GREAT FALLS – One Great Falls company has helped fight fires across the United States for a decade without leaving the state.
Pre-Engineered Fire Systems has built fire suppression units for the past 10 years.
Team Leader John Paul said what sets them apart from other companies is they custom-build everything, “we have been putting together a pump skid that will be going to northern Wisconsin,” Paul said.
The system they are currently building will cover an electrical generating plant in Wisconsin. This is one of their more complicated builds because it has a two-pump system.
“These ones are what we call a split-case horizontal. They have water supply coming in and then it pumps them all out and it is all above ground,” Paul said.
They begin with a design process and once the designs are approved by the company, they start the build. “We bring the skid drawings to Gerbers and they start fabrication on the skid,” Paul said.
Gerbers is just one of many companies they work with to make their creations come to life, “it takes a lot of people in Great Falls to get this built,” Paul said.
Once the skid is built, they mount the fire pumps and start adding the pipes, “then once it is painted and put back together, we start doing the electrical conduit,” Paul said.
When they are close to being done with the electrical, they will put the house around the pump and start with the final touches.
“Everyone is different, so every build brings its own challenges,” Paul said.
Soon the final product will be shipped off to its new home in Wisconsin. Pre-Engineered Fire Systems ships their products from coast to coast.
-Margaret DeMarco reporting for MTN News
