Quote:
Originally Posted by DickR
There is something very wrong about a situation involving limited water to fight a fire in a lakeside home (read: next to a huge water source). If the only present option is to back a pumper to within a few feet of the lake so the big suction line can connect truck to lake, obviously many or most properties preclude getting the truck anywhere near close enough. Why couldn't local fire departments cobble together a floating pump that could be hand-carried by a pair or wheeled to lakefront in a yard cart? Granted, the approach would not work in cases where the house is separated from the lake by a very steep slope, but in the photo above it does look like the approach to waterfront is gradual enough. Sure, a portable system couldn't compete with the pumping power of a fire boat, but it would be better than nothing. Ferrying limited volumes from a remote accessible location using multiple trucks seems like a problem begging for a solution.
|
The logistics make it more complicated than it would seem.
Are you going to carry the pump on the first due engine in each community?
You will also need a hard suction line and strainer to utilize the pump.
Are you able to carry multiple spare gas cans?
When you arrive in the first due pumper who takes care of life safety? Can you spare a couple of men to carry the pump to the water, set it up, and set a feed line to the pumper?
On the high end, a portable pump may be able to feed 100 to 200 GPM. Using that to feed a pumper with a 1,500 GPM capacity would be futile. Using it to feed one line putting water on a substantial house fire wouldn't have a significant effect if the fire was already well underway.
I do know that people out west where large brush fires are often out of control are buying "hose carts" to protect their own homes. It is usually a pump, suction and hose line, and nozzle. You would just need a pond or swimming pool as a water source.