Tokyo Fire Department receives its very first Econic.

On the road in the megacity.

Fire protection, disaster control, medical emergencies: In a city that tops the list of major metropolitan areas with its more than 14 million inhabitants, the Tokyo Fire Department can't go home early. Operations on buildings that are often very high and narrow-spaced require the very best equipment. "The low total height of the cab makes the Econic an ideal basis for turntable ladder bodies," says Hajime Matsui. The new Econic 1835 L is equipped with a more than 30 m long fire ladder made by fire brigade equipment company Rosenbauer from Karlsruhe, Germany. Since all vehicles have the Tokyo Fire Department logo prominently on the front, the Mercedes-Benz lettering was attached to the right above the windscreen.

The convincing safety features of the Econic with its DirectVision cab are also an important aspect during use in the city. Thanks to its low seating position compared to a conventional truck, the driver sees eye to eye with other road users – and can therefore react more swiftly to dangerous circumstances. In addition, the driver is supported by a safety control system, which is specially developed for Japanese fire fighting vehicles.

Disaster control with the Unimog.

In addition to the Econic, other Special Trucks have also entered the fire brigade's vehicle fleet. In March 2020, two Unimog U 5023 with fording capability, equipped with Rotzler Treibmatic cable winches, were delivered to the Tokyo Fire Department for use mainly in disaster control. Earthquakes, water masses, forest fires – the offroad specialists have to keep all that at bay. Every year, especially during “Tsuyu”, the Japanese rainy season, there are torrential rainfalls that cause floods in Tokyo.

Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks thus provide a reinforcement to the fire brigade of Tokyo in a wide variety of application scenarios. And other Econic trucks will follow that first one to the island of Japan – for sure.