The fire service is making huge improvements in rural water supply equipment and training, and many fire departments are coming together to form mutual-aid systems specifically designed to supply water. One interesting aspect about rural water supply: We need a new name for it, because it now applies to more than just rural areas.
Large numbers of housing developments and even individual complexes are being built without the benefit of a water supply for any type of fire protection. Many cities are also aggressively annexing areas that don’t have hydrants, and may not see hydrants installed for years, if ever. Fire departments accustomed to responding to barn and small farmhouse fires are now faced with fires in large mansions that require significant fire flows.
Although each department does rural water supply a little differently based on their situation–some haul all their water while others draft from ponds or dry hydrants–departments successful in rural water ops share some characteristics: They can draft, haul water, set up a fill site and establish a supply line.
Drafting
I don’t care how much water you can move to the fireground and dump into folding tanks or how many dry hydrants are installed in your area. If your department can’t draft water and do so quickly and effectively, then everything else is moot. Sound drafting skills are the foundation to solid rural water supply.
Drafting from a dry hydrant, folding tank or static source is a skill developed from a combination of classroom instruction and sound hands-on training and practice. If your department normally operates from a pressurized water system, don’t expect your pump operators to perform a drafting operation without some practice.
Hauling Water
The vast majority of fire departments that operate in areas without hydrants rely on water supplied by some type of water tender or tanker (the ones without wings), or as FireRescue technical editor Larry Davis puts it, “WOW–water on wheels.” WOW is the weapon of choice for most departments due to the advances in tanker technology that enable fire departments to move water around remote areas on an as-needed basis.
Despite advancements in tanker design, however, their operation is still very dangerous. Tankers account for only about 3 percent of the U.S. fire apparatus fleet, but account for approximately 21 percent of the deaths while responding. Per capita, tankers are involved in more accidents than any other class of apparatus.
Factors that lead to accidents involving fire tankers include weight, high center of gravity, speed and the fact that most tankers operate along narrow roads. Any training session or drill related to tankers should reinforce the importance of safety and their proper operation. For an outstanding training program on safe tanker operations, go to the U.S. Fire Administration Web site and search “safe operation of fire tankers.” Tankers generally have two uses in WOW ops. “Nurse” tankers are used to refill other smaller units or reposition often, usually in wildland operations. They can also supply pumping apparatus at structure fires where fire flow requirements are minimal.
“Dump-and-run” tankers dump into a folding tank and return to the water source to refill. Larger fire flows and prolonged pumping operations may require the use of dump tanks supported by a water shuttle operation using the dump-and-run method. Extended shuttle operations often require the use of several tankers to meet fire flow needs. Train with your area departments on extended shuttle operations, because few departments can develop a sufficient shuttle by themselves.
Setting Up a Fill Site
Dump tank operations require the right equipment to be deployed correctly and reinforced by solid training. When training with dump tanks, stress the importance of proper folding tank placement to allow for easy access to unload and draft. Many departments use a diamond-shape pattern to allow the use of more than one tank. Using multiple tanks helps ensure you have an adequate water supply on hand for high flow or long-term operations.
Establishing Supply Lines
Many departments that have access to lakes, creeks or dry hydrants may choose to meet their fireground operations’ water supply needs by laying supply lines and setting up a drafting operation.
Supply lines are also used in shuttle-style operations where access to structures, such as farmhouses or farms, is limited by narrow roadways. These types of operations are normally supported by a supply line from the first-arriving apparatus, forward laying in from the main road or by a later-arriving unit, reverse laying out to an area that can be supplied by tankers or dump tanks.
A Final Word
Departments that have figured out the whole rural water supply issue can make it look easy, but it’s not. In truth, most fire departments are out of their element when called upon to develop a continuous fire flow for any length of time in a non-hydranted area. Establishing a rural water supply is more complex and harder to do than most of us “city” firefighters believe. It starts with sound planning, equipment (simple and homemade is sometimes the best) and training.
Drill 1: Drafting
Equipment needed: Pumping apparatus, dump tank, assorted drafting equipment
Step 1: Locate a site with a hydrant that you can use to maintain water in the dump tank.
Step 2: Demonstrate correct dump tank and apparatus placement for drafting operation.
Step 3: Demonstrate proper setup of hard suction hose and associated drafting equipment such as low-lift strainers.
Step 4: Provide a brief overview of pump theory as related to drafting operations.
Step 5: Demonstrate drafting from a portable dump tank. (Note: Pump primer may become overheated if used to demonstrate priming several times.)
Step 6: Discuss methods to avoid the need to prime suction hose between fills by flowing an additional hoseline continuously during drafting operations.
Drill 2: Fill Site
Equipment needed: Pumping apparatus and a static water site, lake or pond with good access for apparatus.
Step 1: Choose a location in which large tank apparatus can safely operate.
Step 2: Set up a drafting operation using methods used by your department.
Step 3: Develop a fill site to refill tankers after they’ve unloaded.
Step 4: Time the refill process for each tanker. Look for methods to shorten times needed to fill (for specific strategies, see Larry Davis’ Rural Fire Command column in the April, May and June 2007 issues of FireRescue).
Step 5: Allow each tanker to dump and return to the fill site. Continue the process until you reach an acceptable level of performance.
