Hauling Water - Texas Style! - North Hays Co Fire Rescue
By President Mark Davis
February 28, 2019
We spent last weekend in Hays County, Texas working with folks at North Hays County Fire Rescue to refine their water hauling skills. The department sponsored and hosted our 16-hr Rural Water Supply Operations Seminar. Saturday began with a classroom review session on the best practices of hauling water with tenders. Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning were spent completing practical skill sessions on dump site and fill site operations. The seminar culminated with a water shuttle drill on Sunday afternoon where participants had to "put all the pieces together" and haul water without interruption. Six tenders and one engine were used to operate the 500 gpm water supply shuttle: one of the tenders operated as the dump site pumper.
The folks worked hard to keep the water flowing and were able to expand the operation to a 3-dump tank set-up. A complete summary will be posted in a few weeks. Instructors for the weekend were Mark Davis and Mark Wobus.
South Hays Tender 13 (1000gpm/2000gal)
Practicing dump site setup.
Working the "single-lane" dump tank arrangement.
All classroom activities were held at the North Hays Co Fire Rescue station in Dripping Springs.
Comparing two types of jet siphon devices.
North Hays Tender 62 (1000gpm./1800gal) eventually served as the dump site pumper.