The Safety Region Zuid-Holland Zuid (VRZHZ) and ProRail will receive three industrial fire trucks for Kijfhoek railway zone and rail zone Dordrecht. Ziegler Brandweertechniek will build the three industrial fire trucks. This means, an important step is taken in further improving the security at the yard Kijfhoek in Zwijndrecht. The safety region Zuid-Holland-Zuid (VRZHZ), ProRail and the municipalities of Zwijndrecht and Dordrecht are continuously working together to further improve the security and to combat incidents along the rail zone between Zwijndrecht and Dordrecht.
At the beginning of June, the contract was signed by VRZHZ, ProRail, the municipality of Zwijndrecht and Ziegler Brandweertechniek B.V. On 7 July, this joyful moment was commemorated. Mayor Hein van der Loo of the municipality of Zwijndrecht says: ‘The purchase of these industrial fire trucks is one of the measures to make the Spoorzone and Kijfhoek even safer. These vehicles allow the fire brigade to fight an incident safely and quickly. That is in the interest of all of us. It is now up to our partner ZIEGLER to deliver the fire trucks on time.’
Incident response on and along the railway
The industrial fire trucks are used to combat incidents on and along the railway. For this reason, the VRZHZ and ProRail work closely together. Based on this collaboration, a market survey was conducted for the order for the three identical industrial fire trucks. The collaboration between the VRZHZ and ProRail is extremely important since the work will be done by interchangeable vehicles. The requests of the fire department are included, as well as the operational principles. The tender was awarded to Ziegler Brandweertechniek B.V.
Industrial firefighting vehicles
The industrial fire trucks have a special extinguishing arm. In this way, the fire brigade will be able to reach more difficult places easier during an incident. The new industrial fire trucks are faster, more manoeuvrable, more economical and are prepared for the use of more sustainable (fluorine-free) types of extinguishing foam. The industrial fire trucks, which are thoroughly tested and have more extinguishing capacity, are intended for both the yard Kijfhoek and the rail zone in Dordrecht and Zwijndrecht. This means that there are always two vehicles available for both areas, even if one of the three is out of service, for example due to maintenance.
The industrial fire trucks are completely engineered and manufactured in the Netherlands by ZIEGLER in Winschoten. The production process takes approximately 12 months. After the production, extensive quality check and practical tests will follow. The entire process takes about 24 months to delivery.
The vehicles are maintained for 15 years by the service department of Ziegler Brandweertechniek B.V.
Marin Schouten, General Manager of Ziegler Brandweertechniek B.V.: ‘ZIEGLER is very pleased to be able to realize this assignment. We are used to building special and custom-made vehicles, but each special has its own characteristics. This vehicle with the 360 degrees rotatable Z-Attack HRET extinguishing arm is the solution for the described scenarios.’
Current vehicles
The current vehicles are not interchangeable and have to be replaced in the coming years because they have already served many years and also in order to comply with the new agreements made between the municipality of Zwijndrecht, VRZHZ, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and ProRail.
Jessica van den Bosch, Director Account Management ProRail: ‘Rail freight transport is one of the most sustainable modes of transport and fits in with the climate ambitions to which we have committed ourselves as the Netherlands. In the coming years, we expect a growth of 50% to approximately 60 million tons of goods by rail in 2030. We will facilitate this growth with attention to external security and the requests of the environment. We do this in close consultation with our partners. The tender is a good example of this collaboration.’
Additional emergency roads Kijfhoek
There are a number of emergency roads on Kijfhoek. This allows rescue services to get closer to the railway during an incident. The number of emergency roads will be expanded soon, which makes certain places on the yard more easily accessible for rescue services. Together with the deployment of the new industrial fire trucks, a better accessibility for any incidents at Kijfhoek will be ensured, there will be an improved deployment option in the Rail zone area and the fire brigades of both the VRZHZ and ProRail can cooperate better at incidents.
Marko Redelijkheid, head Fire Services VRZHZ: ‘I am very pleased that we are taking another nice concrete step towards guaranteeing security in our region. The close collaboration with ProRail ensures a flexible and more effective deployment of people and equipment. The purchase of the three identical industrial fire trucks ensures an even better cooperation at incidents on and around the railway. In this way we continue to provide powerful fire services, both by professionals and volunteers, appropriate to the issues in our region.’
Kijfhoek
Kijfhoek is the largest shunting yard in the Netherlands. The yard, a sorting centre for freight wagons, was built in 1975 and opened in 1980. With 49 distribution tracks, 14 arrival and 13 departure tracks, the 50-hectare area is an important link between the Dutch ports and large industrial areas in the Netherlands and Europe. The improvements at the yard Kijfhoek are part of the management agreement that was concluded in October 2020 between the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the municipality of Zwijndrecht, VRZHZ and ProRail. In the coming years, the yard will undergo a metamorphosis with the large-scale renovation of the hills and the construction of new emergency roads at Kijfhoek.
For more information, go to www.ziegler.de
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