| On August 9, more than 50 participants from the Valley Shore Mutual Aid Association and surrounding departments gathered in Killingworth, Connecticut for a two-hour rural water hauling exercise. This event was part of our 16-hour Rural Water Supply Operations Seminar hosted by the Valley Shore Mutual Aid Association.
The exercise utilized five pumpers, thirteen tankers, and two fill sites to support an eight-dump tank operation. At peak, water was delivered at a rate of 3,000 gallons per minute to two aerial devices and one pumper. The event began with a rural hitch setup supporting an initial flow of 500 gallons per minute. As the exercise progressed, a three-dump tank operation began, providing 1,800 gallons per minute to the simulated fire scene.
By the one-hour mark, water flow exceeded 2,000 gallons per minute. A second three-dump tank operation was then brought online, supplying an additional 1,200 gallons per minute. An extra two-dump tank operation supported jet siphon transfer devices. Water flow was interrupted only once for about two minutes due to a tanker discharge valve malfunction during the rural hitch operation. After this, there were no further interruptions to water delivery.
The peak flow of 3,000 gallons per minute surpassed the previous record of 2,400 gallons per minute, set during the 2013 Valley Shore Mutual Aid seminar. This accomplishment demonstrates significant progress in rural water supply operations. The weekend's instructors were Mark Davis and Alan Butch. Many thanks to a number of sponsors who helped make the weekend a success: Valley Shore Mutual Aid Association, Region 2 DEMHS, Whelen Engineering, MES Shipman's Fire Equipment, and Naples Restaurant Pizza Truck. |
