Tiny Colonial Town Gets High-Pressure Fire Main
—photo by the author.
The small colonial town of Odessa, Del., (Population 386) is now served by a high-pressure fire main system. Installed with federal and county funds, the system features a diesel-powered turbine pump capable of over 1000 gpm at 100 psi. It is operated by the Odessa Fire Company.
Odessa dates back to the 17th century, but like many water-based transportation towns, it fell on hard times with the advent of the railroads. The town languished until the 1930s when private investors and foundations began the town’s restoration into a colonial and Victorian showcase.
In the late 1970s the New Castle County government, with federal grants, developed a regional sewage system. The Town of Odessa was included in the project. It was brought to the attention of the county that there was no reliable water source available for fire protection other than drafting from the adjacent Appoquinimink Creek.
The first hydrants
An 8-inch water distribution system was installed with 13 fire hydrants while the sewer system was under construction. The water system was designed by county engineers to meet American Water Works Association and NFPA standards, anticipating a potable water system at some future date. Upon completion, the fire main system was charged with water from Appoquinimink Creek by a pumper through a clappered manifold system.
In 1979, using residual monies in federal public works accounts and a special appropriation, New Castle County proposed to the governing body of Odessa that a fire pump be installed as a component of the town’s fire main system. After some discussion a location was chosen and, with the input of the town’s Historic Review Commission and landscape architect, an appropriate architectural design was chosen for a pump house.
Using NFPA Standard 20, the county engineers designed and supervised the installation of a five-stage, turbine lift pump rated at 1000 gpm powered by an 85-hp diesel engine. Water is drawn from a wet well supplied by 12-inch pipe from Appoquinimink Creek. Flow tests were conducted last spring. With a pump setting of 125 psi, the fire flows throughout the system were about 1100 gpm with a residual hydrant pressure between 90 and 100 psi.
Operated manually
The operating controls for the pump can be placed in either a fully automatic or manual start mode. In the fully automated mode a pressure drop resulting from opening a hydrant would automatically start the fire pump. Since the system does not have elevated storage, at the request of the town council, the local volunteer fire department is operating the system manually.
Shortly after the pump was first tested, a fire of major proportions occurred at an abandoned cannery on the edge of town, near the new pump house. The 100,000-square-foot frame portion of the concrete and frame building was heavily involved shortly after the alarm was sounded. The fire fighting evolution involved the use of a deck gun, aerial playpipe, 2 ½ and 1 3/4-inch hand lines. During the four hours of pumping, almost all of the fire fighting was done with hydrant pressure supplied by the new pump.
