The Kinglake Residential Farm Project
Kinglake Bushfire Protection Project Details
Client: A proud owner of a residential farm
Location: In Kinglake, Victoria located 56km north-east of Melbourne’s CBD
Objective: To protect as much as possible the valuable farm assets in his maintenance shed from bushfire threat
Project Summary: A bushfire protection sprinkler system was installed to mitigate any potential bushfires in the vicinity of the client’s farm. A large water tank was also installed, along with a float sensor, heat sensor, and a remote start/stop fire pump
Site Coverage: 2,000sqm
Background
Victoria Bushfire Protection Services was contacted by a residential farmer who owns and runs a farm in Kinglake. The client was deeply concerned as recent bushfires had come dangerously close to the farm, and he wanted to do everything he could to protect it. He was particularly concerned about safeguarding the maintenance shed that contained his valuable farm assets like machines, tractor, and pumps that he used in his day-to-day work.
Kinglake falls in the high-risk bushfire zone. With a history of devastating bushfires ravaging through the area, including the deadly Black Saturday bushfires of 2009, the client was determined to protect his farm from future disasters.
Planning and On-site Inspection
Our team of bushfire protection experts visited the client’s farm and worked with him to devise a fully customised plan. We inspected the site and its surroundings and made necessary measurements of the maintenance shed (40m x 20m). After careful assessment, our experts recommended that a reliable sprinkler system installed on the maintenance shed would be the most effective way to protect the valuables stored in it.
To ensure that the sprinkler system is fed with adequate water, our bushfire protection team decided to install a 25,000 litre capacity RHINO water tank. The client had a dam approximately 150m away from the maintenance shed, which was the ideal source of water. We planned to install a secondary pump to draw the water from the dam and fill up the tank as needed. To minimise the farmer’s workload, a floating sensor was installed in the water tank to detect when it was empty and automatically trigger the secondary pump.
The client had an excellent security system installed in the farm, but to add an extra layer of protection, we decided that all pumps should be remote start pumps with automatic SMS updates on the operation of the pump so that the client can start/stop the pump anywhere and anytime via his mobile phone.
We also planned to install an additional heat sensor near the shed, which would turn on the pump in case of any disconnections or flat mobile battery. Thoughtful consideration of every possible crisis was taken into account during the planning phase of the project.
Kinglake Bushfire Prevention System Installation
Once the client was on board with the plan, our bushfire protection experts got to work. The construction of the sprinkler system was completed first, followed by the 25,000-litre water tank installation.
The water tank was then connected to the dam via a secondary Davey pump to ensure there was always an adequate water supply for the sprinkler system.
A floating sensor was also installed in the tank for unhindered water supply to the sprinkler system. This enabled the Davey pump to start automatically once the water in the tank dropped below a certain level.
To complete the bushfire protection plan, a heat sensor was installed outside the pump and connected to the remote start/stop fire pump. This heat sensor would activate the pump in case of any disconnections or flat mobile battery.
Project Completion and Testing
Once the complete bushfire sprinkler system was installed, rigorous trials and tests were conducted to ensure its smooth functioning. Our experts checked the sprinkler system for leaks and water pressure, while the fire pump’s remote start/stop feature was also verified. The floating sensor was tested to check the automatic triggering of the secondary pump.
We also checked the heating sensor for optimum sensitivity. The entire system was connected to the client’s mobile phone, with regular updates and notifications sent regularly on the operation of the pump. After ensuring that the bushfire protection system was working perfectly, we briefed the client on the system and all its components and ensured that he understood how the system worked.
The client was extremely pleased with the final outcome of our bushfire protection project. He was confident that the maintenance shed on his residential farm that contained all his valuables was now fully protected from any bushfires that may come close to the area.
With the installation of a sprinkler system, water tank, secondary pump, and heat sensor, the threat of bushfire spreading to the shed was effectively mitigated. The client can now conveniently operate the fire pump remotely via his mobile phone and receive regular updates on its working, giving him much-needed peace of mind.
Victoria Bushfire Protection service is proud to have provided a reliable bushfire protection system for the client and ensured the safety of his farm. Check out another exciting bushfire protection project we did for the Greyhound Adoption Centre at Seymour.
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