The idea came up during the deployment in the Ahr Valley flood disaster
He tells that to Gründerszene. He was deployed in the new development area in Eschweiler near Aachen, where the water was up to his chest and car parts, sofas and debris floated past him. Later in the shift, the team moved to a retirement home and the Eschweiler hospital. “Our job was to clear the street in front of the hospital of water.” Because: Because of large shards in the water, no rescue vehicle could drive on the flooded road. Drozdzols and his colleagues cleared the road with submersible pumps.
“Submersible pumps are used when, for example, houses, villages or towns need to be protected from penetrating flood water. The problem: If they tip over, the pressure inside drops and they have to be set up again in order to continue to function. The person who who takes on this task could not only come into contact with contaminated water – injuries are also likely, especially in confusing (stress) situations. Commercially available pumps can also not be used on sloping surfaces (e.g. at the entrance to underground car parks) without tools. be used”, writes the Technical University Georg Agricola (THGA) in a press release.
The problem with the pumps tipping over also existed during the Ahr Valley disaster. And so, less than 24 hours after his shift, he set about finding a solution, explains Drozdzol.
Drozdzol’s assessment: “It’s a million dollar business”
This resulted in the “LENZ overturning protection”, an S-shaped stainless steel tube with which the submersible pumps remain standing on sloping surfaces and in meter-high water. “In use for 112%” is the slogan for the product, which is compatible with all common submersible pumps according to DIN standard 14425 and allows around 20 percent more flow than pumps without an anti-tip device. This means firefighters can work faster – and more efficiently – while not having to put themselves at risk when relocating the pumps.
As Gründerszene reports, the Gelsenkirchen fire brigade uses two models of the LENZ tip-over protection and four manufacturers from North Rhine-Westphalia produce other versions on request. Drosdzol is said to have already made international contacts with his startup at the Interschutz trade fair in Hanover. The price for the production is 499 euros. LENZ is working on lowering this price by using other materials such as aluminium. The startup attaches particular importance to obtaining the material from Europe so as not to become dependent on non-European countries. “It’s a million-dollar business,” Drozdzol told Gründerszene. There are over 65,000 fire engines in Germany, plus vehicles from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) and the armed forces. The tip-over protection is useful for everyone. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Homeland, 2021 was the “most active year in the history of THW” due to the Ahr Valley disaster.
The website of the young start-up states that the tip-over protection will not remain the last product, but that other life-saving innovations will follow.
Editorial office finanzen.net
Image Sources: Kyrien / Shutterstock.com