Mazda announced that it will donate 35 Mazda BT-50 Fire Unit's to the Greek Ministry of Interior and Relief Agency. This donation comes as a response to the devastation caused by fires in Greece this summer. The Mazda BT 50 Fire Unit has been retrofitted with a steel frame, an 800 liter tank of water, a high-pressure centrifugal pump, 25-metre hoses with special nozzles and other fire-fighting equipment.
Mazda Press Release:
Mazda to Donate BT-50 Pickups to Greece outfitted as Quick-Response Fire Units
Leverkusen, 29th November 2007. Mazda Motor Europe has announced it will donate 35
Mazda BT-50 pickups – retrofitted with fire-fighting equipment – to the Greek Ministry of Interior and Relief Agency for deployment in communities devastated by fires this past summer. Mazda’s Greek distributor, ELMA S.A., will retrofit the new pick-ups with a fire-fighting superstructure designed especially for mounting on light commercial vehicles. It includes a steel frame, an 800 litre tank of water, a high-pressure centrifugal pump, 25-metre hoses with special nozzles and other fire-fighting equipment.
“Mazda and ELMA have delivered over 100 such superstructures to communities in Greece over the last four years,” said James Muir, President and CEO of Mazda Motor Europe. “But the misery suffered this past summer convinced us that we need to do more. We hope our vehicles will help in the effort to avoid such devastation in Greece in the future.”
All Mazda BT-50 pickups will be RAP Cab versions with centre-opening doors and room for four, and will be red in colour and outfitted with special insignia on the sides. They will be used as quick-response fire units and distributed in danger
zones during the summer months. With four-wheel drive and a powerful 2.5-litre common-rail turbo diesel engine under the bonnet, the Mazda BT-50 pickups are well-suited for manoeuvring in wooded areas. If a fire is reported, they can respond quickly and either put it out directly, or contain it until larger fire-fighting equipment can be deployed.
Discussions are currently underway at the Greek Ministry of Interior to determine what communities need the 35 Mazda vehicles the most. They will probably be donated to communities in the areas of
Ilia and Messinia (Peloponese), Southern Evia (Island of Evia), Halkidiki (northern Greece), Ioannina and Corfu (western Greece - Ionian islands). Handover of the retrofitted vehicles is expected to commence in spring 2008 and will be the subject of a future release.
