New technology,
old benefits.

A global metropolis

There’s no question about it, Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city. The metropolis is not only an important financial and business hub but also home to more than seven million people. That the urban area spreads across more than 1,100 square kilometers suggests that the staffing requirements at the fire department are high. The Hong Kong Fire Services Department (HKFSD) employs about 11,000 people - 10,500 of them in uniform and ready for action. Apart from Hong Kong main island, the HKFSD’s jurisdiction includes Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, New Territories as well as the outlying islands. This explains the unfathomable number of 34,775 fire calls that the control center received in 2022 for fire emergencies alone. Additionally, there were more than 35,000 special services calls and other emergency reports. To cope with this spate of operational responsibilities, the fleet of HKFSD is comprised of around 760 emergency vehicles - about 230 of which are Rosenbauer units.

A new, light equipment truck

In the past, Rosenbauer has shipped more than fifty Light Rescue Units (LRU) on Mercedes-Benz Vario chassis to the Hong Kong Fire Services Department. With a total weight of only 7.5 tons each and their compact layout, they can navigate the city’s narrow streets while still transporting a lot of equipment. When production of the Vario chassis ceased, a new solution had to be found quickly. The HKFSD scrutinized the existing design of its compact units, obtained opinions from their own first-responders, who handled these vehicles on a daily basis, and subsequently conceived of a new generation of vehicles. This evaluation process took about nine months to complete. The tendering process then started based on its findings.

Making space with compact technology

“Our main challenge was to not get bigger than the old vehicle while not losing any equipment stowage space,” explains Christoph Huber, who was in charge of the Hong Kong project on the distribution side. In fact, the total permissible weight even decreased - by a whopping two tons, to 5.5 tons. “This was made possible by our Compact Technology architecture with its integrated crew cabin, which we combined with a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis. This superstructure concept simply creates a ton of space!” The result obviously convinced the users at the HKFSD, as they placed orders for ten units in total. After the final inspection at the Rosenbauer plant in Neidling in March 2023, the first four vehicles were successfully put into service at the end of the year.

What these CT Frame vehicles can do

With a length of just 6.21 meters (20 feet), a width of 2.22 meters (7 feet), and a height of 2.74 meters (9 feet), the new Light Rescue Units are extremely versatile and can swiftly access any scene of operations. Commander and crew can use the SCBA seats, and five spare compressed air cylinders can be stowed in the structure. The crew cabin’s low floor height allows for comfortable entry and safe exit, even with SCBAs. Also on board: two POLY Portex CAFS fire extinguishers to fight small fires. Next to the roof box for equipment, there’s a ladder lowering system. The compartments as well as the vehicle’s low total height are designed for comfortable and safe equipment removal. LED strips make for excellent lighting around the vehicle and in the compartments. And the traffic system in the rear makes sure that traffic can easily be redirected if needed.

The CT Frame units thus replace their somewhat outdated predecessors and are even better at executing routine tasks thanks to state-of-the-art body technology, swiftly taking first responders and equipment to any scene of operations in the megacity of Hong Kong.