Tanker Operations #19 - Keeping a Lane Open
 
By President Mark Davis
February 27, 2020
 

This week in the Members Area of our website our Discussion Forum produced feedback about different ways to carry dump tanks and what size dump tanks to carry. The discussion reminded us of a couple of photos from Winfield, Maryland showing a water supply operation at a house fire where crews did a really good job of keeping a lane of traffic open so that tankers could off-load and get to the fill site. Granted, the event occurred on a two-lane road, but we are sure that everyone "out there" has at least story of how that got messed up at least once in their own response area.

Of note, the 3500-gallon tanker shown in the photos used to carry a single, 3500-gallon square dump tank. The folks decided to move to the single-lane concept and replaced the 3500-gallon with two, rectangular tanks; one a 2400-gallon and one a 2500-gallon.

The photos show the tanker operating in the nurse tanker mode by supplying a 5-inch double-clappered siamese feeding the attack pumper. Meanwhile, the 2500-gallon rectangular dump tank is deployed and the pumper in front is getting set up to draft. Units went on the scene with heavy fire conditions at a 2-story single-family dwelling. Water supply was never once interrupted. #gotbigwater
 
Arriving units took the time to position so that water hauling rigs were not impeded in their travel.
Arriving units took the time to position so that water hauling rigs were not impeded in their travel.
A "rural hitch" operation was used to start the operation and to scale back the operation. In between, a single-lane dump tank operation was used to support water supply operations.
A "rural hitch" operation was used to start the operation and to scale back the operation. In between, a single-lane dump tank operation was used to support water supply operations.