From snow machines to firefighting
It all started on the ski slopes - and led to a revolution in firefighting solutions. The brainwave came to engineers from South Tyrol, using snow machines to design a water cannon with nozzles that produce exceptionally efficient mist to extinguish fires even at low pressure.
17 May 2017Share
Some ten years ago, the Bozen/Bolzano fire service began to wonder whether the snow machines used on the slopes could also work as water cannons for extinguishing fires. They quickly turned to TechnoAlpin AG, a local company then known for top-quality snow-making systems rather than firefighting solutions. Everyone was curious to see if the idea would work, and the engineers got down to business. The rest is history - the TechnoAlpin subsidiary EmiControls now produces some two dozen water cannons every year.
The current model is the MFT35-H firefighting turbine, a highly versatile mist cannon fitted with a nozzle ring that atomizes water and extinguishing foam into fine particulate matter to be distributed by a propeller. The spray action offers exceptional adjustability, producing everything from a mist that covers a wide area to a water jet with a remarkable projection range. EmiControls is confident that the aerosol that is formed delivers a more efficient firefighting solution than conventional systems, partly because it has a much higher cooling capacity.
The turbine is available with a hydraulic drive or as an electric model, and can be fitted to a wide range of vehicles and machines. Depending on the type of vehicle, the turbine is suitable for a variety of applications. EmiControls also offers the TAF35 tracked vehicle fitted with the turbine as a versatile firefighting combination solution. The water cannon is also particularly effective as a fixed tower-mounted or arm-mounted installation in refineries and chemical industry applications.
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