Ballyvesey Holdings Ltd
4x4 Mercedes-Benz Sprinters can go to off-road blazes
11th MayBedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service has increased its operational capability in rural areas by investing in a quartet of 4x4 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans. 
The new 5.0-tonne units will be used for fighting fires on rough grassland – each is equipped with a ‘fogging’ machine that can deliver a continuous flow of water for 40 minutes, from a 700-litre on board tank.
However, as designated ‘multi-role vehicles’ they also have other applications:
- Their 4x4 capability and raised ride height – the off-road Sprinter sits higher than its standard counterpart by 110mm at the front and 80mm at the back – allows them to negotiate stretches of water during floods which other vans could not ford;
- They are able to access difficult-to-reach areas such as railway embankments, where specialist equipment might be needed in the event of a train crash;
- They can be used as forward control centres during medium-sized incidents – the second row of three seats can be removed quickly and easily, and a desk folded down in their place; as well as lighting and communications equipment, there is also a white board on the rear bulkhead;
- In community safety roles the Sprinters can transport up to five fire officers to targeted areas; the officers will then call at homes to offer advice on fire prevention.
Its new Mercedes-Benz vans are all Medium-length Sprinter 515CDI models. Supplied by local dealer Intercounty Truck & Van, they were fitted out by Walsall-based specialist Macneillie & Son. In addition to the removable seats, water tank and fogging machine, the vehicles also boast stowage lockers and trays for helmets and other equipment, and each can carry an inflatable dinghy.
The four multi-role vehicles entered service at the end of April. They are stationed at Harrold, Shefford, Sandy and Woburn fire stations, all of which are manned by retained (part-time) fire fighters.
A genuine, factory-built option, rather than an aftermarket conversion, the 4x4 Sprinter employs rear-wheel drive for road use but allows all-wheel drive to be selected when venturing off road.
Conventional 4x4 vehicles rely on mechanically operated differential locks to prevent spinning wheels and guarantee equal speed on all four wheels. The 4x4 Sprinter, by contrast, uses a development of the Mercedes-Benz 4-ETS (Electronic Traction System), which is integrated with the Adaptive ESP® anti-skid technology to provide unrivalled traction management.
ESP® was pioneered by Mercedes-Benz and Bosch. And as Ray Willett, Transport & Engineering Manager at Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service, explained, it was key to the Sprinter’s appeal. “Safety is always our number one priority and ESP is a brilliant system, so much so we’ll now specify it at every opportunity.
“We’ve been running a standard Sprinter as a mobile workshop and also have a Special Rescue Unit, which is based on a 17-tonne Mercedes chassis,” Mr Willett continued. “That’s a very special vehicle – it’s even appeared on Blue Peter – and although the truck is now 13 years old, it remains superbly reliable.
“So I have every confidence that in these new 4x4 Sprinters we are buying well built vehicles which offer the best combination of performance and operational capability at this size and weight; they’re certainly a great improvement on the four multi-role vehicles they are replacing.
” Mr Willett also praised the professional approach of Steve Anderson, Key Account Manager with responsibility for the ‘blue light’ sector, and his colleagues at Mercedes-Benz UK.
The first two 4x4 Sprinters were put through their paces during a Mercedes-Benz event on the off-road course at the Millbrook proving ground in Bedford, where the crews who will be using them also received training on how to get the best from the vehicles. Although Mercedes-Benz does not claim “severe off-road capability” for its 4x4 Sprinter, Bedfordshire and Luton’s Driving Instructor Steve Spring commented: “I was hugely impressed with the vans’ ability to negotiate hilly terrain that was wet, sticky, and deeply rutted in places.
“They maintained grip in all but the very worst areas, and – amazingly – they did so on standard tyres.
We’ll switch to off-road tyres if necessary but, of course, these would be less fuel-efficient than standard tyres. “Our new vans will be spending 95 per cent of their time on the road anyway, and the conditions we encountered at Milbrook were much more extreme than anything we’re likely to come up against in day-to-day operation. So I’m confident the standard tyres will give us all the off-road traction we’re ever going to need.”
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