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Effective firefighting in Uruguay
Firefighting equipment has already been sold to almost ten countries. The advantages of the equipment in difficult terrains have also been noticed in Uruguay.
In the summers of 2021 and 2022, Uruguay was hit by major forest fires. A long-time Ponsse customer, Montes del Plata, learned first-hand how difficult it was to access certain fire areas. Water and firefighting trucks could not reach areas with uneven or rocky terrain or areas where trees had recently been felled.
At the same time, Ponsse had just presented an innovative firefighting solution, and Montes del Plata wanted to examine the equipment.
“Ponsse offered us a new fire protection system to try. After examining the system, we found that it was ideal for firefighting in Uruguay, especially for our own use.”
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“Safety is one of our most important values, and Ponsse equipment is extremely safe. Not only does the agile equipment travel and operate off-road, but it is also reliable. This is very important. We ended up buying three pieces of equipment immediately,” says Juan Bide.
The firefighting equipment has ability to carry a large volume of water, with a water tank capacity of 10,000 litres. It is easy for the driver to learn how to operate the equipment. The equipment can be operated by the driver of the tractor and the operator in the field via remote control. The equipment’s water cannon reaches a distance of almost 50 metres, so that there is no need to drive close to the flames when working in front of the fire.
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“The results were excellent. We were very pleased with the equipment – so pleased, in fact, that we purchased a fourth unit for the next fire season, 2022–2023,” says Juan.
“Today, we have four Ponsse firefighting systems in operation. If I had to choose the best feature, I think it’s reliability. It is very agile, safe and also effective. It can travel over all types of terrain, so you can fill the water tank wherever you want, which hasn’t always been possible if you’ve had difficulty getting to water. The equipment has greatly improved and enhanced our firefighting,” Juan continues.
Due to its versatility, the firefighting equipment can be connected to any forklift truck. It is also compatible with other machine brands. Montes del Plata has its own machines for fire extinguishing use but, if necessary, the equipment can be easily moved from one tractor to another in half an hour. If the fire lasts for several days, the basic machine itself can be damaged. In this case it is easy to replace the equipment with another machine. A smaller diameter hose is also available, of which there can be several attached in the same equipment.
In addition to firefighting equipment, Montes del Plata has been working with Ponsse for more than ten years and has been a Ponsse Full-Service customer since 2013.
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“We feel we’re more of a partner than a customer, and we’ve developed many improvements to the firefighting equipment together. Partnership is one of the values on which we base our choice of companies to work with. We share the same values, which helps greatly in finding a common vision of efficiency and sharing experiences. Ponsse has always been open and honest with us.
“These strengths have helped us grow together. We greatly value the service and maintenance of our machines, the availability of spare parts, the training of our staff, and the rapid response to urgent incidents. These things are very important to us, and Ponsse has been very successful in them.”
PONSSE FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT
- Compatible with PONSSE Buffalo, Buffalo King, Elephant and Elephant King.
- 10,000-litre water tank with pump and water cannons.
- Water cannon rotates 360 degrees.
- The wireless remote control has an operating range of approx. 100 m. The spray direction, angle and pattern, ranging from water mist to a solid stream, can be adjusted using remote control.
- The solid stream reaches up to almost 50 metres.
- The water tank can be filled from a natural water source in about seven minutes.
MONTES DE PLATA
- Company established in 2009
- Full Service customer since 2013
- 28 Ponsse machines, firefighting equipment installed on Buffalo King forwarders
- 1.4 million tonnes of pulp per year
- 7.5% of Uruguay’s exports
- 6,500 employees (direct and indirect workers throughout the production chain).