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SA Country Fire Service Customised Inflation Solution

High-flow, high-impact performance when it matters most.

Overview

The South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS) Region 5 operates with more than 150 emergency vehicles of various sizes. As a volunteer-run organisation, the CFS plays a vital role in protecting communities across rural and metropolitan South Australia — responding to bushfires, house fires, road crash rescues, and hazardous material incidents.

Given the diversity of conditions and terrains in which these vehicles operate — from sandy bush tracks to sealed metro roads — vehicle reliability is absolutely essential. In particular, tyre pressure management plays a crucial role in ensuring safe and effective operation.

The Challenges​

 CFS crews often face extreme terrain where soft, sandy or muddy conditions pose a real threat of vehicle bogging — especially for their heavy trucks. The common workaround has been to deflate tyres to improve traction, particularly in off-road or bushfire response situations.

However, once the terrain changes or an emergency response is complete, those same tyres need to be re-inflated to optimal pressure levels. The CFS’s existing onboard inflation solution struggled to keep up with demand:

  • Slow inflation speeds caused delays for crews on scene
  • Limited capacity to inflate multiple tyres efficiently
  • Inconsistent inflation results and poor pressure accuracy
  • Wasted time and resources in high-pressure, time-sensitive situations

CFS required a more efficient, mobile, and reliable inflation solution that could support their operations in even the harshest of environments.

The Airtec Solution

The Airtec team worked closely with CFS to create a custom solution that could be integrated into a mobile air compressor trailer, providing fast, safe, and simple inflation directly on site. The star product - the XDZ Inflator.

  • Key features of the XDZ solution:
  • High flow capacity for rapid inflation of multiple tyres
  • Deflation function for soft terrain condi​tions
  • Additional retractable hose reel for easy access and storage
  • Compact size suitable for trailer-mounted use
  • Proven reliability in harsh Australian conditions

“Airtec were fantastic to deal with and provided prompt service and great levels of technical support."

Damien Van de Veld
Regional Operations Fleet Officer, SA CFS