The Cochin International Airport Ltd has introduced a new set of fire fighting machines. According to the CIAL notification on Monday, the new state-of-the-art fire-fighting machine, IVECO Magirus Dragon X 6, will equip Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) to fight even the largest of fire incidents in the airport.
The first machine was put into operation on Monday, and the second is expected in a few days. The new systems are meant to help in handling the operations of new, state of the art jet airliners like Airbus A380, which is now the largest passenger aircraft with double decks and four engines.
German made IVECO Magirus Dragon X 6, according to the notification, would be India’s first ACFT (Air Crash Fire Tender) capable of delivering dry chemical powder to put out fires.
The machine (ACFT) has a twin engine power pack. The speciality of the ACFT is that it would be able to perform pump and roll operations simultaneously. The left engine will drive the fire pump at a pre-selected pressure, while the second engine which will continue to drive the vehicle at different speeds in forward and reverse direction in accordance with the requirement.
IVECO Magirus Dragon X 6 will also be India’s first ACFT which can attain a speed of 80 km per hour within 23 seconds while others would take 30 to 35 seconds. The first of the two AFCTs, which is already in service, has been purchased at cost of Rs 6.48 cr (including customs duty), while the total investment for the two runs into more than Rs 13 crore.
The new ACFT meets all the directives of the International Civil Aviation Organisation as well as the National Fire Protection Association, according to the notification. The new ACFT has a capacity of 12,500 litres of water, 1,500 litres of foam compound and 250 kilograms of dry chemical powder. The roof-mounted monitor (rotatable pump head) can output 8,000 litres of water and 6,000 litres of foam per minute to a distance of 90 metres.