Listen/ Watch: A first on African soil at Homestead Dam
Ntladi noted that the training was in an effort to “train the trainer”, as personnel present would be trained and impart that knowledge to subordinates.
The Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) took to Homestead Dam last week to test out their newly acquired firefighting equipment imported from the Netherlands, which is a first on African soil.
Known as the Ambassador, the nifty piece of equipment hurls out 16 800L of water per minute to combat raging blazes and other disaster-stricken areas of need.
William Ntladi, media liaison of DEMS under the Ekurhuleni metro, talked the City Times through what makes the Ambassador one of the leading pieces of equipment on the continent.
“There are two floater pumps that are placed in the dam and these draw in the water,” explained Ntladi.
“The floater pumps, which are motorised, are connected to two 10-inch (25cm) pipes that are connected to an inlet pipe where the main pump sits.
“The main pump works as a motor and boosts the water.
“The water is then carried to a 12-inch (30cm) pipe that has the capability to travel up to a minimum of six kilometres.
“This means that, provided we have a large water source, we can dose fires that fall into that radius from the main source and not have to worry about a quick shortfall of water.”
Ntladi went on to explain that the 30cm pipe carries the water through to the distributor device that is split into four 100mm thick pipes and carried to the Ambassador, which, at the training, was blasted back into the dam.
The device also allows for demi pipes to be connected along with the Ambassador for maximum efficiency in the battle against blazes.
After sales manager, Jasper van Selm from Hytrans Systems in the Netherlands, was present at the training and testing.
“It is a mobile water supply system and the purpose is to transport large volumes of water to the source of the problem despite close proximity distances,” explained van Selm.
“The system carries 24 000 litres of water per minute at 12 bars of pressure.
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“It can provide a source of water for a total of six water trucks fighting a blaze at full capacity.
“Every meter of the pipes carries 71L of water so there is an automated system designed to retrieve the hose after the job is complete.”
In light of the Johannesburg fire that occurred earlier this month, Ntladi stated the following:
“The Joburg fire happened on September 5 and the Ekurhuleni DEMS were requested to intervene.
“On the first day, only the water tanker was requested whereas on the second day, additional equipment and manpower were requested.
“We stayed at the scene until the fire was contained and doused completely.”
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