The Latest in Dutch Rapid-Deploy Flood/Firefighting Pumps to be Demonstrated at Berkeley Waterfront, October 21, 2010

LEMMER, Netherlands, Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- A demonstration of the first United States delivery of a complete Hytrans Fire System mobile pump and hose deployment system will take place in Berkeley, California on Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 10:00 A.M. at the Berkeley Marina. Based on its experience with the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989 and the Oakland-Berkeley hills firestorm of 1991, the City of Berkeley acquired the $4.7 million system designed to deliver San Francisco Bay seawater at high pressure to the industrial and commercial areas of the city, which includes most of the residential buildings, and to steep hillsides miles from the shoreline in the event of a fire hydrant water system failure.

Equipment demonstrations will be conducted by the City of Berkeley, and subject matter experts from Europe and the U.S. will be on hand to answer questions about technology and operation. Information will be available on deploying these systems in flood and firefighting emergencies. Public officials, public and private emergency planning and response professionals, and interested community members will be in attendance.

"This technology is ideal for our fire flow needs and the topography that we have to deal with," says David Orth, Berkeley Special Projects Manager and Retired Deputy Fire Chief. "These systems were used successfully to fight the largest peacetime fire in Europe in 2005, and are routinely used in severe fire and flooding situations around the globe. The City of Berkeley is leading the way in the United States by taking advantage of this world-class technology."

Designed and assembled in Holland, known worldwide for expertise in water handling, the powerful, compact, flexible Hytrans Fire System (HFS) is the global leader in rapid-deployment flood and fire fighting equipment. Berkeley will be demonstrating their system, which is capable of transporting seawater from San Francisco Bay at 6,000 gallons per minute (GPM) and delivering it, at fire-fighting pressure, to hillside locations elevated hundreds of feet above and miles away from the shoreline.

Attendees will witness a full-scale demonstration of the system as it would be used during an emergency. The morning's activities will include submerging the hydraulically driven seawater feed pumps, operation of the 1,200 Hp HydroSub (HS900) diesel-powered pump units and demonstration of 12" hose and Hytrans' patented Hose Recovery Unit (HRU). In addition to the Berkeley equipment, Hytrans will also have on display a number of other innovative pumping technologies, including a smaller HydroSub 150 pump unit and their latest Flood Fighting Module. Information will be available on system configurations that can be tailored to other agencies' specific operational and budgetary needs.  

About Hytrans Systems BV

Utilizing advanced mechanical, hydraulic and control technologies, Hytrans Systems serve as elements of national and regional disaster response and mutual aid plans in dozens of countries around the globe. Hytrans is active in the development, manufacturing, sales and service of mobile water supply systems worldwide. From their offices in Lemmer, The Netherlands, a team of highly skilled engineers, craftsmen and customer service staff ensure that each and every product leaving the factory is unrivaled in quality and performance. The company holds several patents on crucial parts of the water pumping and large diameter hose retrieval systems. Hytrans' mission is to develop long standing relationships with its customers to ensure years of trouble-free operation of its products. Worldwide, when circumstances require rapid deployment, durability and reliability, Hytrans Systems BV is the right choice.

Related links: http://www.hytransfiresystem.com - Information about Hytrans Systems

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/marina/ - Information/directions for the Berkeley Marina

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SOURCE Hytrans Systems BV