Israeli Fire Fighters: New Recruits, Vehicles

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121 new fire fighters joined the Fire Fighting and Rescue Authority personnel in Israel, including two women. At the end of their training they’ll be assigned to stations all across Israel, some employing the 21 new fire fighting vehicles recently acquired by the authority. The new vehicles feature advanced fire fighting and rescue equipment, especially for rescuing traffic accident casualties.

The 21 new vehicles are based on an Iveco chassis. The trucks weigh 15 tons and feature a 300 horsepower engine, automatic hydraulic gears and a composite materials-based fuselage. Each vehicle contains 4,000 liters of water (about 100 liters more than existing vehicles) and 300 liters of foam. The trucks are operated by five fire fighters in full gear. Each vehicle costs 1.6 million shekels.

IHLS – Israel Homeland Security

Together with the new recruits there are 1,850 operational fire fighters in Israel, including 18 women. The training lasts for three months and includes three segments: Academic; practical training at the Fire Fighting and Rescue Academy; and on-station live training.

Authority spokesperson added that recently there’s been a lot of demand for the profession: 4,120 people applied to get into the latest training round. In order to be accepted applicants had to pass various tests and exams, such as physical fitness, technical abilities, handling pressure and more. The average age of new recruits is 20 and above, all after their military service. The next class will open in March.