WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPQAVB8AsIM

Very Nice!

Snazzy!

Extremely flash! But seems rather large for a "light tanker" to me - a bit like the 1.4 vehicles which just don't get out into the bush and scrub as well as the landcruisers (IMHO).

2000L is hardly light for us. They have different concepts of naming vehicles over there.

Light Tanker here = "slip-on" or "quick attack" there. I think the name "skidder" is sometimes used too - correct me if I'm wrong.

that vehicle is rad

WPXZBP wrote:2000L is hardly light for us. They have different concepts of naming vehicles over there.

Light Tanker here = "slip-on" or "quick attack" there. I think the name "skidder" is sometimes used too - correct me if I'm wrong.

Never heard skidder used, I thought that was a bit of forestry equipment for hauling logs.

I have heard them called Cat 9, striker or fast attack (NSW) and ultra-light tanker (ACT). Over east the light tankers are 1.4 (eg. NSW Cat 7) I think the difference is a lot less sand and more handline work.

I think in the ACT the call sign is 2-x, where the x is 0, 1, 2, etc. 2-0 would be the stations first LT, 2-1 would be the second, 1-0 would be the first heavy tanker, etc.

Looks pretty nice i wonder how much though

Gee, how much stuff on that thing can break ? By nature, fireys arent 'gentle gentle' with things, so I'm not sure this thing would work well for a busy brigade..

agreed, i think the 1st thing to go would be the touch screen control panels. in a rush situation, it could break quite easily

I think this is probably the future if someone doesn't break it first.

Be nice if they could have a 1:25k moving map display tied to the GPS with all the other units in the area displayed on it intead of the touch screen. Maybe in the future you could get live updates of the fire position from Air Intel as well.

I'm not sure how use the monitors will get. For a grassfire, or supporting a dozer or loader, where i can see it being used, why not just run with a crew out on the fighting deck of a 2000 or 3000L tanker. If its too hot to do that they probably shouldn't be there.

I do like the preattached suction hose. Beats having to get it off the top each time. Not sure about the gurney gun, they can get tiring pretty quick down at the carwash. Don't like the LCD pump display. Bit of dirt and smudges on a bright day and you can't read them.

The future of firefighting is removing the risk factor for firefighters.
This means removing firefighters from the fire and replace them with remote control units as we have seen in mining (tele-remotes).
This is the reason behind the joystick operated cannons.
Removing firefighters from a hostile enviroment outside and placing them inside reduces a number of riskes all of which we all know to well.

One thing they could do is put in 'viewing windows' in the roof, at the moment if you sit in the cab it looks like you cant see up so it is going to limit what you notice in the trees, also touch screens sitting on the side of the vehicle? Might get a little hot at fires.
It also seems quite low and long so could be limited on where it goes.

It does look flash though, so it would be good to see how it has progressed after a few years.

It was interesting how he mentioned that they wanted a vehicle to attract new members... lets hope they didn't make a pretty vehicle at the expense of a particle vehicle.

Remote control monitors are a great addition, all the new brush trucks in the US seem to have them as standard equipment now so it’s good to see them coming through to Aus.

don't know about anyone ele's 1.4 but ours will go just about anywhere a light tanker will go other than the ovious of low lying trees .

their tanker isn't a 1.4 though and by the look of it, it is lower and longer than the standard WA 1.4

I was suprised by the length and height of the new 2.4s over here. I guess what matters is the approach, departure and ramp over angles and there could be a lot of room between that (transfer case?) and where the lowest stowage is now. Mind you what hit most on our Cat 1 was the swinging stairs to the crew refuge going round corners .