Smooth truck for rough terrain

22 October 2018News | Special-purpose trucks | Trucks | Fire and rescue

Scania’s fire tanker truck set to combat forest blazes.

The worst-ever forest fires that raged in Sweden this past summer have highlighted the need for fire fighting vehicles that can manoeuvre in rough terrain. The Eksjö Rescue Services in southern Sweden have recently taken delivery of a Scania XT P 370 fire tanker truck expressly designed for operations in dense forests.

VIDEO: Click here to watch the fire truck in action

Built on a standard XT 6×6 chassis, the durable truck features a water tank with the capacity to hold 6,000 litres. “What distinguishes this truck is the flexible attachment between the frame and body in order to cope with the uneven movement in terrain,” says Johan Sand at the Atteviks Scania dealership. “With a rigid attachment, the tanks might crack. It has also been equipped with heavy-duty threaded off-road terrain tyres.”

Versatile army veteran

The Eksjö rescue services previously had an ex-army Saab-Scania SBAT 111S 6×6 tactical truck – the acronym for Special Bulldog Allwheeldrive Tandem – from 1976, first on loan and subsequently donated by the armed forces. “That was a really great truck in terrain but it was dated after 42 years and spares were increasingly difficult to obtain,” says Micael Carlsson, Head of the Eksjö Rescue Services.