Firetruck drives through 11ft of water. Cool overload.

I’m marvelling that this is possible. Where is it taking in air from?

That was cool

Windscreen wipers weren’t much use

Black Air intake stack behind the cab isn’t it?

Where is it taking in air from?

Err…the atmosphere?

Is that how they fill up with water?

I’m sold. Where can I buy one?

My in-house fire engine expert loved that !

I suspect in the uk if I tried that I wouldn’t be on driving for long.

My in-house fire engine expert loved that !

Mini or daddy crankboy?

Truck intakes tend to be high up behind the cab .

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/cfa-truck-filmed-defying-ses-advice-by-driving-through-floodwaters/story-fn6bfkm6-1226232676744

Video footage released on Flickr purportedly shows a Research fire truck drivings through flood waters in Eltham on Christmas Day. Footage courtesy Flickr Source: HWT Image Library

THE CFA has launched an investigation after footage emerged showing a tanker nearly submerged as it ploughed through Christmas Day floods.

The CFA has not ruled out a punishment for the three-man crew after the footage raised questions about the fire authority’s safety procedures.

>See the footage. Go to the video section for more.

The video footage, shot by a bystander, shows a Research CFA crew ignoring the State Emergency Service’s advice not to drive through floodwaters.

The vehicle motors through an Eltham street before slowly disappearing beneath the murky waters, with bystanders crying out in amazement.

Two firefighters then appear at the back of the vehicle, while the cabin is flooded with at least two firefighters inside.

When the truck re-emerges, water and debris spill from the cabin doors.

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The CFA’s northwest metropolitan region acting operations manager Tony O’Day said the driver was one of the most experienced in the brigade and spent years with the firies without incident.

“It’s an error of judgement,” he said.

“Once they started driving through the water they were committed and made a decision to keep driving rather than stop.

‘It’s certainly not standard behaviour. We don’t encourage it.”

The crew got themselves in deep trouble when they misjudged a signpost and sized up the water incorrectly.

Mr O’Day said people were always told not to drive through flood water because of its dangers and the firefighters should have known better and been aware of the risks.

He said the crew “regretted” the decision and were not injured during the ordeal.

“They are fairly shaken. It’s something they don’t want to find themselves in,” he said.

Mr O’Day said during the investigation, procedures would be looked at to avoid another similar incident happening.

The SES has repeatedly warned Victorians not to drive, ride or walk through floodwaters.

The warnings are also displayed on its website.

>See the footage. Go to the video section for more.

In UK you see firefighters walking in front of tenders with sticks testing the depth

Impressive fording, although I’d question that the water was 11ft deep, as that would have made the top of the cab about 13ft high. They must have been damn close to drawing water through the air intake though.
Presumably they have high axle and gearbox breathers, but not that high……

Impressive fording, although I’d question that the water was 11ft deep, as that would have made the top of the cab about 13ft high. They must have been damn close to drawing water through the air intake though.
Presumably they have high axle and gearbox breathers, but not that high……

My thoughts too – maybe 7-8ft deep

Coolest bit was opening the door to drain it on the way out!

Not exactly a new thing:

Those hardy (foolish?) Camel Trophy contestants spent many a happy hour drowning their Land Rovers……

(must have made keeping their Cigarettes dry a nightmare 😉

Is that ^ MTG ? 😉

and yes firetruck & floods 😀 Must have been cacking it that the screen was going to got through I would have though

The SES has repeatedly warned Victorians not to drive, ride or walk through floodwaters.

It didn’t look that old.

At Tarr Steps we watched as a 4 wheel driver bravely drove through the 18inch deep water.
15 minutes later an AA van turns up ,drives through hitches up a broken down Volvo and then drives back through the ford.
A bit later Land Cruiser hero returns to his adoring public who for some unknown reason no longer love him!

15 minutes later an AA van turns up ,drives through hitches up a broken down Volvo and then drives back through the ford.

During the last floods in the Lakes (2009?) I was out on the CX round the back of Ambleside / Skelwith Bridge which was very entertaining – watching people get stuck in expensive cars as I just rode on through, that kind of thing.
The AA were out in some sort of huge 4×4 obviously specially modified for floodwaters and they were having a great time, ploughing it through 3ft deep water. It would emerge the other side with water and debris streaming off the bonnet and the driver grinning. 🙂

Have had the great pleasure of doing something similar in a Discovery on a driving day 🙂 Not quite as deep but over the bonnet, external air intake which you see on a lot of modded off-roaders.

Also the physio for my knee used to do tje Camel Trophy, hes got lots of crazy river pictures in his clinic

The Royal Marines have some modified open top landrovers that you can drive through water up to your neck, you have to buckle up the seat belt otherwise you float out!! 😯

Youtube clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAHTG6bPNig

Awesome, got to love to the optimistic windscreen wiper use about 20secs ha ha.

It’s a CFA (Country Fire Authority) truck from a nearby area answering a call that there are children trapped in a flooded car, dates from 2012?
What is hard to see is that the road drops real quick to meet the rail crossing and I guess they didn’t know that, it’s on my regular route out to the north and doesn’t have flood markers
CFA fire fighters are nearly all volunteers and really put it on the line

I drove my old Defender through water which was level with the wing tops a couple of times.. it was great fun but a bit scary.

Despite having a snorkel and raised axle/gearbox breathers the water still found its way in – I discovered this when I rebuilt the hubs a few weeks later, and the wheel bearings appeared to be running in muddy mayonnaise.

The Royal Marines Landrovers mentioned above go through an extensive stripdown/maintenance period after deep wading for the same reasons – water always gets in somewhere.

freeagent – Member

Despite having a snorkel and raised axle/gearbox breathers the water still found its way in – I discovered this when I rebuilt the hubs a few weeks later, and the wheel bearings appeared to be running in muddy mayonnaise.

Landrover build quality- I parked my mondeo in a loch for the night once and those wheel bearings have done another 20000 miles.

Here’s another one – even assuming he’s waterproofed his electrics, and that he’s got a few hundred ml of sump in the bottom of his airbox under the airhose to the carb, he’s not going to get too far riding that deep, is he?

My Brother In Law works for [A Car Maker] and management were very keen to increase the wading depth of the new model versus the old one.

The air intakes and waterproofing all worked perfectly – the major issue was that when it got deeper than the older version it floated away!

So the recommended max wading depth remained unchanged 😀

They should have advised an increased Doors Open* wading depth!

*plus wet feet, wet arse, shagged interior

They should have advised an increased Doors Open* wading depth!

It’s a “luxury brand” – the wading depth figure is purely for bragging rights at the yacht club.

I did the same in my Land Rover in a moment of stupidity, got to the middle of the river Darwen at Houghton Bottoms, notorious for idiots drowning their engines, and saw green water breaking over the bonnet and felt the strong current tugging the lighter rear of the car sideways. Knowing the air intake is high up inside the nearside wing all I could do was press on and pray that the wing was forming a depressed area in the water level. I was lucky.

This was just entering the river:

Crossing a ford in the pyrenees.

No ill effects on my bike, although we did have to strip a KTM 990 down to get water out of the front cylinder.

I blew the engine on my mums Fiat Panda by driving through s ford that was deeper than I thought. Momentum got me across and then I pushed it along a bit before calling the AA. He popped the bonnet took the spark plugs out and rocked the car backwards and forwards in 2nd gear to pump water out of the cylinders. Car written off

It’s always fun when a firetruck pushes an 11ft wave of flood water through your front door.

Put my scooby legacy through a flood Xmas eve 2013, over the headlights and then a wave up the windscreen… At night. Bit scary. But it carried in through, ran rough for 30 mins and has done 25000 miles since. A VW van drowned there and needed anew engine, as did a friends BMW in a one foot deep puddle 🙂

On the landrovers all the breathers are routed into the air intake after the air filter to get the wading depth upto the hight of the snorkel. As pointed out you still need to strip and re grease and oil stuff as the water still gets in past seals.

Put my scooby legacy through a flood Xmas eve 2013, over the headlights and then a wave up the windscreen… At night. Bit scary. But it carried in through, ran rough for 30 mins and has done 25000 miles since. A VW van drowned there and needed anew engine, as did a friends BMW in a one foot deep puddle

Speed could be a factor, among others, where one car passes without issue and another drowns. Take it easy and you don’t disturb the water too much, pick up speed and the water becomes choppy enough for the fan to pick it up and spray it everywhere.

one of these, our own RNLI

zippykona are you on Exmoor?

oh and I want a Talas MB4H!

one of these, our own RNLI

Matt Berry voiceover 🙂