Global Fire Fighters Germany-Fire Brigade Aid Project 

"Global Fire Fighters Germany" (GFFG) is an auxiliary initiative of fire protection engineers Jürgen Sprengel and Harald Schillegger from Dortmund. The aid project, which is unique in this form, is realized as a project trip with an all-wheel drive expedition vehicle. Equipped with fire -fighting equipment and rescue material, the vehicle is rolling accommodation for the project team and at the same time serves as an initial vehicle. In sparsely populated regions that do not have their own fire or emergency services infrastructures, e.g. B. in the event of traffic accidents or medical emergencies. The project vehicle is equipped for a week -long self -sufficient use, far from civilization, and has a range of more than 2000 kilometers.

The project route roughly follows the course of the Panamericana. On her approximately two -year -olds from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, GFFG focuses on training measures for safety in fire fighting. They operate active networking between fire brigades in encepers and the needy countries to initiate equipment aid and to improve the desperate situation of the highly motivated, but often completely insufficiently equipped fire brigades in the states along the project route. In addition, the GFFG will propagate the volunteer fire brigade system based on the German model and give active suggestions for the conversion of old civil or military vehicles to improvised fire brigade operations. The initiators also want to promote international fire brigade comradeship and the peaceful cooperation between the peoples. The GFFG feel committed to the principles of the United Nations and act politically neutral and independently.

Drinking water treatment in an all-wheel drive expedition vehicle 

The route planned for the fire brigade aid project leads through areas in which the public water supply is problematic or there is simply no water supply. For the implementation of the project, the highest possible degree of self-sufficiency of the expedition vehicle with regard to your own water and power supply is important. At the same time, the space available on board must be used as efficiently as possible, since only a limited drinking water volume of 300 liters can be carried.

When converting the project vehicle, a system had to be designed that enables the use of various freshwater sources. The space -saving installation, the reliable and energy -efficient disinfection of the water and the possibility of lying down the drinking water to the outside were the prioritarian statements. In the PURION Jürgen Sprengel and Harald Schillegger have found 1000 from UV Concept a powerful UV water disinfection system that suits their requirements. The system ensures the drinking water supply of the all -wheel drive project vehicle.

Why a drinking water system from UV Concept?

When traveling in areas with poor drinking water quality, the initiators have used to consume only mineral water. Despite all the precautions, they fell seriously and had to be medical care for stays in Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia). The cause of the infections was contaminated water, which is used in many restaurants to rinse the dishes in many restaurants.

Difficult water logistics was a special challenge on some expedition trips through the Australian deserts. At that time, the GFFG expedition team had no way of using water treatment in the rented off -road vehicle, for example to use the old cattle fountain along the Canning Stock Route. In addition to the large fuel reserves, they were also forced to carry large amounts of drinking water. Even then, Jürgen Sprengel and Harald Schillegger asked themselves how a system for drinking water germination on board an off -road vehicle should be obtained.
The duration of the planned project along the Panamericana makes a permanent water supply made of bottles or canisters impossible. Above all, environmental protection aspect, in particular the avoidance of packaging waste, availability and the high costs. In addition to clean drinking water for self -supply and delivery to outsiders, water is also needed for daily body hygiene and laundry washing - and reliably at any location of the project route, in the wilderness Alaskas as well as in Nicaragua or Guatemala.

By using the UV Concept water disinfection system, it ensures that clean drinking water in excellent quality is reliably available at every location of the project route. And not only for the project team itself, but due to the high performance of the UV system, if necessary, also for other emergency services, since drinking water can be generated from surface water at any time.

The installation 

A specialist company was involved in the installation of the UV system, according to its statement, the implementation of the UV filter into the existing system was uncomplicated. The compact UV disinfection system could be perfectly integrated into the overall concept of the drinking water filter system.

The drinking water filter system consists of several elements. Most of them are assembled for the purpose of simple maintenance on a pull -out "filter board". The water is either fed into the drinking water filter system from the local pressure water network or sucked in from a fountain or surface water using a suitable diving pump. It then flows through a three -stage filter cascade, consisting of a filter sieve, a coarse filter and a fine filter. As a result, water can also be fed in if necessary that is not floating -free. Then the heart of the filter system flows through, a PURION 1000 UV filters. There is a small side water outlet behind it. This serves to derive the water until the operating temperature of the UV lamp is reached. In addition, the quality of the filtered water with a TDS tester can at least be checked roughly. A tax tube can also be connected to this side output and filtered water can be handed over to third parties. If the side outlet is closed, the filtered water is directed into the drinking water supply tank. The pre -filtered water is kept fresh using silver networks in the drinking water tank. A carbon filter is located in the main drinking water distributor behind the pressure equalization vessel. In the kitchenette there is a separate rooster only for drinking water. This is secured again via an end filter (ceramic element with 0.1 μm through size) in order to prevent the drinking water pipe back back. A special feature of the project vehicle is that, using a conversion pump, water from the drinking water supply tank into the extinguishing water stock can be pumped over to supply a water barking system. The highly sensitive water barking system only works perfectly with reliably filtered water. This comparatively high effort resulted from the requirement to be able to make it usable for our project wherever fresh water is available. Because clean drinking and domestic water is of elementary importance for the health of the project team and thus for the success of the project.

Why UV Concept?

Jürgen Sprengel and Harald Schillegger initially became aware of UV Concept as part of an internet research and then have intensive trade fair discussions with World Cup Aquatec and Dr. Wipprich, the managing director of PURION GmbH led.

The GFFG team would choose a product from UV Concept at any time. Excellent advice, paired with technology and market leadership in the field of mobile UV drinking water germination and last but not least the excellent and high-quality engineering solutions, have more than convinced.