Riegl voluntary fire department: Hoses dry in a locker instead of in the hose tower

The Riegl voluntary fire department (FF Riegl) in Frankenburg am Hausruck, Austria, received the Econ Universal drying locker just at the right time. After the call outs due to severe weather in the summer, the fire hoses and the crew's equipment were dried quickly, reliably, and easily in the locker located in the vehicle room.

 

Deputy Commander OBI Martin Möseneder lists the advantages of the new drying solution: “One is the time savings, as we no longer have to perform the time-consuming process of unrolling and rolling up the hoses. When we return from a call out, we simply take the hoses out of the vehicle and then put them into the drying locker. The drying time of about 14 hours is also much shorter compared to the hose tower, where the hoses hung for up to a week.

But the most decisive factor for the investment in the drying locker was the cost: the alternative would have been to build a new hose lift and that would've cost about three times as much.”

Universal genius with low energy consumption.

The new drying locker is not called Econ Universal for nothing: the FF Riegl team can dry hoses on five levels or up to eight complete sets of equipment, including jackets and trousers, respirators, boots, and gloves. The five stainless steel grids on which the hoses are currently placed to dry can be removed individually. The drying nozzles for gloves and boots are positioned between them. It is possible to switch between drying the hoses and drying the fire suits within a very short time. The locker is as flexible as it is easy to use. Martin Möseneder confirms: “We start the drying process at the push of a button. If we switch from clothing to hoses, we can change the drying time in the menu. It's so easy to do.”

 

The drying technology is an energy-saving condensation process. This means the moisture condenses on copper pipes inside the locker and is discharged into a container or can also be discharged into the waste water system by simply repositioning the condensate hose. The energy consumption is therefore considerably lower than with comparable devices. Another benefit of this drying solution is that the hoses are dried very gently with modern air circulation fans, and only the outer fabric is dried – the rubber layer on the inside of the hose is protected.

Sterex plasma technology not only reduces the smell of burning, but also viruses.

Another technical feature of the locker is its use of innovative Sterex plasma technology. A plasma-air mixture that acts as an extremely effective disinfectant is fed into the locker via the hangers. This proven technology is also used in drinking water treatment, for example. Bacteria, fungi, fungal spores, and viruses (including coronavirus mutations) are eliminated without using any chemicals, and the smell of burning is also greatly reduced.