November Drill of the Month:Rural Water Supply

The below video pretty much says it all! With the weather getting colder fires are going to become more frequent. While it is always important to maintain a constant state of readiness and train on all of our skills, we do often steer our training focus for the time of year.

Well in this time of year it needs to be a lot of FIREFIGHTING training! We can not put fires out without water, so we have to be experts at getting it. Sure you may run in a hydranted area, but what about your second due? Third due? Mutual aide? Every engine company needs to be expected to draft, or assist in setting up dump, and fill sites.

During a hurricane a few years ago the county I work for had their entire power system fail, which also ment the pumps that supply water the fire hydrants went down as well. Sure enough a fire broke out in a well hydranted area and we as a department were unprepared (the first several engines did not have any drafting equipment).

So like I said if you’re an apparatus operator you have to be ready to be put in this situation at any given time.

So this month get together with your companies that do this more often and train with them. Get out in your districts and identify potential draft sites (ponds, lakes, pools, dry hydrants) and put them in your map book and share them with the other companies. Practice fill sites, dump sites, water shuttles, drop tank set up, the whole deal.

Typically when we are relying on non hydranted water we are already behind the 8 ball, do not let the weak link in the chain be YOU!

Be sure to keep following along on twitter @averagejakeff

As usual thanks for reading, spread the word, and STAY SAFE!

Vodpod videos no longer available.

 

November Drill of the Month:Rural Water Supply, posted with vodpod