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Section 601.01
Water Supplies
I. Scope:
This standard establishes the requirement that a reliable and adequate water supply be established at each incident.
II. General:
A. For firefighting efforts to be effective, adequate and reliable water supply must be available. The adequacy and reliability of potential sources of water are constantly changing due to weather system demands and many other factors beyond the department’s control.
B. Each member shall be aware of the potential fire flow demands within his service area and shall identify available options for developing a sufficient volume of water to adequately combat any fire that might occur.
III. Responsibilities:
A. The Fire Chief shall appoint the Fire Services Coordinator to serve as the water supply officer for the department.
B. The water supply officer shall:
1. Serve as a liaison with Public Works.
2. Furnish an accurate and up-to-date hydrant map for the department.
3. Maintain a complete and up-to-date water supply map at the station.
4. Identify areas where additional hydrants are needed and work with the Public Works department to have them installed.
5. Provide the department with a complete and accurate map identifying static water sources. The map shall provide information concerning accessibility and capacity for firefighting.
6. Supervise flow testing and record the results.
7. Maintain and distribute an up-to-date list of hydrants that are out of service.
C. Safety Codes Officers shall have overall responsibility for developing pre-fire plans for all schools, institutional occupancies and target occupancies. A master copy shall be placed in the occupancies inspection file. Hydrant main sizes and colour codes shall be included in the pre-fire plan.
D. The training officer shall conduct periodic pre-fire planning scenarios during practice nights, to acquaint members with the location and capacity of fire hydrants in relation to occupancies being discussed.
E. Apparatus officers and operators shall be responsible for:
1. Knowing the correct location and size of supply main of each fire hydrant and static water source within their response area.
2. Report high grass, weeds, snow or other obstructions to the Fire Chief.
IV. Hydrant Colour Codes:
A. In the Town of Vegreville, hydrants are colour coded in relation to the size of its supply main. The colour’s are as follows:
Colour Main Size
White 300mm/12 inch
Blue 250mm/10 inch
Green 200mm/8 inch
Orange 150mm/6 inch
Red 100mm/4 inch
B. Whenever a hydrant is discovered that has not been colour coded or the colour does not match the map, it shall be reported to the water supply officer. The water supply officer shall request that the Public Works department correct the problem.
V. Operational Procedures:
A. Each apparatus officer shall be responsible for providing an uninterrupted water supply on the fire ground. The ability to do so will be based on:
1. The required flow.
2. The available water supply.
3. The number of personnel available.
4. The number of apparatus on the foreground.
B. Water supplies may be established by:
1. Booster Tank Operations: For demands of less than 250 gallons or brief duration. If more than 500 gallons are needed, use another source.
2. Supply Lines: A 125mm line from a hydrant or static source via drafting. This is the most dependable source and should be used whenever possible. When in doubt, lay a line.
3. Dump and Pump: (1) First, two members set up a port-a-tank. (2) Then a tanker fills the tank. (3) A pumper can draw water from the tank even while it is being filled. (4) Once the tanker is empty, it can go for more water while the pumper continues to draw from the tank.
VI. Hydrant Operations:
A. Hydrants are either open fully or closed fully, nothing in between.
B. Hydrants are opened slowly and closed slowly, to prevent water hammer.
C. When the hydrant is closed and all lines have been disconnected, check the hydrant to see if it is draining.
D. If the hydrant is NOT draining, notify an officer who will in turn contact Public Works. This is very common in winter conditions. Fill out the appropriate equipment deficiency report concerning the hydrant (address, problem, etc.).
E. Place the caps back on the hydrant just tight enough so they cannot be removed by hand.
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