Read it all here.Bob Hope Airport is slowly rolling out new aircraft rescue and firefighting trucks, starting with the first US Class 4 Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle (ARFF) in the country. Rosenbauer America, the same company whose Panther 6x6 Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting vehicle was featured as the character Sentinel Prime in "Transformers 3," designed the new truck.
The vehicle is superior to previous models - using a careful mixture of compressed air, foam solution and water to generate a firefighting agent that uses less water.
"At an airport we don't have a lot of above ground water supplies because we have restrictions on side hydrants," said fire Capt. Marcus Domingo. "We need to be able to conserve as much firefighting agent as we can."
The truck carries 1500 gallons of water, 200 gallons of foam, and 500 pounds of halotron, a clean firefighting agent that doesn't leave a residue or pollute the environment. The truck can also travel 75 mph and reach 50 mph in 35 seconds, allowing it to respond to the furthest portion of the airfield from the airport fire department for an emergency landing in less than three minutes.
"When we have a fire outside of the aircraft we have less than two minutes before fire will burn through the aircraft," said Domingo. [...]


