Camp Blake Fire Pump Replacement

Scope

In the early months of 2022 QMAX was called on to attend to a badly leaking Vertical Turbine fire pump at the Camp Blake army barracks in Canberra, by 360 Degree Fire. Once assessed onsite it was apparent the shaft had been badly damaged over the years due to the progressive tightening of the sealing gland plate and was past repairing. The nature of the site ensured there was no way we could remove the pump and leave the site without diesel back-up fire control, so it was decided to replace the unit with a new pump.

Challengers

The configuration of the fire pump in the vertical position meant that the only way to remove and replace was through the roof of the pump house building. This was undertaken with the assistance of a crane to make sure the unit was carefully removed, and the new pump installed without incident. The whole process only took around 2 hours, and the fire system was back online with the diesel unit up to pressure and ready to run.