hydraulic power via the interfaces provided on the chassis. Three modules (“vegetation fire”, “evacuation” and “flood”) will be available in the operations centers for each vehicle. The combination of all-terrain mobility and multifunctional superstructure makes various deployment scenarios possible in difficult terrain, where effective assistance would otherwise only be expected from the air. The vehicle concept with crane, flatbed, integrated module mounts, cable winch and storage boxes was implemented by Eggers Fahrzeugbau.

If no module is fitted, the large loading area makes the Unimog a flexible logistics specialist, for example for transporting sandbags or up to eight Euro pallet spaces. The crane enables fast loading and unloading. In addition, a cable winch compliant with fire department standards is installed at the front of the vehicle, which can also be used for self-recovery.

The 26 Hessian districts and independent cities will each be allocated an emergency vehicle for state-wide and cross-state disaster control and stationed at municipal fire departments. The future users will be trained by the Unimog general agency KBM Motorfahrzeuge GmbH & Co. KG from Limburg, Germany, specifically for off-road use. KBM will also be exhibiting one of the vehicles at the RETTmobil trade fair in Fulda.

Further information on the 26 Unimogs for the state of Hesse is available here: https://special.mercedes-benz-trucks.com/en/special-trucks/relief-operations/the-all-rounder-tackling-disasters.html