The crane is a speciality fire brigade crane from Liebherr, which uses a standard crane equipped with special equipment. Bochum Fire Brigade’s crane is equipped with a recovery capstan winch mounted on the rear, with a line pull of 80kN and an electrical remote control; a 30t load cross-member mounted on the front, which can be drawn out to a length of 3.5m to lift long loads safely; and special electrical equipment, including blue all-round identification lights, Martin sirens, adjustable operational searchlights and reversing spotlights attached to the mounts of the external mirrors.
Standard crane features include a 50m telescopic boom, to be used to fight fires in tall buildings; and an ‘all-in’ concept, with the fully equipped four-axle crane weighing 48t and able to carry 10t of counterweight.
It will be used to rescue people, protect endangered vehicles on bridges, lift and re-erect toppled loads, recover and haul broken down vehicles and support other fire fighting activities. It is replacing a 28-year-old LT 1045, which has been in commission since 1981.
