Ahmedabad fire service inducts 15 Toyota Hilux rescue vehicles

The Toyota Hilux is known as a rugged vehicle that can go almost anywhere, over hills, rocks or mud. Until now people used it mainly as a personal vehicle or for carrying goods. Now it has taken on a new role: saving lives.

The Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services, AFES, has inducted 15 Toyota Hilux vehicles into its fleet. These are not ordinary vehicles; they have been completely converted and specially equipped for firefighting and rescue work. Where a large fire engine cannot reach, the Hilux can get through easily.

The choice of vehicle comes down to its engine and design. It has a 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine producing 204 HP and 500 Nm of torque, a ladder-frame body and a 4x4 drivetrain powering all four wheels. If a building collapses and debris blocks a road, a large fire engine may not be able to reach the spot, but the smaller Hilux can. That is why the civic body chose this vehicle. These vehicles will be used not only to fight fires but also for rescue work and to pull people out from accident sites.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has spent about Rs 19.74 crore on these 15 vehicles, working out to more than Rs 1 crore per vehicle. Notably, these are older-model Hilux vehicles, not the new facelift model, though they have been specially customised. The civic body has also acquired 10 rescue boats at a cost of Rs 3.40 crore, to help rescue people from floodwaters. The overall aim is to keep the city prepared for disasters.

The vehicles have been fitted out to function like small mobile rescue units. Each carries hydraulic cutters and spreaders, so if a car door is jammed after an accident or someone is trapped under collapsed debris, metal can be cut to free them. They also carry welding and cutting equipment to clear heavy debris.

To allow work at night or in the dark, each vehicle has a large telescopic light fitted with high-power LED floodlights that light up the area like daytime. A special compartment at the rear holds ropes, life jackets and first-aid equipment. Whether it is a road accident, a building collapse, a flood or someone trapped in a lift, this vehicle is meant to respond to all of them.

Emergency responders refer to the first hour after an incident as the golden hour, when the chances of saving a life are highest if help arrives in time. The Hilux is meant to reach the scene within this golden hour. Being smaller and faster than larger fire engines, it will also be able to navigate Ahmedabad's narrow lanes with ease.