Fire Hazard During Mowing Operations in Open Terrain: How High-Pressure Extinguishing Technology Nips Vegetation Disasters in the Bud
High Fens / Schwalmtal – The devastating major fire in the Belgian High Fens nature reserve highlights a recurring risk in landscape maintenance and forestry work: tractors and mowers used despite acute drought conditions generated sparks upon contact with stones, which abruptly ignited the parched vegetation. While the debate often points generally to climate change, the immediate source of ignition in practice is often found in mechanical work – and that is exactly where fire protection must begin.
Prevention directly on the equipment:
Stehr HLR 40 / 200
To effectively eliminate the risk of spreading fires during mulching, mowing, and maintenance work, the innovative Stehr 40 / 200 extinguishing system acts directly at the source of origin.
• Efficient high-pressure misting: The system operates with a flow rate of 40 liters per minute at 200 bar pressure. The fine atomization of the water creates an extremely large cooling surface, which abruptly extracts thermal energy from the source of the fire and smothers flames before they can spread.
• Compact 1,000-liter water supply: Thanks to the highly efficient high-pressure mist, the integrated 1,000-liter tank provides an operating duration and extinguishing effect that would require many times the water volume with conventional low-pressure systems.
The automatic emergency call and GPS coupling upon activation of the high-pressure pump fulfills the following tasks during pure firefighting operations:
• Immediate situation report and follow-up alerting: As soon as the machinist or operator starts the high-pressure pump for firefighting, the nearest control center is simultaneously alerted via the international emergency number (112). This ensures that reinforcements or emergency services are dispatched without manual delay.
Conclusion
Dry periods require a rethink in official and forestry operations. Mechanical ignition sources can never be completely ruled out when contacting stones in rugged terrain – however, with integrated high-pressure extinguishing technology like the Stehr 40 / 200 system, initial fires are extinguished in fractions of a second before an uncontrollable wildfire can develop.