London Fire Brigade Chooses Allison For Responsiveness, Reliability

Deliveries are nearing completion of 126 Mercedes-Benz Atego trucks with Allison 3000™ Series; UK capital’s fire and rescue fleet has already ordered 62 more vehicles

Providing more torque at launch and gear changes without power interruption, Allison fully automatic transmissions were specified by London Fire Brigade (LFB) to improve the response time of its fire and rescue fleet.

Deliveries of 126 Mercedes-Benz Atego trucks equipped with Allison Automatics were made over two years and are nearing completion. A further order for 62 fire appliances of the same specification was placed in August. The Allison 3000™ Series was chosen over the vehicle’s standard automated manual transmission (AMT) because of the automatic’s inherent performance advantages over a dry clutch.

With Continuous Power Technology™, engine torque is nearly doubled at launch by Allison’s patented torque converter. Gear changes are made without power interruption, resulting in the smooth transfer of power to the drive wheels and maximum efficiency between engine and transmission.

The new Ategos, all converted to dual-purpose ladder (DPL) fire engines, join a fleet of more than 450 fire engines, command, and support vehicles managed and maintained by Babcock International Group. Babcock also advised the brigade on specifications and design of this latest pumping appliance.

“The Allison transmission was specified partly because of its responsiveness and controllability, and partly because it has proven itself to be such a reliable solution for LFB’s operations,” said Neil Corcoran, Babcock International’s engineering and technical manager for the LFB fleet.

LFB’s experience has also shown Allison Automatics to be exceptionally reliable, with minimal maintenance requirements. “We have seen for ourselves that the Allison has minimal maintenance requirements, particularly with regard to the integral hydraulic retarder and the Power Take-Off (PTO) drive. And, of course, the dependability of equipment is essential in emergency services.”

All 126 Atego vehicles feature crew cabs made by Magirus GmbH in Germany. Fire appliance bodywork and fire engineering conversion was carried out by Emergency One UK Ltd., in Scotland.

The new fire engines have a laden weight of approximately 11,500 kg, with the 7.7-litre engine producing a maximum of 1100 Nm of torque and 272 hp (200 kW). The Allison 3000 Series is suitable for engine output up to 1695 Nm and 450 hp (336 kW). The transmission is engineered to adapt and operate efficiently in a variety of applications, with the choice of close- or wide-ratio gearing, two engine-driven PTO provisions, and 5th Generation advanced electronic controls to enhance operation. There’s also the option of an integral output retarder for better vehicle braking and reduced brake wear.

DPL fire engines typically have a 9-metre ladder, a 13.5-metre ladder, or both. Equipped with 72 metres of 22mm-diameter high-pressure hose on each side of the vehicle, they carry up to 1,365 litres of water, plus hose ramps, water-packs,  inflatable air bags, cutting equipment, rechargeable floodlights, road signs, medical kit and defibrillator and breathing apparatus. Despite this weighty burden, the vehicles must respond promptly and with precise controllability to emergency calls.

Allison transmissions are in use with many emergency services globally, thanks to a hard-earned reputation for outstanding reliability and durability—maximising vehicle performance while minimising operation and support costs.

For more information please visit: allisontransmission.com