The first long-distance forest fire engine in the entire province with a reach of up to 520 meters high, shows up in Changsha county. Its horizontal water delivery distance is 7,000 meters. [Photo by Kang Zihong]

The forest fire protection office of the Changsha county forestry administration recently held a forest fire drill. A long-distance forest fire engine with a reach of up to 520 meters high, made its debut in the drill, Xingsha News reported, noting that it is the first one of its kind in Hunan province.

The ‘fire’ was on Longhua Mountain, the highest peak in the county at 652 meters. Nearby villagers burning straws caused the ‘fire disaster’. The forest fire drill started at 8:10 am, and the wind-fanned fire burned furiously, which made the situation extremely ‘serious’.

The county fire brigade arrived in the shortest possible time. More than 50 forest firefighters wearing orange fireproof suits were lined up for instructions, while communication vehicles, fire engines, ambulances and other vehicles were parked in a well-organized manner. Over 3 hours, all open fires at the ‘fire scene’ had been put out by 11:20 am; the fire was basically under control. The forest fire drill finished successfully.

A long-distance forest fire engine purchased from Guangzhou province played a vital role in this drill. According to a principal of the forest protection office, its maximum delivery lift can reach 520 meters or 200 stories high, and the longest horizontal delivery distance is 7,000 meters, which allows it to put out any forest fires in the county. As the most advanced long-distance forest fire engine in China, it is the only one in the whole province at the moment.

This vehicle is particularly suitable for fighting forest fires in low mountains and hills in South China. Forest fires normally take place in mountain forests a few hundred meters away from flat ground, and portable pumps and city fire engines mainly using multi-step connection are time and energy consuming. Besides, unbalanced pumping pressures through different pumps can easily lead to empty water hoses or a dead engine, while the head of this fire engine is 520 meters, which is over twice that of the fire engines previously used in the county (230 meters).

At a forest fire scene in a complex terrain, the fire could be far from a water source. The water delivery distance of fire pumps and fire engines previously used in the county is 3,000 meters, which can hardly meet the requirements for long-distance water delivery to the fire scene. ‘This fire engine uses a twin-cylinder engine, which greatly boosts its power and allows it to have the longest horizontal water delivery distance of 7,000 meters. It’s absolutely capable of dealing with ordinary forest fire disasters,’ said the principal of the forest protection office. The equipment costs more than 600,000 yuan (around $98,000).