Truck Mounted Concrete Pump as Fire Engine

Such a tile has not been created as an advertisement but as a serious topic. There was a piece of news indeed. Years ago, firefighters converted a truck mounted concrete pump successfully into a fire engine at a construction site Aksu, China. Obtaining water supply from a powerful water pump, the refitted truck stretched flexibly its arm, the maximum length of which is 40 meters, onto fire in buildings.

The practice of applying a concrete pump truck as a fire engine is not new in the world. As early as 20 years ago, people changed a concrete truck with a Benz NG chassis into a fire fighting truck. Yet such examples are not recommendable at all. No matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to make a truck pumping concrete into a perfect truck pumping water. The reason lies in the fact that a truck mounted concrete pump has been designed to pump concrete, the density of which is much greater than water, and the pumping speed much lower. On the other hand, fire engines need to spray large amounts of water quickly onto a fire in order to extinguish it as soon as possible. Thus some people cast opposing votes to such an idea.

Then why did fire fighters still use concrete pumps anyhow? The root was tight budgets. It took several thousand dollars to purchase a specialized high-pressure fire engine. And it was difficult for fire units to equip themselves with enough sets of standard engines. In case of huge fires, converted concrete pump trucks also served as an immeasurable fire fighting force. Of course, the situation is getting better and better all around the world. It’s the common wish that human kind will be able to protect themselves better and better.