In 2024, Rosenbauer will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the smallest and lightest class of firefighting vehicles in its product range – the Compact Technology (CT). A significant anniversary like this is the perfect time to look back at the proven concept of its predecessor, the innovative development of a lightweight, space saver and the continuous development and improvement of our solutions. We will also take a look at the current product range and what to expect in the future.

 

How it all began

Until the early 2000s, German firefighting vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 7.49 metric tons were built on the lightest firefighting chassis—the Mercedes-Benz T2, later Vario. With the old class 3 driving license, almost every emergency crew member could drive the popular TSF-W (portable pump vehicle-water) or LF8/6 (group firefighting vehicle with 800 l/min pump capacity and 600 l water tank) in operational and training exercises. At the Rosenbauer site in Luckenwalde, the vehicles are built in the classic design of medium and heavy firefighting vehicles, with a crew or group cab and a separate superstructure box. In Austria, too, KLF-Ws (small firefighting vehicles/water) and LFs (firefighting vehicles) are manufactured on the Mercedes-Benz Vario or Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. At the Austrian plant in Neidling, an integrated construction method is used to produce the panel van variant (KaWa), in which the equipment compartments are fitted laterally into the existing vehicle structure.

From the turn of the millennium, there was growing evidence that the Mercedes-Benz Vario would be discontinued due to the costs of further developing the engines for the Euro4 emissions class (in fact, the chassis was not discontinued until 2013 with the introduction of Euro6). The few alternative chassis in the transporter class did not reach the 7.49 t permissible total weight necessary for the extensive firefighting equipment. For light in the 8t class trucks (Mercedes Benz Atego, MAN TGL), the tried and tested aluminum body concepts with a steel subframe are too heavy to achieve a gross vehicle weight of less than 7.5 t on the heavy chassis. The  engineers at the Neidling plant tinkering worked on various options to develop a standard-compliant firefighting vehicle that can still be driven with a class 3 driver’s license and is in no way inferior to its predecessors in terms of operational tactics. The breakthrough came with the elimination of the heavy steel subframe and major advances in bonding technology. A particularly light and reinforced base plate allows the forces generated during operation to be kept away from the rest of the superstructure, like a subframe. The bonding of sheet metal and connections also saves further weight without losing quality. The revolutionary concept of the AT crew cab integrated into the superstructure is incorporated with great success in the new lightweight superstructure (LA). The striking appearance of the one-piece roller shutter over the entire superstructure length of the previous generation is retained, and the flexible design of the equipment compartment behind it offers unbeatable advantages. This feature still characterizes Rosenbauer’s compact vehicles today.

 

The Compact Line – an important milestone in the firefighting vehicle product range

The LA was the sensation in the firefighting industry in 2004 – we even managed to implement an LF 10/6 (group firefighting vehicle with 1000 l/min pump output and 600 l water tank) with a larger built-in pump on a Mercedes-Benz Atego 818 truck chassis with a permissible total weight of under 7.5 t. By eliminating the subframe, the entire superstructure is so low that there is no need for hinged steps. All equipment can be removed safely from the ground level. For the first time, the roller shutters are also available in an electric version and can be opened ergonomically and effortlessly at the touch of a button. A short time later, the LA is optimized for industrial line production with a combination of screw and adhesive connections, thus giving it flexible dimensions (L x W x H).

Under the brand name Compact Line, the new body impresses customers and, thanks to its lightweight structure, is also built in the 7.49 t van class (Mercedes-Benz Vario) and the 5.5 t / 6.5 t small van class (Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Renault Master Pro):

The Compact Line also meets customers’ needs in the higher weight classes of the Mercedes-Benz Atego and MAN TGL series and offers an even higher live load on the narrow and maneuverable on-road chassis. Numerous vehicles are sold in Germany, Austria and for export, both with the integrated crew cab for conveniently putting on self-contained breathing apparatus and other equipment while driving, as well as in the versions with the standard chassis twin cabs of the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer).

From 2011, the CL vehicles in the various weight classes gradually undergo a technical update and adopt the new Rosenbauer design language. Now that the end of production of the Mercedes-Benz Vario is approaching a decade later, the Iveco Daily, the only other transporter-class chassis available on the market, is being added to the Compact Line portfolio. The last two Mercedes-Benz Vario vehicles produced by Rosenbauer are handed over to the Berlin Fire Department as the LHF 10/5 at the beginning of 2014:

The flexibility of the superstructure technology means that even special vehicles and non-European chassis can be fitted with a customized Compact Line superstructure. From 2011 to 2018, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 6×6, a special modification by Oberaigner, is offered as an exceptional off-road variant that is very popular with fire departments in the alpine regions of Europe. But the CL is also valued and in demand worldwide. On the world’s most popular pick-up chassis, the Ford F-Series, so-called Mini Pumper, Mini Rescue, and RIV (Rapid Intervention Vehicle) are still supplied to numerous Arab, African, and Latin American countries.

 

New on the market as Compact Technology

At the planned Interschutz 2020, which took place two years later in Hanover due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the class of light and compact firefighting vehicles was elevated to the next level. The operation of numerous product lines is harmonized with the third-generation Logic Control System (LCS) in an effort to standardize all series. Likewise, the functional design of the optical signaling systems and the two-stage scene lighting can now be found in all Rosenbauer product lines, with a few technical exceptions. But a major step forward was also made in the technical development of the superstructure, with the cable harnesses and screw connections protected from damage within the contour of the superstructure profiles and a new aluminum profile design. This is also reflected in the name: the Compact Technology Frame, CT Frame for short, stands for innovative and straightforward further development of a tried-and-tested and still unique firefighting vehicle concept:

  • Ergonomic working and removal heights without hinged steps
  • Maximum equipment in the smallest space (HLF20 with additional load possible!)
  • Integrated crew cab for maximum comfort and occupant protection
  • Narrow and low chassis with a small turning circle to drive in places where no large vehicle can go
  • Flexible equipment compartment design without disruptive body structures
  • 24 superstructure variants on five different OEM chassis