By the box

Holmatro continues to expand its product range as it seeks to develop state-of-the-art
solutions to the problems faced by the modern firefighter

Dutch-based manufacturer Holmatro Rescue Equipment, a leading supplier of high-pressure hydraulic rescue tools, is continuously works on new and innovative products for fire brigades, search and rescue teams, army, navy, air force and civil defence units all over the world.

Among its latest developments are a training book on emergency shoring and lifting operations and a specialised minicutter for hard solid materials ‘Holmatro's Emergency Shoring and Lifting Techniques' is a compact yet comprehensive guide to equipment handling and techniques for use in emergency shoring and lifting operations.

This 100-page book aims to provide a basis to the principles of emergency shoring and lifting operations, as required for the safe rescue of persons trapped. These principles cover a range of rescue disciplines including light and heavy vehicle rescue, collapsed structure rescue and trench rescue.

The book covers all of these disciplines highlighting the various types of shoring and lifting equipment commonly used. With the help of many full-colour illustrations Holmatro's new training tool deals with topics such as personal safety, shoring and lifting equipment, hydraulic assist equipment, tool care and maintenance, load management principles, vehicle rescue, collapsed structure rescue and trench rescue.

The book offers a well-balanced mix of theory and practice, and can therefore easily be incorporated into rescue training programmes. It is available in English, Dutch, German and French and will be translated into a number of other languages soon.


Shore thing

A system commonly used for emergency shoring and lifting operations is the Holmatro PowerShore system. No matter what type of rescue situation you are faced with - more regular but less complex or less regular but more complex (see figure 1) - this system meets any shoring requirement. Its many applications cover all different rescue disciplines: light and heavy vehicle rescue, trench rescue and collapsed structure rescue.

The PowerShore range includes a wide variety of lightweight components such as different strut types (manual, hydraulic and pneumatic), several extension lengths and various heads and accessories. All components are fully compatible and equipped with a snap-lock (dis)connection system. This means that any number of combinations can be used to built the exact shoring system required to shore a particular situation, in a minimum amount of time.

The availability of hydraulic struts with a 10.1t (100 kN) lifting capacity allows for a combination of shoring and lifting operations. These struts are useful in situations where potentially life saving ‘working space' needs to be created, for example. in ‘light vehicle under heavy vehicle' scenarios. They are operated by means of a 720 bar hydraulic hand pump to ensure controlled lifting. The pressure gauge on the pump clearly indicates the maximum allowed pressure for every shore length.


A cut above

Holmatro's latest innovation is Special Materials Cutter SMC 4006. This specialised cutter has been developed to cut hard solid materials such as padlocks, chains and re-bar. These are materials regular rescue cutters have difficulty with or cannot cut at all, while risking serious damage to the blades. The blade and jaw design of the SMC 4006, however, specifically lends itself to cutting materials far exceeding the EN 13204 norm in terms of hardness. The blades are also easy to change.

Thanks to its compactness, low weight and adjustable rotating carrying handle, Holmatro's Special Materials Cutter is suitable for use in confined spaces and difficult to reach areas. Two versions are available, one for traditional dual hose systems (SMC 4006) and one for single hose CORE systems (SMC 4006 C). Both cutters are complementary to existing Holmatro rescue systems, as they can be operated by using any double-acting pump unit from the Holmatro range.

Contact information

Email: info@holmatro.com or www.holmatro.com