THE VAN RACKING SPECIALISTS
A special racking solution for civil protection
All regions of Italy have their own civil protection service. These organisations always need vans to transport essential materials for dealing with emergencies and for use as mobile workshops, ready to operate under any conditions when needed. This page illustrates a Fiat Ducato that Syncro System fitted out for a civil protection group based in Vimercate in the Lombardy region. The van is equipped with various storage compartments and cargo retaining accessories and includes all the systems needed to ensure complete autonomy in any situation. It also has robust work benches. To cope with any emergency, the van’s operators also requested a very special piece of equipment, which the Syncro team installed for the first time ever in this particular van: a telescopic mast that extends through the van’s roof and supports a set of two LED spotlights that can be remotely directed to illuminate extended areas outside the van.
Liners for the Fiat Ducato
The interior of this Ducato for civil protection work is almost completely lined, with only the bulkhead behind the cab left uncovered. The floor is protected by a liner in aluminium tread plate. The same material also covers the rear bumper, creating a reinforced step for entering and exiting the van. The walls, doors and roof are lined with pre-shaped painted steel panels, reinforced with extra steel panels at the anchor points of the cargo retaining systems.
The Ducato racking solution for civil protection
Both sides of this Ducato are equipped with Syncro racking to provide storage and serve as work benches. The open compartments are partially enclosed by full-access doors and complemented by drawers of various sizes. The storage reaches half way up both walls and is topped on both sides by a work surface in marble-look plywood with raised edges. These extremely robust surfaces make great work benches for minor repairs and adjustments, and are also ideal for supporting cylinders and other heavy items during transport.
Accessories for a super-functional Ducato: lights inside and out
The most important feature of this special conversion is the presence of powerful LED spotlights on a telescopic mast. The mast is rigidly fixed to the floor at the bottom and protrudes through a specially made hole in the van’s roof. When fully extended, it reaches an impressive height above the van, allowing large external areas to be illuminated in any direction. The telescopic action of the mast is controlled from a panel attached to the van’s left wall, while the angle of the spotlights is controlled by a remote control connected to the mast. The roof of the van is also equipped with two rotating beacons for use as warning lights to indicate the presence of the van in awkward logistic situations, at night, and when there is no street lighting. Inside the van, the roof liners are equipped with LED ceiling lights to provide uniform interior lighting. LED technology delivers excellent lighting performance with very low energy consumption.
Cargo retaining systems for heavy loads
Civil protection volunteers are called out for events like concerts, exhibitions and festivals, or in the event of natural disasters, to protect the population and safeguard property and the environment. Because their services are needed in so many different situations, civil protection units need a wide range of equipment. To satisfy these requirements in this Ducato, Syncro installed a number of rails with lashing straps and telescopic, movable hooks. These accessories are ideal for securing materials of all kinds, shapes, sizes and weights. Two fire extinguisher brackets can be seen at the bottom of the left racking in a position that makes the extinguishers instantly and easily accessible if needed.
Autonomy: a compartment for a large compressor-generator combo
A fully autonomous electrical system is essential if you have to operate under emergency conditions. That is why the civil protection group wanted this Ducato equipped with a powerful compressor-generator combo. The machine is housed in its own floor-level compartment underneath the left side racking and is powered by a diesel engine. A second compressor is installed just behind the bulkhead at the bottom of the telescopic mast. This provides the compressed air needed to extend the mast with the spotlights on top.
Other accessories in the civil protection group’s Ducato
The left rear door is fitted with a handwash kit consisting of a water tank with tap and a soap dispenser. The volunteers can therefore wash their hands and tools whenever necessary. The van’s cleaning equipment is completed by a paper roll holder on the right-side racking. The side of the Ducato in which the side door is installed is equipped with a veranda with telescopic legs to provide effective protection against the elements for operators working outside the van.
If this type of solution is what you need, or if it has given you an idea how to satisfy your own requirements, call your nearest Syncro System centre now and ask for a fully customised racking solution for your own van!