A Giant strides in to Graz Airport

Graz Airport boosts safety capabilities with a new large-tank fire truck.

Feldkirchen, 30 Nov. 2010: “Z8” is its name – nice and short. A very short name for a huge and very special fire truck equipped with all the latest in fire-fighting technology.
“The new fire truck has increased the power of our airport fire fighters enormously”, says Gerhard Widmann, CEO of Graz Airport, who is happy about the latest addition to the airport’s fleet of equipment. “The vehicle is equipped with an emergency starting system that allows activation of both engines and lights as well as the entire fire-extinguishing equipment at a single button push.”
This emergency starting system ensures that the driver can concentrate fully on driving once the vehicle has been activated, and so no precious time is lost.


On site, the fire truck can be operated by the driver alone: He controls both roof and front jet and applies the extinguishing agents by means of a joystick. During the opening hours of the airport, there is always one fire-fighter ready to operate the truck so that a response time of three minutes is ensured in the case of an emergency. After the “Panther”, the fire truck purchased by Graz Airport in 2004, the new “Z8” is now the second large-tank fire truck stationed at the airport. Currently 20 fire fighters have been trained to drive and handle the new truck.

The fire fighters of Graz Airport are the third unit after their colleagues at the airports of Vienna and Salzburg to have two large-tank fire trucks available for emergency cases. Thanks to the Z8, they will arrive even more quickly and safely where they are needed to act according to their principle of “safety first”.

Facts & Figures „Z8“:

Tactical name     Airport fire truck  FLF 14
Type Z8
Manufacture Ziegler of Giengen, Germany


Technical features:  

ChassisMAN, 8x8 all-wheel
Engine 1000 PS, Allison automatic transmission
Accelerationfrom 0 to 80 km/h in 25 sec. .
Top Speed140 km/h 
Track width3 m
Operational weight42,5 tons
Extinguishing agent capacity 13.500 l water, 1.650L foam, 500 kg powder, 180 kg CO2
Motor rating of pump480 PS
Rotary fire pump, output 10.000 l/min
Roof jet, output6000 l/min
Projection distance84 m
Front jet, output1000 l water/min and/or 5 kg powder/sec.
Quick-intervention unit50 m non-deformable delivery hose with hollow tube; output: 450l/min
Self-protection unit7 nozzles with 70 l/min each
IR camera on roof monitor