In recent days, at the International Fire Fighting Exhibition held in Beijing, a domestic fire truck’s aerial ladder suddenly broke, crashing into another fire truck parked nearby, sparking discussions.
From October 13th to 16th, the 21st International Fire Equipment Technology Exchange Exhibition was held in Beijing. On October 14th, the aerial ladder of a high-rise platform fire truck suddenly broke, causing the entire structure to lose balance and heavily hit another fire truck exhibited nearby.
Videos from the scene show the broken platform directly pressing onto the driver’s cabin of the other fire truck, eliciting gasps from the surrounding spectators. Many people gathered to witness the incident and take photos. Afterwards, workers quickly covered the broken aerial ladder and the damaged vehicle with cloth, causing a temporary chaos at the scene.
According to witnesses, there wasn’t much wind at the scene, and the aerial ladder suddenly fell from the bottom, hitting the driver’s cabin of an airport fire truck accurately.
Chinese media reported that the two involved fire trucks belong to Weihai Guangtai Airport Equipment Co., Ltd. On October 15th, Guangtai’s staff responded, stating that the fire truck with the broken ladder was an experimental product of the company, and that no injuries were caused by the accident. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
The model involved in the incident was identified as the DG28 aerial ladder fire truck, developed by a subsidiary of Guangtai, Beijing Zhongzhuo Times Fire Equipment Technology Co., Ltd.
This fire truck is equipped with functions such as emergency rescue, spray fire extinguishing, and high-altitude rescue, and has been exhibited at the China International Fair for Trade in Services.
Staff also mentioned that the damaged fire truck is also a product of Guangtai. “The damaged truck is not severely affected and can still be operated after some repairs.”
One blogger pointed out that the chassis of domestic fire trucks is imported, and the crucial aerial ladder issue still remains unresolved despite that.
Netizens criticized, questioning whether fire trucks are also included in the trend of sourcing components. Some sarcastically asked if these incidents were meant for rescue or harm, calling the situation embarrassing and mocking the companies involved for their faulty demonstration of products.