“The new liberty in rescue” is the marketing strapline for current LUKAS products, a reference to the company’s ability to allow fire fighters access to cramped areas using powerful hydraulic tools without hoses. The ability to effect rescues without the restrictions imposed by power units and hose length is undoubtedly a life-saver. Where vehicles are involved in remote off-road accidents, it can often be difficult for rescue teams to get sufficiently close to the site and the problem is even greater in the case of major accidents, as rescue workers need to be virtually everywhere at once. Up until now, hoses and the location of the power unit limited how far rescue workers could go when accessing such incident sites and extricating victims. But with electrohydraulics, rescue workers have a new freedom that makes them more effective.
LUKAS pride themselves on providing crews with the means for optimal rescue operations through attention to detail, ergonomics, innovation and the ultimately reliable performance of their products which make rescues faster and safer. The company’s revolutionary eDRAULIC technology impressed every visitor to the stand during the Interschutz trade show.
LUKAS was the first manufacturer to produce a hydraulic cutter and the company continues to be at the leading edge of development. The units are used by fire services in over 120 countries. The product range includes a large selection of cutters,spreaders, combination tools, and rescue rams.
‘through innovation and design, luKas remains the market leader and the largest manufacturer of hydraulic rescue equipment worldwide.’
Footage of a LUKAS eDRAULIC unit cutting through the ‘A’ post of a Mercedes S Class was the single most dramatic image that Fire Buyer reporters remember from the recent Leipzig trade show.
Through innovation and design, LUKAS remains the market leader and the largest manufacturer of hydraulic rescue equipment worldwide. The company places particularly high demands on its products and submits them to rigorous testing. This testing not only meets but exceeds the requirements of international standards bodies such as such as EN,DIN, NFS and NFPA.
LUKAS’s eDRAULIC series of next-generation rescue tools are completely portable units that still match the hydraulic performance of conventional devices using hoses. The company has applied a global development initiative to how power is used within rescue. In combination with the patented star grip, the products allow crew to follow ergonomically sound working methods, Making operating methods easier for the user is helping to save lives.
The revolutionary eDRAULIC products require only half the space and weight of conventional hydraulic sets as they do not need hoses, hose reels and heavy power units. Typically there is a saving of 70-80 kilos for a fire crew responding to a call out. With trucks often packed to the limits, rescuers are now able to take more lifesaving equipment to the rescue scene.
With their lithium-ion energy source, the eDRAULIC tools become completely mobile and facilitate rescue in off-road and large-scale accidents. Speaking to Fire Buyer, LUKAS engineers stressed how in a multiple highway pile-up, fire officers using hydraulic equipment that is not fettered by a hose can weave between vehicles and access areas where their trucks cannot proceed.
For years there has been excessive focus on use of hydraulic hoses in the rescue sector. But the hoses have never rescued anybody and LUKAS have focused on the core task of freeing victims by using portable cutting and spreading devices. Fire crews have quickly recognised that despite their portable nature, these are full-performance tools.
‘fire crews have quickly recognised that these are full-performace tools.’
Products demonstrated on the Interschutz stand included the S 700 E cutter which has been developed for current and upcoming vehicles with stronger and wider structural posts demanding more power if they are to be dismantled as crews try to rescue those inside. The S 700 E’s C-shaped blades combine a cutting and pulling effect, while intelligent cutter geometry means the mechanism automatically adopts an optimum position.
This unit weighs only 52.9 lbs (24.1 kg.) LUKAS engineers have even included performance reserves to anticipate developments in vehicle technology. The ‘little brother’ of the S 700 E, the S 311 E also uses sophisticated blade geometry and rescue workers are already appreciating its combination of cutting performance and blade opening as well as the minimised weight of 38.6 lbs (17.5 kg.)
A product that employs the same portable hydraulic technology is the R 411 E rescue ram whose claws can be rotated through 360 degrees, so allowing precise application. Accessories include a robust extension piece that brings the R 411’s fully extended length up to 47.4 in (1,205 mm.) Dimensions (l x w x h) are 21.5 x 5.9 x 10.4 in or 545 x 150 x 265 mm.
Aimed directly but not exclusively at passenger accident extrication is the SP 300 E top spreader which offers an optimum combination of strength, spreading distance and
weight. The spreader’s innovative diamond tips are very flat for better access to narrow gaps. Their special ‘diamond’- shape surface structure provides exceptional grip.
The simplicity of LUKAS’s design principles means that there is one battery type for all the tools with fast change from mains power cable to battery operation. The battery compartment is illuminated for night work. The units described here met the immediate approval of fire brigades and rescue workers when they were demonstrated in Leipzig, with observers immediately commenting on the fact that the products offer independence from power units and hoses without compromising functionality. This range of portable devices is the culmination of 15 years of development in electrohydraulics, with the company’s engineers co-operating closely with international rescue teams and making note of feedback. The thoroughly positive reception at Interschutz has been an endorsement of these efforts.
Telephone: +49 9131 6980 Web: www.lukas.com Email: lukas.info@idexcorp.com
