Global Flood Solutions, the Roscommon-based flood prevention and defence systems provider, has secured major export deals for its Big Bag System in Canada and the US as local authorities there prepare for the Spring thaw after a winter of heaving snow, which it predicts will cause major flooding across North America.
The firm’s award winning Big Bag System has already been in action recently in the city of Medicine Hat, where heavy snow in the Cypress Hills is causing major flooding in the Prairies of Alberta. The Medicine Hat Engineering Department has signed a C$300,000 (Eur225,000) deal for several kilometres of the Big Bag System following the declaring of a State of Emergency across Alberta.
South of the border in Massachusetts, GFS also signed a US$100,000 (Eur75,000) deal with utility firm Springfield Water to protect their water treatment plants along the Connecticut River, which also suffered extensive flooding last year.
The Roscommon start-up has now sealed three international export deals this year following its £2m contract to supply UK company SG Baker, which was announced in the New Year.
The major advantage of the Big Bag System is its concertina design of five robust polypropylene bags, which means it can be deployed faster than any other flood defence system and costs less per unit than more conventional sandbags. It is water repellent on the front side and has a unique filtration component on the rear side, which allows the rainwater to seep out.
1000m of the Big Bag System can be deployed within a few hours, with minimum levels of labour required. This speed is aided by the lifting capabilities of the bags within the system, which have been rigorously tested and has a 5:1 safety factor. This also helps the speed and ease of the removal and cleanup operation, leaving no permanent impact on the area.