Maes buys 90m for fire platform rental

Carolien Willems, sales manager of Maes's fire fighting platform division, told AI that the company was confident that rental of fire fighting platforms would prove attractive to fire brigades. “The benefit for the Malle fire brigade was that we had the unit ready, it spreads the investment costs over the six months, and then at the end of the rental they can decide whether they want to keep it or give it back.”

Maes will also provide 24 hour service for the machine and also an emergency replacement unit in the event of a break-down.

The 90 m model, which is a slightly stretched version of Bronto's 88 m F 88 HLA, will be seen first at the Interschutz exhibition in Hannover in June and will then be delivered to Maes.

Willems said Maes did not yet have a rental organised for the machine, which is valued at over €1 million (US$1.4 million). The 90 m Bronto, painted red, will have all the usual fire fighting features, including a monitor in the basket and a special rescue cage.

Ms Willems said the 90 m unit would prove particularly attractive to the private fire brigades that operate in large industrial estates at ports such as Antwerp.

Jan Denks, Bronto's area sales manager who was responsible for the Maes contract, told AI that long-term lease or rental arrangements emphasised the importance of the lifetime costs of machines; “I think this is just the beginning. I hope that someday it will not only be fire brigades in Belgium, but the whole of Europe, buying equipment in this way.”

Meanwhile, Maes has hinted that it may also be considering a bigger aerial platform. Although unwilling to provide further details, Ms Willems said; “We are always thinking about higher and more impressive machines.”