Sometimes, a low-tech solution is the best one. That’s the conclusion one volunteer firefighter in the central city of Taichung has reached. After years of work, he has come up with a new tool that could one day save fire departments big bucks.
Volunteer firefighter Chang Jen-chung’s water rocket gun has all the functionality of the guns firefighters typically use to fire off lifelines to stranded people. But they come at just a tenth of the price.
Instead of using gunpowder to fire off lifelines, these guns are water-propelled, using simple physics found in elementary school textbooks.
Chang began developing these water-rocket guns eight years ago, continuing work through a battle with cancer. He is now on version three.
Chang says he’s done around two thousand test launches so far, but all this trial and error has paid off. His water rockets can now fire a lifeline accurately to a point up to 100 meters away, with tailfins providing the stability needed to quickly get a lifeline wherever it may be needed.