The Econic protects the Ineos chemical plant in Moers.

When it comes to the safety of large production sites, the help of full professionals is needed. Especially where highly flammable substances are processed, rapid intervention is necessary in an emergency. The industrial fire brigade at the Ineos chemical plant in Moers, Rhineland, does not do things by halves. That’s why they opted for a fire-fighting vehicle that doesn't do things by halves: the Econic.

Sensitive substances deserve reliable protection.

Minimising hazards and preventing fires before they occur: that's what makes a good plant fire brigade. Lightning-fast reaction, a wide-ranging overview and full efficiency at the moment of use: this is what makes the Econic such a great industrial fire-fighting vehicle. And at Moers, the two have come together.

Ineos is Europe’s largest manufacturer of synthetic ethanol. With a total area of 38 ha, the largest site of Ineos Solvents Germany is located west of Duisburg. At Moers, around 345 employees produce 340,000 tonnes of synthetic solvents and fine chemicals each year. Sensitive substances that deserve reliable protection. And the Econic has already made a name for itself as a fire protection assistant.

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Saves valuable seconds.

Production sites such as Ineos that opt for the Econic benefit from a wide range of features, including the excellent all-round visibility provided by the DirectVision cab, which is designed for maximum road safety. The design of the Econic as a low-entry vehicle with low entry over just two steps and a glazed folding door that opens inwards also saves emergency services valuable seconds in an emergency, which often determine the success or failure of an operation.

“We placed great importance on safety”, says Gerd Kürwers, Deputy Head of the Security Department of the plant fire brigade. And the Econic is superior to other fire-fighting vehicles in this respect.

Our factory has some secondary roads,
where we have to take tight bends.

Gerd Kürwers, Deputy Head of the Security Department, Ineos Plant Fire Brigade

Strong, manoeuvrable, spacious.

“We have found that the new vehicle has to be very compact, as our plant has some secondary roads where we also have to take tight bends”, says Gerd Kürwers. Construction sites built for technical innovations are often another obstacle at the Ineos plant. This requires manoeuvrability – and a compact design. The technical expert from the plant fire brigade adds, “we have a clearance height of 3.4 m.”

“The cab offers a great deal of space and clarity”, enthuses the head of the security department. In the spacious interior, emergency equipment can be optimally stowed away and is quickly at hand when needed: “Like other fire brigades, we installed the breathing apparatus in the driver’s compartment so that we could gain more space for the crew compartment", explains Gerd Kürwers.

The Econic is also equipped for operation ex works with shock-absorbing full air suspension on all axles, a compact wheelbase for fast turning manoeuvres and a 260 kW (354 hp) engine with an environmentally friendly motorisation with automatic transmission.

But the chemical plant in Moers benefits above all from the variable body options that make the Econic maximally adaptable.

Flexible flame fighting.

The Econic 2635L of the Moers plant fire brigade is a 6x2/4 model, has a steered trailing axle and has a wheelbase of 3,900 mm. Rosenbauer’s body follows the Econic concept of Modular Technology (MT) - a modular design that is precisely tailored to the intended use at the chemical plant.

For example, the Ineos Econic is equipped with a 1,500-litre water tank, an N65 centrifugal fire-fighting pump with a rated output of 5,500 l/min, a 3,000-litre foam agent tank and a fully automatic Rosenbauer HYDROMATIC 800 foam pressure mixing system. This system allows emergency services to individually select between a water and water-foam mixture at the respective outlets. Perfect in combination with the excellent fire-fighting water supply at the plant, as the Deputy Head of the Security Department emphasises.

In addition, with their Econic, the emergency services have an RM 35 C model water/foam launcher at their disposal, with which the plant fire brigade has already had good experiences: “We used the foam/water launcher during an exercise. The launcher offers a throwing distance of 80 m with water”, reports Gerd Kürwers. Even with foam, the emergency services still reach a considerable distance of 76 m.

An RM35P model powder launcher with a flow rate of up to 40 kg/s and a Minimax powder extinguishing system with a filling capacity of 1000 kg in the front equipment room are also available to keep the Moers plant safe. “A highlight” in the truest sense of the word is also the light tower with six LED headlamps and a light point height of 6 m as well as the side LED ambient lighting integrated into the vehicle, which ensures sufficient light at the operating site.

Water, charge! The Econic as a fire-fighting group vehicle

For any case: Econic.

For the body of the Econic of the plant fire brigade, Rosenbauer has used an optimal material combination of steel and aluminium and sustainable and recyclable polypropylene for the water/foam agent tank. The materials guarantee the emergency services at Ineos a corrosion-resistant and durable fire-fighting vehicle that can handle a maximum payload at a permissible gross vehicle weight of 26 t.

In addition, the equipment room and pump room modules are each equipped with LED lighting at the top and side and are closed by Rosenbauer roller shutters with barlock locks.

So there is more than one reason why the Ineos plant fire brigade is optimally prepared should it ever be necessary to protect the plant in Moers from major damage. The name of the protector for all cases: Econic.

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