The Landesfeuerwehrschule Baden-Württemberg (LFS), a prominent training facility for fire department managers, has recently upgraded its fleet by incorporating vehicles equipped with Allison fully automatic transmissions.

This marks the first instance of LFS utilising such technology in its fleet.

Integration of Allison 3000 Series Transmissions in Ziegler Vehicles

Following a comprehensive tender process spanning Europe, the LFS selected Ziegler fire engines, mounted on Mercedes Atego 1527F 4 x 2 chassis and outfitted with the Allison 3000 Series™ fully automatic transmission.

Notably, these vehicles feature Power Take-Off and Retarder (PR), diverging from the standard automated manual transmission (AMT) typically found in this model.

Kersten Wachter, responsible for technology and vehicle procurement at LFS, shed light on this transition: “The trend is moving away from manual transmissions, and we at the Landesfeuerwehrschule Baden-Württemberg also recommend automatic transmissions for firefighting vehicles.”

High-Demand Training and Robust Vehicle Requirements

The training vehicles at LFS are subject to intense usage, each participating in approximately 800 training sessions annually.

This constant demand places significant stress on the vehicles and their driveline components, leading to a cycle of replacement roughly every 10 years.

“We need extremely robust vehicles for our purposes. When the participants are on site, the vehicles have to be ready for action,” said Wachter.

“We can’t afford any downtime, as this would disrupt our entire training schedule.”

Enhancing Training Fleet Diversity and Uniformity

The LFS currently boasts a diverse training fleet of around 40 vehicles.

To enhance the quality of their team leader courses, the LFS has now opted for the procurement of six identical firefighting vehicles.

This decision marks a departure from the previous practice of using various models from different manufacturers, which posed challenges in uniform instruction across different vehicles.

LFS Training and Facilities

The State Firefighting School in Bruchsal serves as an educational hub for managers of industrial and public fire departments, catering to both volunteer and professional personnel.

The school’s mission is to thoroughly prepare fire services for complex tasks and emergencies.

Annually, approximately 6,500 participants receive training at the LFS, utilising their extensive facilities which include realistic training environments.

Specialised Allison 3000 PR Transmission for Firefighting

The Allison 3000 PR transmission, tailored for demanding firefighting applications, features intelligent transmission logic and a patented torque converter.

This technology enhances start-up acceleration by up to 35%, ensuring seamless power transfer and optimal engine and transmission efficiency.

Peter Brecht, OEM Account Manager at Allison Transmission, elaborated on the benefits: “Allison transmissions also differ from other technologies due to their special firefighting performance calibration.

“A fully automatic transmission only really takes the strain off the driver on emergency drives if the shift strategy is precisely calibrated for these vehicles and the transmission virtually works together with the driver.

“Furthermore, Allison transmissions are equipped with two engine-speed-dependent Power Take-Offs for simultaneous operation of various auxiliary units.

“The Pump & Roll function allows the water pump to be operated via the Power Take-Off even when the vehicle is moving. An automated manual transmission cannot offer that.”

Allison’s fully automatic transmissions are renowned for their exceptional acceleration, reliability, and robustness, making them a preferred choice for fire fleets globally.

IFSJ Comment

The Landesfeuerwehrschule Baden-Württemberg’s move to modernise its fleet with Allison fully automatic transmissions reflects a strategic approach to enhancing training efficiency and operational readiness.

This decision, driven by the need for robust and reliable vehicles capable of withstanding rigorous training demands, highlights the evolving needs of fire service training facilities.