With bushfire outbreaks already in south-east Australia amid a spring heatwave this month and the forecast of a return to El Niño and the likelihood of hotter, drier weather ahead, Silvan is urging farmers and people in regional communities to start preparing if they haven’t already done so.
To assist, Silvan’s two new firefighters have been equipped with a specially designed factory-fitted fast filler to make the most of a farm property’s dam and significantly reduce firefighter refilling time to about three minutes for the 400 litre and six minutes for the 800 litre model.
Among the features is a UV stabilised Impact resistant polytuff tank with internal baffle to reduce surge when travelling.
Included is a 255mm screw-type lid and strainer with a drain bung for easy empty and cleaning.
Both firefighters are powered by a four stroke, 5.5hp GX160 Honda engine with a Davey pump that has a manual recoil rope start. The pump has a maximum output of 415 litres a minute at a maximum pressure of 80psi open flow.
The 3.1 litre fuel tank at full load will operate for about two hours.
Other features include a heavy duty, manual wind powder-coated steel, 30 metre long, 19mm ID diameter delivery hose.
The hose has an adjustable nozzle and flow rate of about 20 litre/minute.
A full load of water with the 400 litre model lasts about 20 minutes and the 800 litre version extends to 40 minutes. When directed from the adjustable nozzle the water can be delivered for a distance of up to about 20m.
The factory fitted dam fill kit includes a 6m suction hose and filter with cam-lock for easy connection and storage.
A three-way valve is fitted to the pump that changes the direction of suction from the tank to using the dam fill kit.
A ball valve is fitted to the delivery outlet from the pump that directs water into the tank.
The 400 litre unit is 90cm long, 106cm wide, 98cm high and weighs 80kg. The 800 litre version is 180cm long, 94cm wide, 109cm high and weighs 90kg.
Both come with a 12-month warranty.
“Silvan has a full range of firefighting units on hand,” product manager Greg Everett said.
“Most of the units fit neatly across the back of a one tonne tray and between the arches of popular utilities.”
Greg said having water resources and equipment ready, as a first response or for clean up after a fire front had passed, was important, however, sometimes property managers were not as well prepared as they should be.
“In previous high danger seasons we have seen property owners and managers leave it until a fire is virtually at their boundary before rushing to their local supplier, only to find that there are no firefighters left in stock,” he said.
“We advise that for a relatively modest investment the appropriate equipment can be held ready to assist in quelling the smallest fire outbreak, or for protection of homes, buildings and fences once a fire alert is raised.
“Our Silvan warehouses are well stocked with attractive product and pricing offers on our extensive range of fully assembled and tested, ready firefighters or individual components for water transfer.”
Greg recommends having two complete Silvan firefighting units and accessory equipment ready to use so one can be filled up while the other is still operating.
“These units are also great general-purpose aids as they can be employed for transferring water from a dam to the household water storage tank, livestock jetting or wash-down purposes, topping up stock water troughs, or general-purpose water transfer needs, including watering trees.
“When considering the tank size of a firefighter, be mindful of the tank dimensions, maximum load capacity on the vehicle and the maximum flow rate of the adjustable nozzle which is about 20 litres a minute,” Greg said.
For more information, phone 1300 SILVAN (1300 745 826) or email info@silvanaust.com
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