The Flood Adaptive Platform spent three months at HR Wallingford in Oxford, where it was subject to rigorous testing overseen by experts from the University of Liverpool and WSP UK. It was tested to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ‘gold standard’, as there is currently no suitable British standard for flood adaptive technology. The platform was monitored for 24 hours a day and seven days a week during this period, and passed all of the tests.
The Flood Adaptive Platform also adheres to the relevant regulatory frameworks for quality and safety. It complies with both UKCA and CE marking standards, ensuring that it meets all applicable safety, health, and environmental regulations in the UK and EU markets.
The Flood Technology Group adopted a must-not-fail approach to the development of The Flood Adaptive Platform. Therefore, the critical control system that operates the platform is not reliant on microprocessors, ensuring that the system functions in all conditions. In the event of mains power being lost, the platform is fitted with battery backup technology. In the unlikely event of a failure of backup power systems, the platform can be raised manually by a trained professional.
The jacks on The Flood Adaptive Platform are never exposed to the elements or debris. The ‘legs’ on the platform are separate from the jacks and have been tested to withstand the impact of a 300 millimetre round log hitting them at over 40 miles per hour. This is based on testing standards set out by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). No other equivalent product in the UK has been tested to this level.
Currently, the tested rise height of The Flood Adaptive Platform is two metres above ground level (the equivalent of two metres at building threshold). There is scope to increase this further, if required, but this height is suitable for most different purposes.
The Flood Adaptive Platform can rise 1.5 metres in 27 minutes (55 millimetres in one minute), which is faster than the rate water has risen in all known cases of flooding in the UK. If there’s a scenario where a faster rate of rise is required, the system can be configured to respond earlier to rising water and gearing ratios on the platform can also be adjusted so it rises more quickly.
Yes, by a member of the Flood Technology Group’s maintenance team or a trained professional, such as a member of the Fire and Rescue Service.
This depends on the size, weight, location and type of structure that’s being lifted. Where possible, we aim to keep the cost of The Flood Adaptive Platform to less than 10 per cent of the value of the asset that’s being lifted. Based on research commissioned by the Flood Technology Group, The Flood Adaptive Platform costs 40 per cent less to install, operate and maintain than other comparable methods of flood risk mitigation.
The Flood Technology Group’s maintenance team and/or professionals who have been appropriately trained by the Flood Technology Group, and have the necessary Lifting Operations Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) qualifications, should carry out the annual maintenance of The Flood Adaptive Platform, along with any repairs.
Flood Technology Group holds product liability insurance, which covers accidental injury or damage arising from all our products.
Compass, which provides specialist insurance cover for holiday and residential park customers, will now consider providing full flood cover for caravans, lodges and park homes where a Flood Adaptive Platform has been manufactured, installed and maintained by Flood Technology Group.
Yes, a 15-year warranty is provided with The Flood Adaptive Platform.
The Flood Adaptive Platform responds to three separate triggers - an advanced flood warning that wakes the system up; a strategically located fixed sensor that detects rising water and triggers an audible and visual warning; and a variable sensor fixed to the platform that detects rising water and prompts the system to rise. These sensors communicate with one other to ensure that, if one fails, the other will be the primary trigger for raising the platform.
Yes, we have successfully fitted The Flood Adaptive Platform to mobile homes and holiday lodges. We’re also exploring how this technology can be cost-effectively retrofitted to existing buildings and infrastructure to enable them to rise above current and future flood levels.
As flood water recedes, The Flood Adaptive Platform will return to its starting position. Should the platform encounter resistance due to debris, it will stop. The Flood Technology Group’s maintenance team will attend the site after a flood, where necessary, to remove any accumulated debris.
Local emergency planning guidance and site operational procedures should be followed in relation to property evacuation prior to or during a flood event.
The Flood Adaptive Platform uses a jack-based system, rather than a flotation-based system. This approach is more cost-effective from a manufacturing, installation and operational perspective. Based on research we’ve commissioned, The Flood Adaptive Platform costs 40 per cent less to install, operate and maintain than other comparable methods of flood risk mitigation, including flotation-based systems. Furthermore, the annual maintenance and testing required for the platform is simple and causes no disruption to whoever owns it.
Yes, you can spread the cost of your investment by contacting our partner, Portman Finance Group, a provider of fast and flexible finance solutions to both established and start-up businesses.
They have helped grow more than 16,000 UK companies by arranging more than £1.1 billion in funding since being established in 2007. Portman are specialists in helping small to medium enterprises to secure the funding they need from a range of specialist lenders or their own lending arms.
Portman is both a lender and broker, with access to more than 45 partners and a range of finance products. They are well-placed to provide asset finance or business loans in a bespoke finance package, allowing you to make the investment you need.
Here’s why you should use Portman: