The Rosenbauer FOX portable pump has been on the market since 1987, and in its fourth generation since 2015. To date, Rosenbauer has produced and delivered a total of 20,000 units; the anniversary portable pump was handed over to the Elsdorf fire department in Schleswig-Holstein at a small ceremony at the beginning of December.
Everything new
The experts were surprised when the new FOX S was presented at Interschutz, the world's leading trade fair, in 2015. It laid the foundation for the fourth generation of the FOX, which was launched in 2016, and was a completely new development. Roland Weber, Global Product Manager Extinguishing Systems: "Rosenbauer has dared to completely rethink the topic of portable pumps. Even then, the two current FOX portable pumps represented the best combination of the most important features for customers, such as performance, weight, quality, and ease of use, but they have been developed considerably further. Even four years after their introduction, they are still absolutely state-of-the-art."
FOX and FOX S
The premium portable pump FOX is currently available in two versions: with an output of 1,750 l/min at 10 bar (FOX) as PFPN 10-1,500 and with 1,050 l/min at 10 bar (FOX S) as PFPN 10-1,000. The main difference lies in the lower weight of the FOX S and its smaller engine. The FOX weighs 166 kg and the FOX S 150 kg ready for operation, so both are considerably lighter than the EN 14466 standard would allow. In terms of dimensions, both models are equally compact at 926 x 636 x 845 mm (L x W x H) and can therefore also be accommodated in the side compartments of fire-fighting vehicles.
Ergonomic, rubberized handles and the low center of gravity of the pumps additionally facilitate transport to the site of operation over the last few metres. In addition, they can be equipped with LED carrying frame lighting, which illuminates the way to the place of use in the dark and offers perfect visibility to all carriers.
High efficiency
Both the FOX and FOX S have a newly developed pump part. An impeller with spatially curved blades in a spiral housing made of light alloy converts the mechanical engine power into hydraulic power with a very high level of efficiency. The single-stage centrifugal firefighting pumps are driven by powerful BRP Rotax engines. These are produced not far from Rosenbauer's corporate headquarters in Gunskirchen, Upper Austria, and delivered directly from there to the FOX assembly line.
Peter Ölsinger, General Manager BRP-Rotax, about the cooperation with Rosenbauer: "The two (600 ccm) and three-cylinder (900 ccm) engines of the BRP-Rotax ACE family (Advanced Combustion Efficiency) prove their performance and versatility in the FOX portable pumps. We have already delivered 2,400 engines to Leonding since the start of the cooperation, a total of more than 400,000 pieces have been produced since the start of series production. They are mainly used in the BRP products Can-Am Ryker, Sea-Doo Spark as well as in the Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles."
Simple operation
Every FOX portable pump is controlled and monitored via the LCS 2.0 (Logic Control System) control panel with integrated colour display. For vehicle installation, this can also be mounted on the side of the housing and supplemented by a remote panel. The operating structure is logically set up, information on the current status, immediate feedback on any malfunctions or operating errors and suggestions for correct handling are immediately available to the user.
State-of-the-art electronics also ensure trouble-free operation. As with every FOX, ventilation is effected via a piston priming pump, which is now switched via a magnetic clutch. The priming process is started at the push of a button and, as soon as the pump is filled with water, the priming pump is automatically switched off. Pump pressure governors, a cavitation indicator and overheat protection are optionally available for both models. The pump pressure governor automatically regulates the engine speed so that the set discharge pressure remains constant. The cavitation warning warns the operator early on of potential damage to the pump. Input pressure monitoring prevents empty suction in the supply line during pumping operations. The mechanical overheat protection effectively protects the pump against overheating.
Largest market Germany
The FOX is by far the most successful Rosenbauer product, and one of the best-selling portable pumps in Europe. "The greatest demand comes from Germany," says Sales Manager Thorsten Ritzmann, "where we have been able to increase FOX sales by more than a third over the past four years. This year, we have delivered more portable pumps than ever before. Whether as a pump at the water extraction point, as a pump on a TSF or TSF-W, as a booster pump for pumping water over long distances, or as a pump for pumping out flooded cellars: the portable pump is an extremely flexible all-rounder."
The Rosenbauer Group
Rosenbauer is an internationally active corporate group that is a dependable partner of the firefighting community all over the world. The company develops and produces vehicles, firefighting systems, fire & safety equipment and telematic solutions for professional, industrial and volunteer fire services, as well as installations for preventive fire protection. In more than 100 countries, Rosenbauer is the largest fire equipment provider in the world with revenues of about € 910 million and more than 3,600 employees (as at: December 31, 2018).
