High Capacity Pumping
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The European authorities have approved the High Capacity Pumping (HCP) module of the Civil Protection according to the international quality standards. That module is integrated into the intervention capacities of the European Civil Protection Pool, formerly, Voluntary Pool) of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. It already took part to several international large-scale exercises – in Paris (Sequana, 2016), in Laubegg (Austria, 2017), in Madrid (RIWATEREX, 2018) … – and specifically intervened in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2014.
This HCP module is made of:
- four to twelve very high flow pumps (5,000 to 60,0000 litres/minute);
- 2,000 metres of pipes;
- about twenty trained specialists.
It can be called up within six hours for a ten days intervention abroad within a radius of 3,000 km and transportable by road (trucks of the Civil Protection). It satisfies the criteria of autonomy, capacity and interoperability with other intervention teams.
Among its equipment, the HCP module comprehends a Goliath pump, one of the most powerful dewatering pumps in Europe. The flow of this pump is 66,000/minute so it can drain a 25 m x 10 m swimming pool, 1.5 m deep, in less than 10 minutes.
Lately, thanks to the financial support of the European Commission, the Civil Protection acquired a new very high flow pump (51,000 litres/minute). It comes in addition to the existing equipment of the HTD (Heavy Technical Deployment) cluster. This new pump is of course deployable in Belgium but can also be called up for a departure abroad with the HCP module of the Civil Protection.