“Stealing” Water with the Water Thief
BY DOUG LEIHBACHER
While the age-old debate continues between those who endorse using the 212-inch handline for its volume and those who endorse using the 134-inch line for its maneuverability, there is an equally age-old device that combines the best features of both–the water thief.
The water thief is a small, gated manifold-type appliance that was developed in the late 1930s. Its development coincided with the introduction of 112-inch line as a way to use the new smaller-diameter hose along with the standard 212-inch handline. A catalog from that era indicates that the water thief was used early on as part of the reverse-stretch revolution. Mounted on a canvas mat that was laid atop the hosebed, the water thief was attached to the end of a 212-inch supply line, and three leader lines (one 212-inch and two 134-inch) were preconnected to its three discharge ports in a Cisco-style hose load (the last length laid horizontally across the hosebed). In deploying the water thief, the pumper stopped in front of the fire, the canvas was pulled off with the water thief, and the pumper proceeded down the street to the water source. Once water was pumped up into the thief, the hose team would attempt to put the fire out with the 112-inch handline, and if that wasn`t enough, the 212-inch was ready to be charged as a backup. Alternately, if the hose team encountered heavy fire, it could begin with the 212-inch and, after the initial knockdown, use the 112-inch lines for mopup and overhaul. This approach reduced water damage and firefighter fatigue. Many departments still use the water thief in similar fashion today, and there are other uses, too.
In urban and suburban areas, zoning regulations have created over the years a measure of homogeneity in the spacing of structures and hydrants. Engine companies that study their response areas can outfit their apparatus with supply lines, hose loads, preconnects, and standpipe kits that accommodate most of the requirements of their districts and enable them to handle routine fires efficiently. But when the building is set back beyond the reach of the preconnect or is a six-story H-shaped structure with a narrow wellhole and no standpipe, the water thief or similar hardware presents an expedient solution. Consider the following scenario.
Shortly after midnight, while returning from a routine medical run, your company is directed to respond to a reported fire on the fourth floor of a vacant factory building under renovation. You are aware of the structure, an old five-story brick factory with two wings projecting from a throat area to form a C shape. It shares a complex with nine other buildings, but it has been vacant for some time and has yet to be brought up to code. Your company had attempted to make an inspection a week ago but was denied access by the construction crews performing the renovations. As you respond, your lieutenant asks dispatch for any additional information available on the building. The dispatcher replies that the department has received several calls already and that there is apparently a standpipe in the building but no exterior siamese connection.
In your mind, you begin sizing up the fire. The alarm may have been delayed because of the late hour. The life hazard would be minimal unless construction crews are working late. There could be holes in the floor, structural supports missing, or other hazards associated with the construction. With no siamese, the water pressure may be insufficient for a small-diameter line. Lighting may be limited, since the factory is vacant. Your company should arrive well ahead of the other units because you were already on the road when the alarm was dispatched. This means working alone for awhile.
On your arrival at the complex, a security guard is in front of the gatehouse and excitedly waves you through. As you pull up to the building, heavy fire is visible on the top floor. It is showing through three windows in the throat and is threatening to extend to both wings. The lieutenant meets you at the rear of the pumper. Noting that the fire has already gained significant headway and that it will take several additional minutes to find your way to the top floor, he calls for the standpipe tools and 150 feet of 212-inch line. As you hoist a rolled-up length of hose on each shoulder, a second crew member grabs one additional length and the standpipe bag. Once you have the needed equipment, the lieutenant directs the chauffeur to pull the rig ahead to the hydrant and to leave room for a tower ladder to set up in the throat.
Together you enter the building`s dark and cavernous ground floor behind the lieutenant. You think, “I hope the elevator works.” The lieutenant locates an open stairwell near the center of the building and directs his flashlight up the wide staircase wellhole. Nothing is showing above as you begin to ascend the stairs, but you note that there is no standpipe in this stairwell and that you will have to search for it when you get upstairs. Normally, the proper procedure is to connect to the standpipe in the stairwell on the floor below the fire. However, in this case, as in many older buildings, the standpipe is not necessarily in the stairwell. Given the size of the building, it may be necessary to go to the fire floor and hook into the standpipe there if it can be done safely.
Arriving on the fire floor, you can hear fire crackling. The fire is a safe distance from your position at this time. There is a glow coming from a door opening about 30 feet ahead along the wall. The floor seems to be vacant except for lumber and construction equipment. The ceiling is high, and the smoke and heat are collecting above, leaving only a light smoke condition at floor level. The lieutenant directs you to begin flaking and connecting the lengths of hose you brought while he makes a primary search and determines the volume of fire.
Peering through the darkness, you can see the silhouette of the standpipe riser approximately 15 feet away. The lieutenant returns and advises you that there are no construction workers in the area and that there is heavy fire in several piles of lumber extending to the ceiling a few rooms away. He orders you to move down to the standpipe and hook up. With lumber burning, you`re glad about having lugged the 212-inch line with you. A 134-inch line may not be enough. But that notion is short-lived when you realize that you cannot connect the 212-inch because the standpipe is an old Class 2 system with a narrow-diameter riser that provides only a 112-inch outlet. Your lieutenant is beside you and realizes the dilemma. He orders you to drag the line back to the stairwell and radios the information down to the chief.
The chief anticipated a standpipe problem when a siamese could not be found anywhere on the outside of the building; he has already had the second-due engine stretch a 212-inch line with a water thief to the base of the stairs as a backup. The line will be charged momentarily, and water will be waiting at that point. The lieutenant orders you to lower one length of 212-inch hose down the wellhole (female first) to the second-due engine at the base of the stairs. As soon as you hear the coupling hit the ground floor below, the members of the second-due engine grab the line and attach it to the water thief. Holding the coupling at the top of the stairwell, you attach a hose strap just below the male butt of the length that was lowered and hang it on the railing. This will counteract the backpressure that will develop when the line is charged. You then follow the line forward to the nozzle. The lieutenant radios the second-due engine to open the valve at the water thief and start water. The line hardens as the nozzleman bleeds the air out, and, with the first burst of water, the flames begin to recede.
THE WATER THIEF
The water thief is a type of manifold device similar to a wye gate. It has proven to be an expedient device in the tactical toolbox when units encounter the unexpected. It consists of a 212-inch female inlet, a 212-inch outlet with controlling valve, and two 112-inch outlets (one on each side of the larger outlet). Each has a separate gate valve. With a 212-inch line hooked up to the discharge, these valves allow the addition of one or two 134-inch lines to be stretched and operated from that point. When the smaller lines are in use, they bleed or “steal” water without significantly diminishing the flow, hence the name water thief.
Unlike a simple wye gate, it allows for the inclusion of a 212-inch handline, an important feature. For example, if the first and second-due engine companies operating from it have encountered a heavy volume of fire and are making no progress, the chief can direct the third-due engine to stretch a 212-inch from the water thief. Compared with a standard manifold, the water thief is lightweight, is easy to carry, and can supply two 134-inch lines and a 212-inch line.
With a wye gate attached to the 212-inch discharge port, the water thief is converted into a lightweight manifold or portable standpipe that will feed up to four 134-inch handlines. When used in this manner, it should feed ideally with a three- or 312-inch supply line. In the past, when a rapid deployment was required or staffing was limited, a 212-inch supply line was stretched. In many cases, it provided an adequate supply because handlines operated in a building are rarely all in use at once. Instead, engine companies open and close their lines as they advance intermittently, discharging short bursts of water. However, remember that for interior operations, 150 gpm should be the minimum available nozzle discharge. Thus, whenever possible, use the larger supply line.
RECOMMENDED USES
One of the most valuable advantages of the water thief is that it creates a portable standpipe in a building where one is absent or inoperable. This is especially advantageous in older H-shaped apartment houses with courtyards and separate wings. In another application, it can act as a manifold when the pumper must be placed at a distance from the scene, thereby allowing companies to carry hose close to the fire and hook up there. Its use may also be warranted in circumstances such as the following, in which a long hand stretch is warranted:
In front of a fire in a row of taxpayers where several mobile handlines will be used;
At fires in garden apartments or private dwellings that are set well back from the street;
Where roads are blocked or impassable to apparatus;
In an exposure building to deploy exposure lines allowing for the volume of the 212-inch lines along with the mobility of the 134-inch lines;
At fires occurring in the rear of a large structure that is inaccessible to apparatus;
In narrow streets or gated driveways where access to the front of the building is limited;
At a brush fire where several handlines must be deployed over a large area; and
When a reverse stretch is needed.
PUTTING IT INTO OPERATION
The locations of buildings that may require a water thief operation should be noted during building inspection activities and sent into the dispatch center. When dispatched to such a location, the first-due engine`s assignment would be to connect the water thief to a supply line (212-inch or larger) and handstretch it up to the building. From there, it is taken through the courtyard, across the lobby, into the stairwell of the involved wing, and, if possible, up to the floor below the fire. From there, three lengths will usually bring hose teams to the seat of the fire. Take care to place it out of the way of normal exit travel. Stretching the supply line is an exhausting job and one that is devoid of any glory. It will require all hands from the first-due engine and, depending on staffing, may require two companies to complete.
In effecting the stretch, the pump operator should be stationed at the back step and pay off hoseline as members begin the drag. The first member puts the hose on his shoulder with the water thief resting across his chest and walks toward the building. Successive firefighters then shoulder the line at 50-foot intervals with the coupling across their chests until the water thief is in place. Later arriving companies should be assigned to carry their rolled-up lengths of hose (apartment packs) to the water thief`s location and connect from there. Note: In some jurisdictions, the water thief appliance is carried in the responding chief`s car. In this case, it is carried to the point of operation by the chief`s aide, who estimates the distance of the stretch and radios his location to the first-due engine officer. When the first-due engine arrives with the supply line, a double male may be required to make up the connection.
Once the connection is made, the first-due engine officer radios the pump operator to charge the supply line to the water thief. The officer may also assign a member to be stationed at the water thief and oversee the distribution of water from there to the companies operating on the floor.
As the water arrives at the appliance, one of the discharge gates is cracked to allow air to escape. As each successive company arrives with its hose, this company member connects the hose into the appliance and assigns it a color that matches the color coding on the appliance. The company then proceeds upstairs, stretching and flaking the hose dry as members proceed. When ready for water, the officer calls down to the water thief indicating the assigned color, and the firefighter opens the proper gate and charges the line. The firefighter remains with the water thief to be sure that a valve is not accidentally kicked closed, endangering the crew on the other end.
When used for interior operations in this manner, it is often advantageous to attach a wye gate to the water thief`s 212-inch discharge port, thereby converting it to a lightweight manifold that can supply four 134-inch lines. Preferably, the wye gate should be preattached hand tight so it can be removed quickly if a 212-inch line is needed. When stretched to the rear yard and used for an exterior exposure line, for example, the 212-inch port is often used with the wye gate removed so that a 212-inch exposure line can be placed in operation immediately and backed up with smaller-diameter lines as they arrive.
CALCULATING WATER FLOW
When supplying the water thief, the pump operator should bear in mind that as many as four handlines may be operating from it. Therefore, the pump relief valve must be properly set and engaged. To provide 150 gpm for each line, 600 gallons must be supplied to the water thief. If a 312-inch line is used to supply the appliance, use the friction loss formula FL = .4(Q)2, where Q equals the gallons per minute divided by 100. This formula represents the friction loss per 100 feet of hose. At 600 gpm, the formula yield is a friction loss of 15 pounds per 100 feet. This takes care of the friction loss to the appliance. Next, add five psi for friction loss in the appliance.
There will be more friction loss from the appliance to the nozzles. This can be calculated for 134-inch hose by using the formula FL = 12(Q)2. For 212-inch hose, use the formula FL = 2(Q)2 for a precise number. However, it is unlikely that these calculations will be needed in the field. Since it is rare to exceed 150 feet of line beyond the water thief, especially if it is placed on the floor below the fire, a rule of thumb can be used. To provide 150 gpm to each nozzle (assuming 100 psi nozzle pressure), simply supply 150 psi discharge pressure at the water thief. Note the “150 rule”: 150 psi pumped through 150 feet of 134-inch hose yields 150 gallons per minute at the nozzle.
Summarizing the above with an example, suppose that the pump operator is to supply a water thief operation using a 312-inch supply line with the appliance located approximately 250 feet away from the pump in the lobby of an H-shaped apartment building (Figure 1). To supply four handlines in operation, 600 gpm must be supplied to the water thief at 150 psi. Applying 15 psi friction loss per hundred feet of 312-inch line, the total friction loss in the supply line will be 35 psi. Add an additional five psi appliance loss and 150 psi to meet the “150 rule.” Thus, to supply the water thief in this example, the pump discharge pressure would be 190 psi.
While using a 312-inch line supply is preferred, many departments lack the staffing necessary to stretch it by hand. In such a case, it is often possible to get good results from a rapidly stretched 212-inch supply line, which was the line of choice when the water thief was invented. However, it is not possible to supply the same volume of water. Begin by getting the friction loss from the pump to the water thief by using the formula for friction loss through 212-inch line, FL = 2(Q)2 at 300 gpm. To supply 300 gpm through 250 feet of 212-inch line, the total friction loss would be 45 psi. Next, add 5 psi and apply the “150 rule.” This yields a pump discharge pressure of 200 psi, which will provide 300 gpm at the water thief, adequate to supply two 134-inch lines operated simultaneously.
Although the water thief is an excellent appliance that provides versatility to any department`s hose evolutions, it has one inherent weakness: The entire operation depends on one supply line. This is both a benefit and a drawback. The benefit is that egress is facilitated because the stairs and exitways are not cluttered by multiple hoselines. The drawback, though unlikely, is that if one line bursts when a window is taken out or a vehicle drives over it, for example, the entire operation will come to a screeching halt. We all know that Murphy`s Law applies especially to the fireground. So, whenever possible, it is advisable to have a greater-alarm company stretch a second water thief from a different pumper as a backup.
In addition, there are some inherent friction loss disparities between 212-inch and 134-inch lines. When used together from the same appliance, precision hydraulic calculations are precluded, and some reduction in reach and nozzle pressure may be encountered.
Older references discourage the use of greater than a one-inch tip at the nozzle of a 212-inch handline operated from a water thief when used in tandem with a smaller line. As a guideline, calculate so that the longest line with the smallest diameter is properly supplied. This may overpressurize the larger-diameter line, but the pressure can be equalized by the member at the controlling gate valve at the water thief. A similar problem will arise if varying nozzle types are used from the water thief. If a smooth-bore nozzle is mixed with an automatic nozzle, one of the lines will of necessity not receive the proper pressure.
These considerations do not diminish the effectiveness and utility of the water thief appliance. The water thief provides a means for getting water on the fire at times when it is impossible or impractical to stretch handlines directly from the pump. It provides the advantage of speed. It not only allows for the rapid deployment of engine companies on the fireground, but in the instance where a larger- or smaller-diameter line is needed, the line can be quickly placed into the stretch without interrupting water flow. n
The author wishes to thank Nick Renihan of Akron Brass and Assistant Chief William Webster and Assistant Chief Andrew Figura of the Yonkers (NY) Fire Department for their assistance in the research of this article.
 |
The firefighter puts the hose on his shoulder with the water thief resting across his chest. (Photos by Thomas K. Wanstall unless otherwise noted.)
 |
 |
 |
(Top) Standard water thief. (Photo by author.) (Middle) Water thief with wye gate preattached. Note color-coded gate valve handles and preattached double male connection.
(Bottom) An older H-shaped apartment building that lacks a standpipe is a prime location for using a water thief.
 |
n DOUG LEIHBACHER, a 19-year veteran of the fire service, is captain of Engine 303 in the Yonkers (NY) Fire Department. He has a bachelor`s degree in education and is a New York State-certified fire instructor and municipal training officer.
