First Assist – SkyHydrant GEM Rapid Response Pack

Overview

The FIRST ASSIST – SkyHydrant GEM Rapid Response Pack (FIRST ASSIST – RRP) is an emergency water treatment system providing 5,000 litres of safe drinking water per day. It has been designed to be installed in 2-3 hours using only the fittings and tools supplied in the “drum” pack. It can also be easily augmented into a long-term installation once emergency conditions have ceased.

It is a compact pack with a total weight of less than 20kg and can be transported within an airline ‘checked in luggage limits’ for fast and efficient deployment. All of the critical items included ensure a short term, safe potable water installation. This design has been developed by Disaster Aid Australia (DAA) and SkyJuice Foundation based on extensive field experience and feedback.

 FIRST ASSIST – Rapid Response Pack Content

  • Plastic Barrel (containing all other components)
  • SkyHydrant GEM with plumbing fittings pre-installed
  • Hoses and other required fittings
  • A pre-filter
  • All hand tools needed for installation

Options for Water Supply

The header tank can be filled by the following methods;

  1. Gravity piped water
  2. Pressure supply (tap)
  3. Pump (hand or powered)
  4. Buckets direct into the head tank

Operator Training

Once the unit is providing water, a reliable local should be selected and trained as the main operator. A pictorial laminated Operators Guide in English is provided to assist with operator training. (Where possible this will be replaced by an operator’s guide in the local language.)

Suggestions for longer term installations

An initial installation will provide filtered, bacteria free safe water. The following upgrade actions are strongly recommended after the initial response:

  • Investigate the source water to check there are no contaminants
  • Providing a drained concrete base for the SkyHydrant
  • Enclose the SkyHydrant in a lockable shed
  • Providing drained pavement around the taps
  • Bury or secure locally purchased pipes to protect them from damage

 

Limitations

All SkyHydrants (GEM or MAX design) will remove dirt particles and bacteria, but will not remove dissolved chemicals, or salinity. It is always recommended to test the feed water for TDS and pH prior to establishing a water supply.

 

Set-up Options

Three main set options have been identified.

Option 1 – Where no containers are available to be used for tanks, use the plastic barrel as the head tank.

Option 2 – When it is possible to locate a container to use as a head tank (can be as small as 20 litres), the plastic barrel can be used as a filtered water tank.

Option 3 – Where larger plastic tanks are quickly available to be used as a filtered water tank, the plastic barrel can be used as a head tank.

In situations where Option 1 or 2 are used as an initial set up, every effort should be made to upgrade to the Option 3 set up during the period of the deployment.

 

Option 1 – Utilising FIRST ASSIST RRP Contents Only

This configuration will be the most likely set-up used as an immediate solution.

NOTE: In an emergency, the Head Tank can be filled using buckets.

Option 2 – Adding a Small Head Tank

The tank can be as small as 20 litres capacity.

NOTE: In an emergency the Head Tank can be filled using buckets.

Option 3 – Adding a Large, Filtered Water Tank

The tank can be up to 2,000 litres capacity.