Two new compressed natural gas (CNG) -powered emergency vehicles designed for attending fires related to electrical wiring or electrical appliances are a first for fire departments of the Czech Republic. Located in the Vysocina Region, the trucks are a result of collaboration between the regional government, regional Fire Brigade and E.ON. They will use carbon dioxide as the extinguishing agent and are the first alternative fuel vehicles employed for their Integrated Rescue System.
E.ON contributed 50% of the purchase price, paying CZK 3 million (USD 128,000) of the total CZK six million investment. “With the help of E.ON, the fire brigade in Vysocina has the first two emergency vehicles in the country to run on CNG. On behalf of E.ON Distribution, I can say that I am very happy to have the fire department in Jihlava [capital of Vysocina] able to deliver maximum effort and efficiency in extinguishing electrical equipment fires. That was also the reason for our decision to support the purchase – with regard to our already three years of cooperation in the Vysocina project to save energy,” said Michael Fehn, executive of E.ON Czech Republic.
The new vehicles carry 34 kg of natural gas, enough to cover a distance of approximately 350 km. As bi-fuel vehicles they also have a backup petrol tank.
The energy group E.ON in the Czech Republic belongs to the group E.ON SE, which is the largest private provider of energy services in Europe
This article was sourced from the Czech Gas Association (CGA), an independent grouping of firms and specialists operating in the gas industry and related fields.
