Why is it so important though and are there different kinds of firefighting equipment available?

Fighting a fire with the right equipment can mean the difference between putting the fire out quickly and saving lives and crops and taking a long time to put it out while irreparable damage is being done. In this article, we take a look at firefighting equipment used in grass and forest fires.

What are the different types of firefighting equipment?

When it comes to grass and forest fires the main difference is the square meterage involved in the fire as well as the intensity with which each burn. In grass fires, the area burning is usually quite a large surface area but the flame intensity is moderate to high. For tree or forest fires, the surface area is often not as big but the intensity of the flame engulfing a tree is usually quite intense.

Below we break down the requirements for grass fires and forest fires:

Grass Fires

Thanks to the over 30 years’ worth of experience at Goscor Power Products, we know just what farmers and firefighters need to douse a grass fire and have created options accordingly:

Standard High-Pressure Unit

When fighting a grass fire, you need a high-pressure machine that can spray the water far and with force but you don’t need as much water to be used because of the lower flame intensity. Our standard grass fire fighting unit consists of:

• 40BAR high-pressure pump
• Waterflow rate of 22l/min (this flow rate ensures that very little water can be used effectively, increasing your firefighting time with the 620l supply tank)
• 20m hose length.

This standard unit is popular with farmers who need to create fire breaks around their crops or land each year. They simply mount the unit onto the back of a bakkie and can use it from there.

Double Hose Reel Unit

This unit is a slightly customised and modified form of the standard unit. Popular with fire departments and farmers alike, this double hose reel unit comes with the option of a double hose so that two people can use a hose at the same time. The unit consists of:

• 50BAR high-pressure pump
• Waterflow rate of 60l/min

Customised Unit

For farmers that need to use this equipment in particularly hilly areas, this option is the standard unit but with an extra length hose reel. Farmers can then park their bakkie at the top or bottom of the hill where it is accessible and reel the hose out as they walk up and douse the area they need to. The extra length hose comes in option of a 50, 80 or 100m hose.

Forest Fires

For forest fires, you need to be able to use your equipment very effectively and very quickly. Users need more water but at a lower pressure. We offer the following firefighting unit specifically for forest fires:

Medium Pressure Unit

This unit delivers more water at a lower pressure and is used by farmers and firefighters for when trees have caught alight during grass fires or when they’ve been struck by lightning. This option is a 6-10BAR pressure pump with a water flow rate of 100-150l/min.

We also offer semi-units which come with the pump and hose attachments but are supplied without the water tanks. These machines are for customers that have their own tanks but need the pump and hoses.

All our units come with a Venturi System built in which allows the pump to suck water up from a water source (such as a dam, river or pump) and fill up the water tank. This only applies to our High Pressure units, the medium pressure pumps can reload the water tank itself.

What are the uses of the firefighting equipment?

These high pressure firefighting units are, of course, designed to be used for firefighting purposes but also have a multitude of other uses, including:

• Cattle dipping – farmers use the high pressure units to spray their cattle with cattle dip during the summer months to keep them tick free (this is done with the adjustable mist spray nozzle)
• Crop spraying – farmers use the high-pressure unit to spray crops like vineyards and vegetable plantations to fend off weeds and insects
• Fruit Tree spraying – using the high-pressure units, farmers are able to spray their trees like nut and fruit trees to keep insects at bay as well.

For more information on firefighting equipment, contact the specialists in power products today.

Call Goscor Power Products on 087 806 6871\2 or request a firefighting equipment quote now.

*Article supplied by sponsor.