If you’re anything like me, your Facebook and Twitter feeds are filled with pages related to firefighting that feature a lot of high-quality information posted from many outlets. However, one incident that recently caught my eye regarded a fire department that was dealing with a water utility that had welded shut the large-diameter hydrant connections so the fire department could no longer use them. Of course, the firefighter in me was appalled, but the town manager in me understood why the water utility did it (although I disagree with what it did); clearly, it was done because flowing large capacities of water in those locations damages the system.
Any reasonable person would realize that the solution here would be to upgrade the system through competent capital planning, but that’s not what the water utility did because it didn’t understand the needs of the fire department. Conversely, I suspect the fire department doesn’t take a lot of time to understand the challenges of the water utility. This made me think about the importance of fire departments and water system operators working together toward common goals.
This article will identify some ways these two agencies can work together, the same ways in which my fire department staff and I have had some success in working with our water system toward mutual goals. There are several ways to create this relationship. Following are some ideas that have worked for us.
The Reasons to Connect
Quite often, the disconnect between the water utility and the fire department results from goals that are not consistent between the two agencies. Primarily, the water utility is interested in producing high-quality water for its customers and delivering it in a reliable fashion; the need to provide water for fire protection is a lesser priority. This is especially the case when utility managers and boards have to make financial decisions related to capital improvements. Of course, drinking water quality is tremendously important, so those investments are tremendously important. However, fire protection investments are also important, and creating a relationship with the water utility to help develop an understanding of the fire department’s operational needs may make it possible to address some deficiencies in the system.
Much like the fire department or any other agency, there are only so many dollars to make improvements. Without proper advocacy for firefighting needs, we can’t expect water system managers and boards to know what is needed. About two years ago, one of the principals of a civil engineering firm that was doing work for our town told me that fire departments don’t understand water system dynamics and, for that reason, the firm couldn’t really take the department’s flow demands seriously. Needless to say, that firm doesn’t work for us anymore; we are now working with firms that have a more proactive approach to our water needs. If this represents the mentality of just 25 percent of firms that are advising water utilities, that’s a huge problem in the American fire service; it shows us that we need better education for firefighting needs. Through our experiences in Woodstock, Virginia, finding ways to benefit both the water utility and the fire department in improvement projects has helped make projects (i.e., spending) more palatable to the governing body.
Our Program
Years ago, Woodstock began a program for fire hydrant maintenance that has been tremendously positive for our community. This program consists of painting and lubricating every hydrant in our system every three years at least. Of course, this benefited the fire department because we now know that every hydrant works and that the coloring is updated for changes in flow capacity. However, this program also benefits the town because it improves its outward appearance greatly. When I travel to another community and its hydrants look shoddy, I blame the town because it is a sign that it doesn’t take pride in its water system. Our water system spends a small amount on this program (less than $10,000 annually), but it makes the town look great and ensures that the hydrants are always ready when needed.
Recently, we have begun a hydrant flushing program that was originally designed to help flush contaminants out of the system and reduce the number of odor and discoloration complaints that we receive. Because our community uses a river as its water source, we have to treat the river with a significant amount of chlorine when it enters our water treatment plant. Chlorine disinfection is highly effective, but it has the unintended effect of creating disinfection by-products, trihalomethanes (THM) and haloacretic acid. Our system has a particular concern with THM (which is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as a carcinogen) concentrations and, in the past, it has experienced concentrations that are higher than we allow. A couple of methods exist to reduce concentrations of this by-product; but in our case, periodically flushing the system appears to be the most effective. This has improved our customers’ water quality and has also provided a benefit for fire suppression operations.
In many water systems, once a hydrant is placed in service, its flow capacity is measured once and then assumed to be the same for eternity. As communities develop and water systems are extended to meet the demands of development, flow characteristics of hydrants in other parts of the system may change. Think about it this way: If you are operating a single handline on a fire, you have a certain amount of water available to you, but if another line is added without increasing the pump’s revolutions per minute, you will reduce the amount of flow available to the first line. When communities develop and we don’t make infrastructure changes to the rest of the system, we will reduce the available water supply to the existing system. The last thing anyone wants is to go to a house fire thinking that the hydrant will flow 750 gallons per minute (gpm) when it will actually only flow 400 gpm.
Continually testing and retesting hydrant flows and pressures allows us to identify deficiencies. In addition to development demands, lower flow capacity could indicate a leak, a partially shut valve, or other problems that are otherwise unknown to the utility. Our hydrants are flowed at least once every 18 months, with a third of the system being flowed during each six-month rotation. This schedule works for us, but your system might be a little different. As long as you encourage your water utility to flush and test the system, you are accomplishing something.
Flow testing and flushing programs developed by water utilities are beneficial to the water utility and the fire department but for different reasons. Working with your water utility to develop a program can help ensure adequate flow capacity for the fire department as well as address any water system issues. Finally, this process has the potential to be a part of the baseline for water system master planning.
Having a Master Plan
Like many water systems throughout the country, especially for small systems, Woodstock’s water system never had a master plan. Until recently, we always assumed that our system was in good shape without trying to determine if that was indeed true. Because one of the water system’s roles is to provide water for fire suppression, any water system master plan must take into account the needed capacity in every part of the system. This is where the fire department must come in. Because water system operators and engineers are not firefighters (and vice versa), it’s hard for water system operators to know the needs of the fire department.
One way fire departments can communicate the flow needs of a certain neighborhood is to calculate the required flow rate for each structure served by each hydrant. Then, by using our flow data created during hydrant testing and determining the most likely hydrant we will use for each occupancy, we can determine if there is sufficient capacity to address the fire suppression needs of each building the system serves. Once we know that information, water system engineers can determine the appropriate capital projects needed to address the areas that have severe flow concerns. It might be a little difficult to calculate the required flow capacity for every building in the system, but a competent geographic information system operator can likely help.
Too often, fire departments and the water utilities that serve the same district are disconnected from one another. This is unfortunate because the two agencies rely on each other so greatly. At the end of the day, water puts out fire, and having a sufficient capacity and reliability at the scene of a fire is vital to the success of the operation. Finding ways to work together and to understand the needs of both agencies will ultimately help both agencies.
REID A. WODICKA, PhD, is the town manager of Woodstock, Virginia, and is a captain with the Woodstock (VA) Fire Department.
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