Hauling Water - Alabama Style!
 
By President Mark Davis
October 10, 2019
 

On October 6th, folks from several departments in Montgomery County, Alabama spent the afternoon hauling water with tankers. The drill was the culmination of our 16-hr Rural Water Supply Operations Seminar sponsored and hosted by the Pike Road Fire Department. Saturday morning was spent reviewing the best practices of hauling water with tankers. Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning were spent completing practical activities involving dump site and fill site operations. Sunday afternoon everyone got the chance to try and run a 2-hr uninterrupted water supply drill supplying 500 gpm over a 1.7-mile road course using five tankers and one fill site. The drill was a success and water flow was never once interrupted. Many thanks to Chief Matt Missildine and the the folks at Pike Road FD for their excellent logistical support and hospitality. Instructors for the weekend were Mark Davis and Tim Legore.
 
Units: Pike Road Engines 1 & 2, Pike Road Tankers 1 & 6, Rollings Hill Lakes Tanker 1, North Montgomery Tanker 1, and Fitzpatrick Engine 1.
 
Rolling Hills Lakes Tanker 1 - 500 gpm/2000 gal
Rolling Hills Lakes Tanker 1 - 500 gpm/2000 gal
Fitzpatrick Engine 1 - 1250 gpm/3000 gal
Fitzpatrick Engine 1 - 1250 gpm/3000 gal
 
Pike Road Tanker 1 - 250 gpm/2000 gal
Pike Road Tanker 1 - 250 gpm/2000 gal
Pike Road Engine 2 - 1500 gpm/1000 gal
Pike Road Engine 2 - 1500 gpm/1000 gal
 
Engine 2 setting up to draft at the DFH.
Engine 2 setting up to draft at the DFH.
Day 1 - reviewing different dump tank arrangements.
Day 1 - reviewing different dump tank arrangements.
 
Pike Road Engine 1 - 1500 gpm/1500 gal.
Pike Road Engine 1 - 1500 gpm/1500 gal.
Reviewing the use of an LDH manifold for loading tankers.
Reviewing the use of an LDH manifold for loading tankers.
 
Day 2 - reviewing tanker loading operations.
Day 2 - reviewing tanker loading operations.
Engine 1 drafts and loads tankers.
Engine 1 drafts and loads tankers.
 
TFT low-level strainer with float attachment in use.
TFT low-level strainer with float attachment in use.
Practicing an "open relay" using a Turbo Draft appliance.
Practicing an "open relay" using a Turbo Draft appliance.
 
2-hr water supply drill is underway.
2-hr water supply drill is underway.
Three dump tanks, 2-hrs of flow, no interruption. A peak flow of 620 gpm was attained using five tankers hauling water.
Three dump tanks, 2-hrs of flow, no interruption. A peak flow of 620 gpm was attained using five tankers hauling water.
 
Dumping two at a time.
Dumping two at a time.
Loading operations underway. Two connected, one loaded at a time.
Loading operations underway. Two connected, one loaded at a time.
 
Engine 2 drafts from the lake and supplies the tanker loading manifold via 200-ft of 5-inch LDH.
Engine 2 drafts from the lake and supplies the tanker loading manifold via 200-ft of 5-inch LDH.
Pike Road Tanker 6 - 250 gpm/2000 gal
Pike Road Tanker 6 - 250 gpm/2000 gal
 
North Montgomery Tanker 1 - 500 gpm/2500 gal
North Montgomery Tanker 1 - 500 gpm/2500 gal