The Local
Our inventions 9
Ride-on fire trailer could save property S
PRING Hill’s Alvin Clausen has come up with an invention which will excite many people who spend their summers tuned to the fire reports.
“And most houses burn down because of ember attack but this will saturate everything.” Mr Clausen said while the CFA was not able to “approve anything” a number of individual members were “really knocked out with it”. With property leased in Trentham from March 1, WATERWORX is now taking orders for the trailers “and a whole bunch of other stuff – lots of water stuff”. “The trailer is quite unique – there’s nothing like it on the market – certainly not ride-on. “And you could use it save livestock in a paddock, or a cottage or shed. “And when it’s not being used for fire, you can take the tank off and you’ve got a trailer for a bale of hay.”
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In a practical way. Mr Clausen, and his wife Di, moved to Spring Hill after they lost everything, including good friends, in the Marysville fires in 2009. They had thought they would rebuild but found it was emotionally impossible. So later that year they found a six-acre block “with great Spring Hill soil” and a mud-brick house. They’ve made it pretty much fire proof, in as much as that is possible, but Mr Clausen, with a background in electronics, is a realist. And he recalls watching people in Marysville with a host of fire-fighting apparatus but mostly home-made and not fit for purpose. “Just two months ago I thought why not make something that is a bit practical – and purpose built,” he said. “So here I have a ride-on fire trailer with a tank that can hold 1100 litres of water, a pump, a fire reel and a high pressure hose which is push button controlled. “You can ride on the back, chariot style, and be towed by a vehicle. If you like both hoses can be operated out of the car. And all the pumps are key starts. “I wanted it to be really simple for home alone situations. “It’s not offensive, it’s defensive. It’s no use calling me up and saying I have a fire come and help, it’s to protect your property and your assets.” Mr Clausen said he had already sold two, to nearby residents, at just $3899 each which includes the trailer which can be used at any time. Another invention, as an addition to the ride-on fire trailer, are sprinklers with a reach of 20 metres which have flame activated sensors. The additional equipment is another $700. “So it can be just sitting in front of your house, with the sprinklers aimed at your home, and you just leave it like that,” Mr Clausen said. “The flames, or you can use heat sensors, will activate the sprinklers. The sprinklers use 100 litres a minute so will last 10 minutes and the tandem (tank) will last 20 minutes.
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