Tsurumi LSC puddle-sucking pump

Wulfrath Fire Department environmental response vehicle

Ready for action_the green pump boxes on standby in the equipment compartments

A Tsurumi LSC puddle-sucking pump with hose in a compact and transportable box

A pump for (almost) all situations

Düsseldorf, 13.08.2007

More and more fire brigades are opting to travel with fully equipped environmental response vehicles when there is a danger of environmental damage during an emergency call. But for those fire brigades that can’t afford the luxury of specially adapted vehicles, many still bring puddle-sucking pumps along for the ride.

The universal application of puddle-sucking pumps makes them an indispensable part of the standard fire-fighting kit. Whenever there is a case of a flooded basement, fluid spillage or a post-emergency clean-up operation, these pumps really come into their own. The compact units can be in position quickly and work efficiently and dependably.

The Wülfrath Fire Department in Germany has access to state-of-the-art equipment. As the only fire department in the district of Mettmann (containing ten cities) and being composed entirely of volunteer forces – the efficient organisation of both man and material takes on a level of crucial importance. The many industrial and chemical companies, narrow, built-up areas of the old city, numerous outlying towns and a motorway section keep the 85 committed men and women busy with around 400 emergency calls per year.

In 2005 the decision was made to acquire an environmental vehicle to deal with cases of imminent water and soil contamination in the best and most effective way. Prior to that, two 3.5 tonne trucks were used for oil-related emergencies or ones involving dangerous goods and substances. The downside of this solution: double the operating costs and the fact that the appropriate vehicle was not available to attend the accident site at all times. So, a 14 tonne MAN truck with ZF automatic transmission (210 kw / 285 hp) was chosen instead. It came equipped with an elongated 1:2 personnel cabin with plastisol coating. Separate office space is also included, which has proven extremely useful in practical situations.

Three of the six appliance compartments are used by the Wülfrath fire crew to store equipment for decanting, pumping and packing. Alongside the usual equipment such as anti-leakage bandages, rapid binders and sewer plugs there are also six Tsurumi LSC puddle-sucking pumps on board. They’re each kept in an individual box together with two lengths of hose, making them convenient and transportable for fire-fighters working solo. The pumps measure just 32 cm in height and 17 cm in diameter with a dry weight of only 12 kg. With these individually-boxed Tsurumi pumps, the Wülfrath fire brigade is able to serve several locations in quick succession in case they are ever faced with a complex emergency scenario.

The Tsurumi LSC puddle-sucking pump can handle up to 170 litres per minute and can overcome height differentials of 11 metres. When the decision was made to purchase the Tsurumi pumps, the main deciding factors were their outstanding operating features: the 230V-pump has the capacity to function in water depths as low as 1mm – the minimum that is physically possible for any pump unit. The practical benefit of this feature is that there is no need for additional separate wet vacuumers. The risk of damaging the pump in so-called “snore-mode” caused by lack of cooling, has been resolved at Tsurumi’s European Head Quarters in Düsseldorf with patented continuous lubrication technology and other technical refinements.

Many customers trust the fact that Tsurumi pumps are able to run dry for days without any problems. Other fire brigades, like the fire department in Hamm, are long-standing Tsurumi customers and share the same positive experiences as the Wülfrath crew. Their environmental response vehicle is called out for emergencies about 250 times per year and has already helped protect areas from serious environmental damage.

Ends.
August, 2007
 

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For further information please contact:
Stefan Hörnschemeyer
Marketing Manager
Tsurumi (Europe) GmbH
Heltorfer Str. 14
40472 Düsseldorf
Germany
Tel: +49 211 417 9373
Fax: +49 211 479 1429
e-mail: sales@tsurumi-europe.com