Firefighter training bulletin on establishing and maintaining water supply at downtown structure fires
By Joe Pronesti, Chris Tobin, and Alexis Shady
One item firefighters sometimes overlook when responding to a Main Street fire is the ability to get enough water to combat the fire and protect any exposures threatened. When you have a fire in a legacy building, many fire departments will simply do what feels right. That usually means tying into one or maybe two hydrants that are fed by the same water main.
This will undoubtedly cause pressure issues and result in inadequate gpm. If you have the ability to flow big water with multiple master streams, find a way to get the water! Preplanning ahead is a good place to start. Work with your water authority. Ask if the ability to “raise the water pressure” is feasible during a large fire. If you have rural fire departments near you, consider mutual aid for tankers/tenders to shuttle in.
I recently heard one of my mentors, retired FDNY Chief Jerry Tracy, give a tip about water supply. To paraphrase him: “Do you want to go home from this fire today or tomorrow?” Don’t neglect preplanning your Main Street water supply.
Download this month’s training bulletin as a PDF here.
RELATED FIREFIGHTER TRAINING
Engine Company Operations: Words of Wisdom on Moving the Big Water
Water Supply Tactics: Expect the Unexpected
Big City Large Flow Water Delivery Management
JOSEPH PRONESTI is the chief of the Elyria (OH) Fire Department. He is a graduate of the Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Executive Officer program and a lead instructor at the Cuyahoga (OH) County Community College Fire Academy. He is a frequent contributor to fire service publications and sites, including Fire Engineering, FireEngineering.com, and FirefigherNation.com.
CHRISTOPHER TOBIN is a firefighter assigned to St. Louis (MO) Fire Department Rescue 2.
ALEXIS SHADY is a firefighter/paramedic with the Richmond Heights (MO) Fire Department.
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