Six new Tatra Force T815-7 4×4 special water-tender fire engines equipped with Allison 4500 fully automatic transmissions have gone into service in the Austrian capital.
Vienna, Austria, April 2025 – The professional fire department of the city of Vienna has purchased six new all-terrain Tatra Force T815-7 4×4 fire engines as ‘TLFA 3000’ water tenders with Rosenbauer bodies, 6-cylinder Cummins diesel engines and Allison 4500 fully automatic transmissions.
The vehicles were specified to achieve maximum robustness, superior off-road capability and responsiveness, while at the same time increasing vehicle control and comfort for the crew, for use in forest and vegetation fires as well as for disaster situations with destroyed or flooded roads. In order to be able to move an 18-tonner quickly and in a controlled manner over extremely rough terrain during an emergency, engine power and torque must be fully transferred to the wheels. Allison’s fully automatic transmission with its torque converter and uninterrupted full-power shifts provides excellent acceleration and continuous traction.
Thomas Huber, Chief Fire Officer at the Vienna Professional Fire Department, says: “We need uncompromising performance and operational readiness. Our drivers must be able to rely on the performance of the vehicles and have them under control at all times. A fully automatic transmission makes the work of our emergency services much easier. The intelligent transmission logic thinks for itself and supports the driver both on the road and, above all, off-road.”
The 18-tonne Tatra Force 815-7 4×4 water tenders (TLFA 3000) with a body by Austrian manufacturer Rosenbauer are powered by a 6-cylinder Cummins diesel engine and an Allison 4500 fully automatic transmission. The engine is rated at 291 kW (around 391 hp) and the truck reaches a (limited) top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph). The all-wheel drive delivers off-road capability at all times. The vehicle has a water passage capability (fording depth) of 120 cm and a hill-climbing capability of 68%. The extinguishing water tank holds 3,200 litres plus 300 litres for self-protection. Thanks to the pump-and-roll function, the extinguishing process can run while the vehicle is being driven.
The Vienna Professional Fire Department was established in 1686, making it the oldest professional fire brigade in the world. Yet it is one of the most modern and well-equipped fire departments worldwide. Covering an area of 415 square kilometres, it covers both inner-city areas as well as large, forested areas, including the Vienna Woods (Wienerwald) and regions that are extremely difficult to access.
The Vienna Professional Fire Department has been using vehicles with Allison fully automatic transmissions for over 40 years and is convinced of their performance and robustness. “These torque converter transmissions are the perfect solution for fire service. They provide excellent traction and thus rapid acceleration, which is especially crucial in city traffic to prevent vehicles from being left behind,” says Thomas Huber.
The integration of body and pumping equipment is also key to the effectiveness of a fire truck. “With an Allison transmission as part of the driveline, the chassis, body and pump work together efficiently,” explains Robert Kerschl, Head of the Tatra Center at the Austrian Tatra importer, Tschann Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH. “In addition, the torque converter powershift transmission enables the Cummins engines to realise their full torque power. As a result, the Tatra Force chassis deliver uncompromising traction and acceleration to emergency vehicles.”
The integration of Allison transmissions into Tatra vehicles is carried out by NIMDA, the official Allison Authorized Distributor in the Czech Republic.
The 4500 fully automatic transmission has been optimised by Allison Transmission specifically for the requirements of emergency vehicles. Christian Bock, Area Sales Manager at Allison, explains: “We recommend fully automatic transmissions for such vehicles – their easy operation and smooth driving simplifies the job of the emergency crews. Drivers don’t have to change gears and can fully focus on the task. The torque converter offers excellent starting capability without virtually no slipping or rolling back, which is particularly important when fully loaded and on unpaved surfaces. And when changing gears, there is no interruption in traction, instead there is a seamless transfer of power to the drive wheels.”
Allison fully automatic transmissions were specifically designed to cope with extreme operating conditions and offer exceptional robustness, reliability and durability. Helmut Sonnendorfer, Customer Service Manager at K&W Drive Systems, the Allison Authorized dealer in Austria, confirms: “Since the first fire engines were tested and handed over in 1985, I can only remember minor issues and not a single serious transmission failure in the fleet of the Vienna Fire Brigade, which at times has operated more than 100 Allison fully automatic transmissions. The Allison transmissions simply work without any problems, and I am particularly pleased that the customer has been completely satisfied with Allison Transmission for decades. However, if a fault should occur, our strength is that we are able to help quickly together with the workshops of the respective vehicle manufacturers or directly with our technicians.
April 3, 2025
About the Vienna Professional Fire Brigade
The Vienna Professional Fire Brigade is the oldest professional fire department in the world and was founded in 1686. It has approximately 1,900 employees and covers an area of 415 square kilometres, including the city of Vienna with its 2 million inhabitants. In addition to firefighting, the main tasks of the Vienna professional Fire Brigade include disaster control, disaster alert and disaster response. The 24 fire stations of the professional fire department and two stations of the volunteer fire department are spread all over the city so that all areas of the city can be reached quickly. In 2024, the Vienna Professional Fire Department responded to 46,632 incidents, an average of 127 operations per day. Of the approximately 288 vehicles in the fleet, around 100 are equipped with Allison fully automatic transmissions.
About Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is a leading designer and manufacturer of propulsion solutions for commercial and defense vehicles and the largest global manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty fully automatic transmissions that Improve the Way the World Works. Allison products are used in a wide variety of applications, including on-highway vehicles (distribution, refuse, construction, fire and emergency), buses (school, transit and coach), motorhomes, off-highway vehicles and equipment (energy, mining, construction and agriculture) and defense vehicles (tactical wheeled and tracked). Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. With a presence in more than 150 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil, manufacturing facilities in the USA, Hungary and India, as well as global engineering resources, including electrification engineering centers in Indianapolis, Indiana, Auburn Hills, Michigan and London in the United Kingdom. Allison also has approximately 1,600 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. For more information, visit allisontransmission.com.
Images
In March 2025, the Vienna Fire Department put six new special all-terrain vehicles into service. These are TLFA 3000 water tender vehicles on Tatra Force chassis with Allison 4500 fully automatic transmissions.
The Tatra Force 815-7 4×4 as TLFA 3000 with superstructure from the Austrian manufacturer Rosenbauer for the Vienna professional fire department are powered by a 4500 Allison fully automatic transmission and a 6-cylinder diesel engine with Euro VI emissions classification.
Vienna, March 3, 2025: Official handover of the vehicle keys to the professional fire department of the City of Vienna.
In the picture from left to right: Dipl.-Ing. Andreas Zeller, CSO (Rosenbauer International AG), Mayor Dr. Michael Ludwig (City of Vienna), Fire Director Dipl.-Ing. Mario Rauch (City of Vienna | Fire Department and Disaster Control), Anton Gebert (Marketing Manager Tschann Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH)
The new TATRA Force forest fire-fighting vehicles with Allison fully automatic transmissions of the Vienna Fire Department have unsurpassed off-road mobility. The 1200 mm wading capacity also allows them to cross streams and rivers.
The new fire engines on Tatra Force 815-7 4×4 chassis with Rosenbauer superstructure and Allison fully automatic transmission complement the existing fleet of fire engines. They were procured especially for use in forest and vegetation fires as well as for disaster situations with destroyed or flooded roads.
From left to right:
Anton Gebert, Marketing Manager Tschann Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH, and Christian Bock, Area Sales Manager at Allison, at the official handover of the vehicles to the Vienna Professional Fire Brigade on March 3, 2025.
The Allison-equipped vehicles have an enormous climbing ability of 68 %. Among other things, they were procured for disaster situations with destroyed or flooded roads.
Allison fully automatic transmissions use a torque converter instead of the traditional dry clutch, which multiplies the engine torque when starting and accelerating.
The new all-terrain vehicles of the Vienna Fire Department are equipped with Allison fully automatic transmissions. They have a torque converter and continuous power transmission to the wheels. This ensures better acceleration and excellent off-road mobility.
Thomas Huber, Chief Fire Officer at the Vienna Professional Fire Brigade, says: “We need uncompromising performance and operational readiness. The drivers must be able to rely on the performance of the vehicles and have them under control at all times. A fully automatic transmission makes the work of our emergency services much easier. The intelligent transmission logic thinks for itself and supports the driver on the road and, above all, off-road.”