A mobile proportioner for Fire brigades

May 31, 2024

Per Aredal, International Sales Director at Firemiks AB with +30 years of experience of producing and delivering water driven volumetric proportioners world-wide talks about mobile proportioners

With a water driven volumetric pump proportioner, fire fighters can easily build a robust multi-nozzle system, easy to adapt to different firefighting situations, flows and pressure ranges.

This means that one can use several nozzles at the same time independently of each other, quickly open and close them intermittently (pulsing), and place the nozzles at different distances and heights from the water driven volumetric proportioner. The proportioner itself can also be placed anywhere in between the main pump/hydrant and nozzles. As long as water is moving, above the minimum flow specified for each proportioner, the concentrate is accurately proportioned into the firefighting water stream.

A water driven volumetric pump proportioner, like FIREMIKS, has substantially lower pressure losses compared with inductors, resulting in a far longer jet throw length of the foam/water solution, enhancing the safe distance from the fire for the personnel, concentrate supply and the apparatus. Especially important at high-risk incidents.

FIREMIKS proportioner works with all nozzle types, for example variable spray nozzles, low expansion and medium expansion nozzles, the nozzle type doesn’t affect the dosing accuracy. All FIREMIKS mobile models are equipped with separate strainer to be placed on water motor inlet to ensure that only clean water is entering the water motor.

Wide range of proportioning options.

A water driven pump proportioner equipped with piston pump has normally 1% and 3% as standard factory fixed dosing rate. Other fixed dosing rates, as for example 0,5% and 2% are available as well as selectable dosing rates, such as 0,3-0,6-1% and 1-2-3% in one unit.

We can also offer in our FIREMIKS mobile proportioner program units with user selectable 0,5-1-3%, available in two flow sizes 600 and 1000 lpm. 600-0,5-1-3-PP-M and 1000-0,5-1-3-PP-M. FIREMIKS is the only brand in the market that offers the dosing selection 0,5-1-3% using only one foam pump. This design gives a compact unit with easy understanding of the function. Selection of dosing rate is done with easy to use shut-of-valves at the piston pump head. Changing dosing rate is possible without stopping the fire fighting water flow.

Our latest addition to our mobile program is a small handy high-pressure unit, FIREMIKS 200-0,3-0,6-0,9-PP-M-HP, for 50-200 lpm and 0,3, 0,6 and 0,9% dosing rate, suitable for working pressures up to 30 bar.

Installation on Fire trucks or trailers

Any water driven proportioner can easily be installed fixed or semi-fixed in Fire trucks or trailers, connected to a larger foam supply. The main advantage in comparison with Around-the Pumps venturi systems is the wider operating pressure range, and that one avoids contaminating the water pump with foam concentrate. The main advantage in comparison with electronic systems is the simplicity and that it is not dependent on any electric energy source, making it possible to disconnect the unit, if installed semi-fixed, to be used as a mobile unit when required. Another advantage is that, since the rpm of the unit follows the flow rate, dosing is immediately correct even if nozzles are quickly opened and closed (pulsing).

For more information contact per.aredal@firemiks.com or visit www.firemiks.com