Mark and Sarah Frost who own Advanced Automotive Solutions Lismore regularly hoist cars up high to complete repair jobs.

But now, thanks to a Flood Ready Grant from Lismore City Council, vehicles will not be the only objects that are hoisted high.

Mark said he has always been focused on servicing Mercedes-Benz owners in their Conway Street workshop.

Advanced Automotive Solutions was one of 15 flood-affected Lismore businesses which received a grant they make themselves more flood-ready.

The workshop was inundated with flood water in March 2017, destroying valuable items such as tools and workbenches.

This made it impossible for them to re-open their doors as quickly as they would have liked.

Learning from the lessons of the flood, the team came up with their own advanced solution.

They used the Flood Grant to employ a fabricator to weld large alloy platforms that fit on to alloy frames which can be connected to the existing car hoists in the workshop.

This creates a mezzanine level that can store workshop items at a safer height.

“With so many items, time is a critical factor and we cannot rely on using a vehicle to move important items away,” Mark said.

"Utilising equipment already available to us, such as the hoist, just seemed like the logical solution.

“It does take a team of us to assemble the platforms, but once this is done we can store many items that are then lifted to a safe height.”

Sarah feels this solution stops any potential environmental hazards and allows the business to start operating again much quicker after a flood.

“Ensuring hazards such as used oils are out of flood waters mean it is safer for the environment and the overall clean-up needed to have the workshop back in operation is so much faster, cleaner and safer,” she said.

Under the competitive $250,000 Flood Ready program, businesses were required to submit their proposed projects to an independent panel which determined the successful recipients.

Council’s Manager of Economic Development Tina Irish said the program was designed to help local businesses which contribute so much to our local and regional economy to recover promptly from future flooding.