Fire Engines Photos

Marseille has a major brush fire problem on its outskirts, with a climate and vegetation much like southern California, and also with some very steep canyons and a multitude of structures dotted around in the surrounding hills.

The Marins-Pompiers (French Navy) firefighters operate a large fleet of these Unimogs, backed up by Unimog 6000 liter tankers, and larger capacity tank trucks up to four axle Renaults with 14, 000 liter tanks. They also use numerous water and retardant equipped fixed wing aircraft and helicopters.

Several of these Unimogs have four-wheel steering, which means they are almost like mountain goats in terms of where they can go. They have a 1000 LPM pump and a 2, 000 liter tank. The crew cab can accommodate six firefighters if they are skinny and good friends, but they often operate with smaller crews. Primary attack modes are a high pressure hosereel and 32 MM unlined low pressure hose, also carried on a reel on the rear. Typical tactics are to flow a total of up to around 250 to 500 LPM through two or three hoselines - and to then circle back to a tanker to refill the tank.











































































































































































Added by Rob Johnson on 14 July 2013.

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