Kempegowda International Airport (BLR) in Bangalore, India, has commissioned a Rosenbauer Tactical Simulator to strengthen its firefighting capabilities.
With this simulator, firefighters can train with the Rosenbauer Panther concept fire trucks (CFTs) in a more realistic environment and operate high-reach extendable turrets (HRET) for extreme aircraft fire emergencies. Alongside the simulator, the airport added two Rosenbauer Panther 6×6 trucks, two Rosenbauer Panther 8×8 trucks and two trucks with HRETs to its fleet, bringing up its total from two to eight CFTs overall.
The simulator has a cockpit that matches the Rosenbauer fire truck, including all operating controls, from the steering wheel to turret control, projected through multiple 55in HD screens. The simulator can also be customized to present multiple scenarios and replay sessions for effective evaluation and will be open for firefighters from other airports (in India and abroad) as well as state fire departments and defense forces. The simulator can therefore allow incident commanders, crew commanders and lead firefighters to gain experience in the tactical use of CFTs. On the simulator, they can practice turret control and the application of firefighting agents, command and control, vehicle operation and basic driving and positioning skills.
Jayaraj Shanmugam, chief operating officer of BLR’s operating company, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), said, “At BLR Airport, our top priority is to maintain the highest standards of safety, and with the Rosenbauer CFTs we are well equipped to efficiently handle difficult fire emergencies. We believe in training our teams, equipping them with advanced tools and modern technology, providing them with hands-on experience and keeping them ready to contain any possible emergencies. The tactical simulator will support in strengthening our firefighting capabilities even further.”