The truck cost $1.6 million, or about $700,000 more than a conventional diesel-powered pumper in the ACT Fire & Rescue fleet. Photo: ESA.
Canberra’s green fire-fighting machines – a plug-in hybrid Rosenbauer and fully electric Volvo – are both out of action for repairs, according to the Emergency Services Agency (ESA).
The German-built Rosenbauer pumper truck is waiting on a part to arrive from Europe, while the electric Volvo Breathing Apparatus (BA) support truck is back with Volvo in Brisbane to fix a fault.
The Rosenbauer was delivered to ACT Fire & Rescue in June 2023 at a cost of $1.6 million, heralded as “ground-breaking technology” and the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
It features a battery that can provide two hours of general-duty driving before the engine kicks in, providing a total range of about 1000 km.
Cameras also replace rear-view mirrors, the air in the cabin is recycled through high-efficiency particulate filters to keep it clean and free from outside dust and smoke, and the whole vehicle can hydraulically lower itself for easier access by firefighters.
However, all this technology remained unused for more than a year due to issues with the truck’s procurement process.
The ACT’s Auditor-General found the ESA “did not adequately assess the value-for-money of the vehicle prior to ordering it”.
The agency then had to “complete and implement a comprehensive evaluation plan and training plan” before the pumper finally started work in 2024.
ACTF&R chief officer Matthew Mavity with the truck soon after it arrived in the ACT in June 2023. Photo: Claire Fenwicke.
According to the ESA, it’s on leave again due to the failure of a “significant” part.
ESA commissioner Wayne Phillips told ABC radio this morning (29 January) crews discovered a problem with the “primer” inside the truck’s main water hose pump during routine checks.
“Unfortunately, [it’s] the time of the year that it failed and the availability of parts,” he said of the delay.
While it’s “not unusual” for multiple trucks to attend the same emergency, he also confirmed other trucks are required to accompany the hybrid one in case it doesn’t work as intended.
“There’s a bit of that … but also what’s happening is that we’re training firefighters as well, so we’re reaching 80 per cent capacity of firefighters being trained on the truck.”
The truck was purchased under the previous ESA commissioner, Georgeina Whelan, to help the agency meet the ACT Government’s net-zero emissions target by 2045.
Former Emergency Services Minister Mick Gentleman said this would require replacing “something like 300 vehicles” in the fleet.
That’s also why the ESA signed a $12.78 million deal with Volvo in 2022 to purchase up to seven zero-emissions emergency service vehicles. The first is the fully electric BA truck, which will be delivered in November 2023.
This, too, is currently back with Volvo to “rectify a fault that was picked up during acceptance testing here in the ACT”, according to the ESA.
“Once Volvo Group hands the vehicle back over to the ESA, we will continue training and familiarisation of the vehicle with our staff before it is operational,” a spokesperson told Region.
The ESA didn’t say when the remaining six vehicles will be delivered, only that the “contract is still in place.”
The fully electric Volvo BA truck arrived in November 2023 on board another fully electric Volvo prime mover. Photo: James Coleman.
Mr Phillips reiterated that the hybrid Rosenbauer remains “a good piece of kit”.
“We were quite courageous … to go out and get this fire truck, and with that comes a lot of lessons, comes a lot of training,” he said.
“We’ve shared those lessons, we’ve shared our training package with other fire services … The next electric fire truck will come in a lot smoother.”
He said crews from fire services all over the country have visited the ACT to see it, and all recognise the long-term benefits.
“Firefighters, both our volunteer firefighters and our paid urban firefighters, are at the forefront of climate change, and we’ve seen that happen every day around the world, so anything we can reduce and do our part, we want to be a part of that,” he said.
ESA commissioner Wayne Phillips. Photo: James Coleman.
He added that the hybrid’s lower floor is a win for firefighters too, who are often carrying in excess of 25 kg of gear, and the fact there are fewer diesel particulates “exploding out the back” into the closed spaces fire trucks often find themselves in.
Mr Phillips said delays in sourcing parts are likely to be ongoing due to the truck’s rarity.
“But if we’re having this conversation – and we won’t be – in 10 years’ time, the commentators will go ‘what a great idea bringing an electric fire truck it was back in 2023′”.
The hybrid truck will be relocated from ACT Fire and Rescue’s station in Charnwood to a new one in Acton “in the next few months”.
Last week, the ESA also signed a three-year contract with New Zealand company Fraser Engineering for four new urban pumpers, expected to arrive within the next three years.
Fraser Engineering is the supplier of all of the ACT’s Scania heavy pumpers as well as the electric Volvo BA truck.
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