Rosenbauer now offers the T-Rex, a 102-foot articulating aerial platform that allows fire departments to decrease set-up time and increase firefighter safety when accessing parapet roofs or performing difficult below-grade rescues from bridges and waterways.

Equipped with a 2,000gpm pump, 300-gallon water tank, Class A foam system and room for 115 feet of ground ladders, the new Rosenbauer-Metz articulating platform can be set up in 25 to 30 seconds. The articulating platform incorporates Metz’s electronic technology for smooth, agile movements.

Since it’s unveiling in March, three departments have placed orders for the unit Cochrane, Alberta, Canada; Chestermere, Alberta, Canada; and Craig, Colo.

Cochrane's Deputy Chief David Humphrey said that safety and ease of use were primary reasons for purchasing a T-Rex. “We’re a combined fire/EMS department that’s both part-time and full-time, so for some of our personnel, they don’t have the opportunity to work with a specific piece of equipment all day, every day," he said. "That’s why we have to choose the next best thing; a piece of equipment that allows our firefighters to become comfortable with it in just a few minutes of routine weekly or monthly training. I was very impressed on how easy the T-Rex was to operate and how safe I felt.

“Another big selling feature for me is the platform collision avoidance feature," he added. "I waved my arm underneath the basket just before it came to a resting position on the ground. The basket sensed my movement and stopped so that the aerial operator knew something was moving underneath. That’s a wonderful feature for any operator to have.”

The Craig Rural Fire Protection District purchased its T-Rex because of unit's ability to provide alternatives to roof access. “We have a lot of metal roofs, and T-Rex gives us the option of not having to put firefighters on these slick surfaces during the winter,” said Deputy Chief Bill Johnston. "Once we compared its ability to operate in a short-jack mode on both sides, our work group was sold."

Dave McAlice, Rosenbauer’s new aerial sales manager notes, “The T-Rex is NFPA compliant as either a platform or quint device. The platform offers an impressive 1,400-pound tip capacity (four firefighters with 400 pounds of gear) and pivots a full 96° uninterrupted. It allows firefighters to secure a Stokes-type rescue basket and has three full-height, easy-access gates. That’s why we’re calling this our ‘all-purpose aerial.’”