Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Training Tunnel – Waterproofing Project
This was a truly unique project with its own important design considerations to be undertaken.
The training tunnel is a deep pit and tunnel system used for training Wiltshire & Dorsets fire & rescue service in emergency scenarios.
The issue is that it was full of water and could not be used!
Previous attempts to stem the flow had failed so MacLennan were tasked with stopping the water ingress and getting the facility back in use.
We visited the training tunnel in Weymouth, and discussed the project intentions with them. We were able to come up with a suitable spec to fit all of their requirements.
The MacLennan technicians carrying out the work were fully trained and certified in confined space working and NVQ qualified in Waterproofing.
MacLennan technicians carried out a day of resin injection works to initially stem the flow of water, which allowed us to prepare the surface to receive a specialist coating.
We also allowed for a cementitious coating to the entire interior walls of the structure, with over-banding to the joints. MacLennan re-detailed joins in the concrete then overcoated all the surfaces.
The client asked us to provide an environment without standing water.
MacLennan stopped the water ingress and as a backup installed pumps in a sump, ready to kick in and clear the tunnel.
The sump was cast in place with concrete in the base of the deepest point of the tunnel. The client chose to have a pump control panel with a high-level water alarm attached as part of their system, ensuring they would be notified in case of any future pump failure of extenuating circumstance.
The Advanced Control Panel chosen offers alternating duty between the duty and standby pumps
This minimizes the risk of seizure to an inactive pump and will give an output reading of the pump hours in use, flow rates and will monitor the performance of the pumps by measuring the load impedance.
