INGENUITY SAVES RAIL SERVICE DURING FLORIDA WILDFIRE
BY DAVID A. CASEY
During the most recent wildfires in Florida, Clay County was faced with a huge fire that not only threatened residences but also the primary railroad tracks through Northeastern Florida (virtually all passenger rail service to Eastern Florida travels across these rails). The large fire front was traveling through dense weeds that provided poor access, as did the area along the tracks.
The County`s fire marshal, Battalion Chief Douglas Davidson, proposed a rail-based firefighting unit consisting of a water tender and a pumper on a flatbed railcar with a locomotive.
CSX rail line dispatched a locomotive at our request, and Progress Rail Service, a local railcar refurbishing firm, provided a large flatbed car it had in its shops. An excavating firm across the street from Progress dumped several loads of dirt and graded and compacted it to form a ramp. On the first day, a county Road & Bridge Department 1,800-gallon tender was used. A 7,000-gallon milk tanker was used on the second and third days. The pumper drafted from the open lid on the tanker.
The unit fought fire on the tracks and also stopped to let firefighters get off and fight nearby fires. Firefighters used preconnected hoselines and a deluge gun with a small tip. Clay County Fire Rescue`s Special Operations Team set up a supplied air system for the engineer and conductor.
The numerous television crews present for the fires were struck by the ingenious setup. Three stations carried footage of the operation on the evening news–one station featured it as the lead story.
LESSONS LEARNED AND REINFORCED
Anticipate fires or other emergencies on or near railroads, and plan access. We were lucky that the county`s Public Works Department built roadbeds through what had been a heavily wooded area.
Because of the limited access, crews must remember not to park apparatus so they block each other (olive jar syndrome).
Most fire departments will not have access to a flatbed railcar as quickly as we did. Plan how to get the vehicles onto the cars. Locations of permanent ramps or other means need to be thought out.
Contact the railroad(s) traveling through your area ahead of time to determine how this can be done. Keep emergency phone contacts readily available.
This is a different type of pumping operation for your driver/operators. Many departments don`t even carry hard-suction hose anymore. And how many have drafted directly from a tanker top?
We made the mistake of using an engine with a traditional side-mount pump operator panel on the first day, which had the pump operator on the edge of the flatbed car. The next day we changed to a top-mount pump operator panel.
Inform other suppression crews that the train is operating. The train must move at a very slow speed throughout the operation.
Air supply can be a problem. Both the firefighting and the rail crews will need air. Regular SCBAs may not have the duration needed. n
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(Top left) Refilling the water tender between “runs” on Day 1. (Photos by author.) (Above) Operating hose streams on Day 1. Side pump panel was a bad idea. (Middle left) Day 2: Top-mount pump operator panel on a large tanker provided by a local dairy. (Bottom left) Clay County Fire Rescue Maltese cross decal on CSX locomotive #6346.
DAVID A. CASEY is the fire chief of Clay County, Florida. He has an MPA from Nova Southeastern University and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer program.
