When it comes to fire hazards, South Africa’s main steel-producing plant in Vanderbijlpark is a fire-fighter’s worst nightmare. But there is a team with a 40-year track record safeguarding it

In recent years, the steel-manufacturing plant at Vanderbiljpark has changed owners several times – from Iscor to Mittal to Arcelor Mittal – but its uniquely explosive combination of fire hazards has remained the same.

Hein Barnardo, leader of a dozen men trained as fire-fighters, paramedics and top security personnel, explained that safeguarding the area is made more challenging by the varied products manufactured on site.

“Our factories pose every fire hazard in the book, from veld fires and chemical burns to gas explosions,” says Barnardo.

The 34 square kilometre industrial site is a national key point, producing the nation’s steel and large quantities of flammable by-products in the form of tar, naphthalene gas, and “crude”, a form of petroleum. Despite the constant threat posed by thousands of people, trucks and highly flammable products mixing on a 24/7 basis, Barnardo’s team is proud to have had only one serious fire to fight in the past year – a hydraulic oil explosion, which they doused with foam.

While Barnardo and his team use the latest risk-prevention techniques, their two fire trucks would not look out of place on a veteran truck show.

Hennie Coetzee, who controls the security budget at Arcelor Mittal, says the two fire trucks have logged 70 summers of total use, with their Mercedes-Benz truck still going strong after four decades of service. “We still use these trucks to fight veld fires and render routine work, but as part of the company’s preventative risk management we decided to invest R1 million in a new fire engine.”

With 40 years of reliability from their roundnosed Merc, it came as no surprise that Coetzee again ordered a Mercedes-Benz. He added, however, that his decision to choose an Atego was motiviated as much by price as by the model’s durability.

“The bottom line is that Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles in Midrand gave us better prices than the competing brands, and included a maintenance contract at our local dealer as part of the deal,” Coetzee asserts.

The Atego 1017 order by Arcelor Mittal offers compact dimensions and outstanding handling that makes it ideal for emergency tasks. Confeco Industries, southern Africa’s leading builder of fire trucks, converted the yellow Atego chassis into a red fire engine in just four weeks.

The heart of the equipment is a high-pressure pump that sends 300 litres per minute into the flames at pressures of 10 bar. A 4 000-litre water tank supplies the pump, which can also be set to project a fire-quenching stream of 400 litres per minute several storeys high at a pressure of 40 bar.

Barnardo has specified hoses 45 metres long by 25 mm diameter to facilitate putting out veld fires. The heavy hoses run on electric reels and can be stowed in minutes.

Build Africa tough
Peter Wraight, product manager for trucks at Mercedes-Benz, says that low life-cycle costs coupled with the new six-cylinder engine’s economy and ease of maintenance made it an ideal vehicle for municipal applications, including fire engines and varied ancillary use. “Given the typically harsh operating conditions in South Africa, we at Mercedes-Benz prefer to let the vehicle work well within its design limits, and it is for this reason the Atego range is well suited to the emergency services, giving the additional payload necessary for their equipment. This is an important requirement which gives the end user additional capacity at no extra cost and ultimately gives the customer greater freedom of choice,” says Wraight.

The Atego uses a high proportion of low maintenance and maintenance-free components with concomitent reduced servicing and repair costs compared with its predecessor. Drum brakes on all the wheels are operated via a dual circuit pneumatic system. A decompression and exhaust valve combination offers wear-free braking, while an anti-skid braking system (ABS) applies the optimum available braking force to ensure that the Atego remains steerable in any emergency.

Service, support and warranty
The Atego’s long service life, fuel economy and ease of maintenance means the entire model range is an excellent choice for emergency services fleet managers.

“The Atego 1017 AK, with its all-wheeldrive system, is especially favoured by rural municipalities due to its cost-effective chassis cab unit. Affordable fire engine applications can be added at minimum cost to the operator,” claims Christo Kleynhans, product specialist at the Mercedes-Benz Truck division.

The Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicle division continues to develop their extensive dealer network, another aspect that has made its trucks so successful. “Parts and service support at over 50 dealers nationwide are immediately available when one buys a Mercedes-Benz truck. Our transport solutions extend from training and transport consultancy to finance, insurance and maintenance packages. Independent research has shown that customers in the ancillary market need peace of mind when they buy their vehicles and these services are aimed at this,” says Wraight, who adds that the new trend in the dealer network is to consolidate the commercial vehicle business into truck centres with greater customer focus. “Many of our dealers now offer servicing after hours as well as fully equipped mobile workshops that will take on servicing where the customers need it,” he explains.

An ABC of the technologies that benefit your trucks, vans and buses

Automatic Fifth-Wheel coupling
This device automates the fifth-wheel coupling and uncoupling procedure. This means that a trailer can be coupled or uncoupled via in-cab remote control, Landing legs are also retracted or extended by this system. Mercedes-Benz offers this as an option on its Actros and Axor heavy commercial vehicles.

Electronic Braking system
A high-pressure rapid response braking system that shortens braking distance by several crucial metres and monitors the braking pressure of truck-trailers, adjusting the towing vehicle’s braking pressure for maximum safety and efficiency.

Lane Assistant
On the Actros range of trucks this standard safety feature assists the driver should he stray from the lane. A small camera behind the windshield monitors the lane lines on both sides of the vehicle. Should the driver stray from the lane as, for instance, when he should fall asleep, a warning sound is emitted from the radio speakers.

Telligent systems
The brain of a Mercedes-Benz truck is the onboard computer that integrates with the controller area network (CAN) data bus, ensuring all electronic components function in harmony through seamless data transfer between their respective control modules.

Proximity Control
Radar sensors installed in the bonnet and windshield keep trucks a safe distance from the vehicle in front of them. Braking is initiated by the system if the audible warning sounds are not heeded by the driver.