As you may know, fire trucks are designed to transport firefighters, water, and specialized equipment to put out fires, rescue people, and provide medical help. In a busy city, however, their size can be a problem, often moving slower than desired when navigating through extremely tight spaces.
Because of this, Ford Australia and Deakin University have come together to create Project FireTrak, a fire-response unit kitted with the necessary gear to respond to emergencies while having the compact maneuverability of an everyday pickup truck.
The team worked within a 12-week timeframe. Based on responses from various fire services in Australia, the pickup—a Ford Ranger Super Duty—needed to carry 800 liters of water, pumps, hoses, breathing apparatuses, and two people inside. The target is to get the FireTrak on the scene not only within the eight-minute urban response benchmark, but in five minutes to be more effective first responders.
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Unlike the Double Cab Ranger Super Duty we featured at the 2026 Bangkok International Motor Show, the FireTrak is based on the Super Cab, which has a two-seat configuration, a six-foot bed, and a factory gross-vehicle mass of 4,500kg.
The specific equipment added includes high-pressure pumps, a solar charging system developed by Zeliox, a siren, emergency lights, a water supply, and space for medical-emergency tools. Of course, emergency-vehicle decals have also been added to aid in visibility from other motorists and pedestrians.
With these upgrades, the FireTrak aims to get to emergency scenes faster and commence the needed procedures while traditional fire trucks are still on the way. What do you think of the FireTrak? And should we look for something similar for our congested roads?
