Allison transmissions increase safety at airports in Brazil

Allison equipped trucks can move quickly and pump water via PTO at the same time

Over the past three years, Lavrita Engenharia in Sao Paulo has delivered 70 new class AP2 trucks to the Brazilian Fire Corps operating in airports with regular domestic flights. These new Allison-equipped trucks are part of the Secretary of Civil Aviation's (SAC) Logistics Investment program which aims to increase commercial aviation safety in Brazil's interior.

The trucks, assembled by Lavrita on a Scania P 440 platform, are the only 4X4 trucks manufactured in Brazil that fulfills international requirements and can be used in any airport in both South America and North America. The trucks are equipped with Allison fully automatic 4000 Series transmissions which makes it possible to douse fires and manoeuvre at the same time, increasing safety, speed and efficiency for firefighters.

"This Allison-equipped vehicle is a very important tool for airport safety operations in missions fighting fires in aeroplanes and airport neighbourhoods," said Wilson Molina Ribas, technical director at Lavrita Engenharia. The project, which started in 2009, is the result of intense collaboration with Allison.

"By regulation, these trucks must simultaneously provide mobility and energy; it must move and pump water at the same time," said Ribas. "This is impossible to do with manual or automated manual transmissions (AMTs). An Allison fully automatic transmission can direct engine power to move the vehicle and simultaneously drive the power take-off (PTO), activating the water pump."

Allison says the transmissions provide up to 35 per cent faster acceleration than manuals and AMTs, and these vehicles can accelerate from 0 to 80km/h in less than 35 seconds, complying with international standards, and reach a maximum speed of over 113km/h.

However, according to Leandro Marques, Allison Transmission's account manager, the benefits of Allison Automatics go far beyond faster acceleration and smooth gear shifting. "The ability of efficient firefighting with non-stop water flow is the key feature for fully automatic transmission-equipped truck."

The CCI-AP2-Fênix model is a Class 2 firefighting vehicle with a water capacity of up to 6000 litres. Based on the cabin and chassis of the P 440 4X4, Lavrita develops, manufactures and assembles the equipment with an Allison 4500 transmission and Rosenbauer implements, such as water pumps, monitoring cannons and other features required by international regulations for airport fire combat.

The CCI-AP2-Fênix has 4X4 traction to perform on any kind of terrain, electronic management, ABS/EBS braking system, a 700-litre reservoir for the liquid foam generator and a 200 kilogram reservoir for dry chemical powder. The upper cannon has a 75-metre reach for spray of water, powder or foam and a lower cannon with a 46-metre reach.

Allison transmissions increase safety at airports in Brazil

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