MAXIMUM WATER FLOW, MINIMUM MANPOWER
WATER SUPPLY
Massachusetts fire departments are coping with leaner budgets after a major tax-reduction initiative was voted in. In Ware, they’re improving productivity with existing equipment.
Ware, population 9000, gets fire protection and emergency medical service from a combination department of 10 career and 25 call fire fighters. Two career fire fighters are on duty 24 hours a day, with the rest on call in a two-platoon system. First-alarm assignments consist of 1000 and 750-gpm pumpers (both with 500-gallon tanks) and a ladder truck. One platoon responds on a still alarm, and all hands on a box alarm.
Water, quick and continuous
A prime objective of the department was to develop a system to quickly provide a continuous water flow to the attack pumper using the two career fire fighters responding with two engines initially. The ladder is manned by off-shift personnel. The secondary objective was to increase the initial water flow without interrupting the continuous flow required by the attack crews.
This problem was turned over to the training division under my supervision. Many systems were tested before reaching the one we implemented as SOP. The task may sound simple*, but the final result led to a complete rearrangement of the apparatus hose beds and operating procedures.
To begin with, we had to change hose beds to a system that would assist the apparatus drivers in laying and clamping the primary supply line without delaying booster tank operations using preconnected lines. To accomplish this we arranged our double hose bed to lay the primary supply line from the driver’s side of the pumper and the secondary line from the officers side. This is the reverse from normal apparatus setups.
The reasons why
The first reason for this change was to provide a smooth operation for the driver. Now he can leave the cab to apply the hose clamp and return to the pump panel without crawling over hose at the rear of the apparatus. The second reason: Once the pump is in operation he can again attach the primary supply line into the pump intake and release the hose clamp without getting tangled in the second line, as often happened. This system also eliminates crossed supply lines at the rear of the pumper and confusion when the rear preconnected lines are being pulled.
We then developed a preconnected hydrant package consisting of one double-gated hydrant wye with a single gate attached to one ear of the gated wye. Hooked to the single gate was the primary supply line. To round out the package a hydrant wrench is attached.
The following scenario is what normally happens upon arrival at the fire scene with smoke showing. The attack pumper (Engine 3 with only a driver) drops two lines from the closest hydrant and proceeds to the fire, spotting his apparatus. Upon leaving the cab he will apply the hose clamp to the primary supply line and get his pump in operation for the booster tank. This operation will normally take about a minute or less at normal speed.
Engine 1, responding with only a driver, is usually two minutes behind the attack pumper. The driver stops at the hydrant and connects using the 2 ½-inch intake (not the steamer). The double-gated wye is attached to the intake away from the fire and the single gate with the primary supply line is attached to the intake facing the fire. When both gates are attached, the hydrant is opened. Water flows automatically through the primary supply line.
Operating at normal speed, the driver of Engine 1 will have water flowing from the primary supply line within 2 ½ minutes after he leaves the engine cab. The operation of the attack pumper then changes over from booster tank to inline hydrant supply using the primary supply line only. Through practice we fiqd that normally within five minutes after arrival of the attack pumper, water is flowing in the primary supply line. Since implementing this system our attack pumper has never run out of booster tank water at a fire before the primary supply line was charged.
Before changing to volume flow operations, we had to make more changes for identification of the primary supply line 3UUIUII 9101 I IC5C. lines are attached to the auxiliary intakes if they are required.
when hooked into the attack pumper. To accomplish this we color-coded all apparatus suction Siamese gates. The gate closest to the engine’s cab was painted yellow. This is where the primary line is always attached. The secondary supply line is attached to the rear gate on the We also wanted to be able to increase the water flow without interrupting the continuous flow to the attack pumper. With the hydrant connections made and water flowing continuously to the attack pumper – hydrant direct – we prepare to butterfly the second pumper into the hydrant for relay pumping operations.
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The operator of Engine 1 attaches the secondary supply line to that pumper’s discharge port. He then stretches two 50-foot doughnut-rolled 3inch lines from the double-gated wye behind the hydrant to his suction Siamese. We found 50-foot lengths best overall. By butterflying them behind the hydrant, most kinks straighten out when the lines are charged. If they don’t, it is easy to move the butterfly loop back. The driver then flows these lines into his pump and radios the attack pumper to see if it is ready for the second supply line. If so, he flows water. We then have one supply line direct from the hydrant and the second relay-pumped.
Now comes the tricky part which requires coordination between both pump operators: conversion of the primary line from hydrant direct to relay-pumped.
When ready to convert over, the attack pumper operator radios Engine 1 to start the conversion. The attack pumper operator then shuts off the primary supply line at the yellow suction Siamese gate (this is the reason for color-coding). Engine 1’s operator closes the single hydrant gate with the primary supply line attached. Note: This gate cannot be a leaker or pressure will build up in the line, making removal extremely difficult but not dangerous.
The operator of Engine 1 disconnects the line from the single gate and attaches it to his pumper’s discharge port. He can expect some minor back pressure. He will also get a little wet!
When converted over, Engine 1 will flow water through the primary supply line to the attack pumper — providing two relaypumped lines for volume flows. The last part of the operation is to butterfly a third 50-foot length of 3-inch hose from the single hydrant gate to the auxiliary intake on Engine 1. This gives us three lines from the hydrant into Engine 1, in turn relay-pumping volume flow to the attack pumper through two supply lines.
The following are realistic times we attained with the above operation, using only two men, the drivers. The primary supply line (hydrant direct) flowed within five minutes of arrival of the attack pumper. The secondary supply line relay-pumped within nine minutes of arrival of the attack pumper with complete conversion to two pumped lines within 12 minutes of arrival of the attack pumper. These times will be greatly reduced if one call fire fighter stops at Engine 1 to help out.
We feel that we have attained our objectives with the above system. We have also realized other related surprises. The first, less hose is being used. Second, we have reduced dependence on our third engine. Third, we have rapid volume flow from key hydrants.
The best surprise was the zero cost to implement this system by using existing equipment and department talent.
