LAST month we saw Gippsland farmers rocked by devastating bushfires followed immediately by major floods.
Both had a direct and dire effect on livestock but left homes and buildings, infrastructure, and machinery severely damaged and even destroyed.
Climate change experts tell us this fluctuation is the new world order and Australia is on the frontline.
Fire authorities around the country are already bracing for what looks like a devastating fire season this summer all due to climate change.
AUSSIE IS THERE
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One Australian manufacturer, Australian Pump Industries understands what regional Australia goes through when racked by fires and floods.
They conceive and design pump products that are built to tackle the results of these destructive weather events.
THE URBAN INTERFACE
Aussie Pumps’ high pressure fire pumps are an everyday tool for a wide range of applications around the farm.
They can be used for plant washdown, high pressure water transfer and of course fire protection.
They can run sprinklers, be used in irrigation and can clear a messy dairy yard fast and efficiently.
However, their primary task is for the fire protection of outbuildings, homes, and sheds, in what fire authorities call the “Urban Interface”.
That is over a million houses that are built on the outskirts of cities and towns in a rural or semi rural environment.
Many of those locations are scattered around capital cities with the owners having not just a few pets but also serious livestock from cattle to horses, sheep and other animals.
Protecting those assets, in terms of buildings and livestock is a massive issue in the event of a fire, bearing in mind the horrific fires, and the speed at which they travelled, during the Black Summer of 2019/20.
Aussie Pumps believes there are practical steps that can be taken to prepare for bushfires.
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The huge build-up of fuel over the winter months means tremendous danger for the Urban Interface dwellers.
Living amongst the gum trees and enjoying that environment can bring its own dangers and responsibilities.
AUSSIE’S BUSHFIRE SURVIVAL GUIDE
Every year, Australian Pump produce a revised version of their free Bushfire Survival Guide.
It gets better each year with more input from not just the fire authorities but also from people who have had practical experience in protecting their homes and assets.
The guide is a terrific document that shows a wide range of actions that need to be taken to protect property and livestock.
The guides are distributed through Aussie Pump shops around Australia.
The guide covers the basics on how to fill gutters with water and move debris from around the house.
However, there are a score of other practical ideas that can be easily achieved.
For example, the guide covers instructions on how to set up sprinklers for a roof mounted reticulation system.
The “halo” effect of water sprayed over the building can be a lifesaver.
The purpose of the guide ultimately is to inform those million or so properties located in harm’s way.
There are real risks involved and people living in the “Urban Interface” need to be prepared.
BE PREPARED
The first essential is to have an adequate water source in the form of either a swimming pool, water tank, dam or well.
That source should have a minimum capacity of at least 20,000 litres.
The Aussie Pump team believe that if you intend to fight the fire and protect your property, which may be your most valuable asset, is worth doing the research to make sure you have the right equipment.
After water, the next thing is having the right product in the form of a firefighting pump that will give you the best chance.
The company has a movie that illustrates the benefits of the Aussie Fire Chief, their flagship product.
They claim the Fire Chief is the world’s best and most effective lightweight, portable fire pump. The movie shows exactly why The Aussie Fire Chief is better than competitor products.
Those advantages include more heavy duty components that deliver true reliability and increased performance.
In some cases it’s 25 per cent more than of other products.
The Aussie Fire Chief will deliver a maximum pressure of around 100 psi and flows up to 450 lpm.
Best of all, in it’s standard configuration with genuine Honda 5.5 or 6.5 hp engine, the pump will deliver 150 lpm at 60 metres head.
Delivering that much water at that pressure provides a degree of competence not found with third world products or other brands.
So bushfires are covered but what about preparing for floods?
PREPARING FOR FLOODS
We’ve all seen the misery people go through when their homes are wrecked, livestock drowned, outhouses and fences destroyed.
There are huge costs involved but also an awful lot of heartbreak as well.
We’re all waiting to see governments start planning flood mitigation work designed to protect low lying towns.
Those major projects will involve the building of new dams to retain and control water levels, as well as dykes, levees and similar infrastructure to protect vulnerable locations.
AFTER THE DELUGE
On a practical level, moving surplus water from flooded basements and carparks in an emergency can be done with a high pressure fire pump like an Aussie Fire Chief. However, these pumps are designed with closed impellers that can be subject to clogging if used for moving dirty water.
This risk can be reduced by fitting a suitably sized strainer.
A better option for moving contaminated water is a specialist self priming trash pump.
These feature open vane impellers that will move larger volumes more efficiently and can handle solids in suspension.
Aussie’s range of QP trash pumps ranges includes 2”, 3”& 4” Honda petrol or Yanmar diesel pumps.
Self priming means these pumps can be set up fast and are easy to maintain.
They are ideal for use in quarries, construction sites and clearing stagnant water from low lying areas.
Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that the versatile Aussie Fire Chief doubles as a terrific tool for moving mud with a “wash and flush” effect.
Those high pressure fire pumps running up to 100 psi, with flows of 150 lpm, can clear a lot of mud, slime, and mess from inside buildings, patios and general wash down duties.
Aussie Pumps has a large national distributor network that offer advice and service of their pump product range.
Check the full page ad for your local distributors.
