Regional airport firefighters receive new trucks equipped with Allison automatic transmissions to increase commercial aviation safety

SAO PAULO - Over the last three years, Lavrita Engenharia 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 CCI-AP2-Fênix truck, assembled by Lavrita on a Scania P 440 platform, is the only 4x4 truck manufactured in Brazil that fulfills international requirements and can be used in any airport in both South America and North America. The truck, equipped with an Allison fully automatic 4000 Series™ transmission, makes it possible to douse fires and maneuver 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 airplanes and airport neighborhoods," 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."

In an emergency, every second counts. Thanks to Allison's advanced technology, these vehicles accelerate from 0 to 80 kmh (50 mph) in less than 35 seconds, complying with international standards, and reach a maximum speed of over 113 kmh (70 mph). Allison transmissions provide up to 35 percent faster acceleration than manuals and AMTs.

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 6,000 liters (nearly 1600 gallons). 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. Although there is a similar Austrian project, the Brazilian Fênix has 80 percent local content.

The CCI-AP2-Fênix has 440 cv power, 4x4 traction to perform on any kind of terrain, electronic management, ABS/EBS braking system, a 700-liter reservoir for the liquid foam generator and a 200 kilogram reservoir for dry chemical powder. The upper cannon has a 75-meter reach for spray of water, powder or foam and a lower cannon with a 46-meter reach.

These trucks are compliant with national and internation standards and regulations as defined by institutions including NFPA (USA - Standard for Aircraft Rescue and Fire-Fighting Vehicles), ICAO (Canada - International Civil Aviation Organization), FAA (USA - Federal Aviation Organization), ANAC (Brazil - Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil - National Civil Aviation Agency) and SAC (Secretaria da Aviação Civil - Secretary of Civil Aviation).

The Secretary of Civil Aviation has allocated these first trucks to airports in Alta Floresta (MT), Altamira (PA), Araguaína (TO), Barreiras (BA), Bonito (MS), Cacoal (RO), Caruaru (PE), Cruzeiro do Sul (AC), Fernando de Noronha (PE), Ilhéus (BA), Imperatriz (MA), Ji-Paraná (RO), Juazeiro do Norte (CE), Macapá (AP), Marabá (PA), Paulo Afonso (BA), Santarém (PA), Sinop (MT), Tabatinga (AM), Tefé (AM) and Vitória da Conquista (BA).


About Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is the world's largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and is a leader in hybrid-propulsion systems for city buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including refuse, construction, fire, distribution, bus, motorhomes, defense and energy. Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA and employs approximately 2,700 people worldwide. With a market presence in more than 80 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Hungary and India. Allison also has approximately 1,400 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. For more information, visit allisontransmission.com.

Holly Zhang
Allison Transmission Asia Pacific holly.zhang@allisontransmission.com
+86 (10) 6468-6800 ext. 8818
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Beijing 100028, China