Brisbane Airport is now home to five new ultra-large fire rescue vehicles in Australia. The vehicles are part of an upgrade program to meet international standards necessary for supporting the A380 operations, which commenced in late 2013.
According to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Warren Truss, the new Panther Mk8 fire vehicles will boost aviation safety at Brisbane Airport for the more than 21 million passengers, which pass through Brisbane Airport every year.
“The new vehicles, valued at over $1 million each, are part of Airservices Australia's $135 million investment to modernise fire and rescue services at Australia's major airports,” Minister Truss said.
“When fully loaded with 8,900 litres of water and 1,340 litres of foam, the Mk8 weighs in at 30 tonnes and can accelerate to 80 kilometres per hour in under 30 seconds.
“These vehicles enable firefighters to respond to an incident at the end of the runway in less than three minutes.”
Equipped with roof and front bumper water cannons, a Mk8 can discharge water at 80 litres per second over a distance of 85 metres and is able to empty its tank in approximately two minutes if necessary. “Together the five vehicles carry 32,300 litres of water and are capable of discharging 11,200 litres per minute,” Minister Truss added.