GEORGE NEWS - The George Fire Department uses very specialised equipment in the execution of firefighting duties and a new pump has been procured to boost service delivery. 

This equipment includes water pumps that are mounted on trucks and use PTO (power take-off) to drive the pump. 

This type of mounting ensures a very reliable power source for the water pump and is an efficient water pumping system for firefighters.

George Fire Services procured the Ziegler firefighting pump, that pumps 3 000 litres per minute, as a spare pump. These pumps are imported from Germany and when maintenance and parts are needed on the George Fire Service's equipment, the downtime on the pumps can take months. 

Should a pump breakdown occur in future, the spare pump can be installed while the other pump is being repaired. This means that a fire engine can be back in service within a day or two instead of being out of commission for months. 

According to acting chief fire officer Santa Sternsdorff, this is once again an important part of improving service delivery to the George Community by ensuring vehicles and equipment are of the highest standard and always ready to serve.

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