Germany’s Reutlingen fire brigade has taken delivery of a 70 tonne Liebherr LTM 1070-4.2 fire and rescue crane designed for emergency operations.
The new crane has been fitted with a range of fire service and safety equipment such as emergency lights, sirens, electrically adjustable floodlights and a reversing camera. It has also been fitted with an eight tonne recovery winch on the rear of the crane as well as special storage boxes.
Similar to the standard LTM 1070-4.2 All Terrain crane in terms of performance, it offers 12 tonne axle loads, with 10.2 tonnes of counterweight on board as well as the bi-fold swingaway boom extension and hook blocks. As well as offering good off-road capability and manoeuvrability due to its all-wheel drive and active rear axle steering, the crane has also been supplied with Liebherr’s VarioBase outrigger set up system.
The crane will be used to cover road traffic accidents involving large vehicles, for rescuing people, for hoisting loads and for securing actions at after explosions or structure collapses.
Reutlingen Brigade Service commander, Harald Hermann, said: “The modern machine is needed by the fire brigade to meet the increased requirements for technical rescues. It replaces a 24 year old 30 tonne model which was no longer economical due to its high repair costs and frequent breakdowns. What is more, it no longer satisfied the increased requirements, particularly those relating to the higher weights of trucks.”
Liebherr has delivered more than 100 fire and rescue cranes throughout Europe over the past 40 years, with capacities of between 25 and 70 tonnes.