The Essex Fire and Rescue service have a clear purpose – to improve, protect and save lives, and for one of its fire stations Calorex are playing their part in helping firefighters do their jobs.
In August 1997, Maldon Fire Station opened its doors and has since become an integral part of the local community, dealing with emergencies across the county and saving lives in the process.
And whilst a dehumidifier mounted in a small drying room may not seem as an important piece of equipment to many, its purpose within the station is so vital that when their 20-year-old DH30 needed changing, it was imperative that Calorex acted fast.
With a capacity to dry up to 30 uniforms and pieces of equipment at a time, the drying room at Maldon Fire station is used frequently and its importance is essential as Watch Manager, Martin Cable, describes.
“It’s crucial that any firefighter that goes on call to tackle a fire has dry Personal Protection Equipment, (PPE)” he explains.
“If a firefighter goes into any fire with damp clothes they could be putting their own lives at risk. Because of the hot temperatures we constantly work in, there is a good chance that the dampness of the clothing could turn into steam and subsequently burn and cause serious injury.
“That’s why our drying room, here at Maldon, is probably one of the most important rooms we have at our station. It is used frequently because, even after every training session where we are taking part in wet-related exercises, we are loading it with equipment and clothing.
“The Calorex DH30 is serving its purpose and does exactly what we need it to. Our drying room is key to helping and protect our firefighters on a daily basis. The dehumidifier is ultimately our essential back up to the fire and rescue service.”
Maldon Fire Station have always been indebted to a Calorex dehumidifier, which has been present in their drying rooms since its opening.
The old DH30 machine was very rarely switched off and, even to this day, has continued to be the most efficient and economical method of drying for their station’s drying room.
So after 20-years of service and when their old DH30 unit needed changing, Calorex acted fast to help their local fire service and provide them with their new machine.
Cable continued: “The old dehumidifier had been here at the station since we opened and the fact that it had rarely been switched off and was consistently drying our equipment, it had certainly stood the test of time.
“But because the dehumidifier is so important to the station, when we noticed that it needed changing, it was imperative that it was up and working as quickly as possible.
“Calorex have been our choice of dehumidifier, mainly because they are local to the station, but we would highly recommend their services and equipment to any other station across the country.”
Calorex dehumidifiers not only create heat in fire station drying rooms, they remove water, which in turn, helps protect uniforms and kit from expensive damage.
Standard Calorex dehumidifiers recover heat from the moist air and uses it to heat the discharged air. When additional space heating is required units can be supplied with an electric resistance heater option, controlled by thermostat.
All Calorex dehumidifiers are fully packaged, easy to install and can operate efficiently over an ambient air temperature range between 0 and 40°C.
Calorex dehumidifiers are already installed in many fire stations across the country, including the London Fire Brigade Training Centre at Southwark.
For more information on Calorex’s comprehensive range of high performance units, contact Calorex on 01621 856611 or email sales@calorex.com or visit www.calorex.com