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What Have You Found to be Useful Tools on a Rural Main-line Pumper?
what tools would you suggest to help in rural fires besides the basics pike poles ladders gas powered fan hard suction ldh and air tanks and bottles and hoses and nozzles. is there anything else that anyone has found useful throught there years on departments?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Fireyladd - Retired Chief Sharp on
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Yes, your brain! Seriously! Improvisation and common sense will overcome the hardest situation. Thats the fire service at its best. CAN DO!
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Permalink Reply by Reg Mathis on
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A couple of things that I had on my "Wish I had" list:
A "cheater" bar for some of those hydrants that are so far out they haven't been properly serviced.
A short-handled sledge, for when there isn't room to get a full swing.
A good bow saw. For that time when you don't have a spare chain for the saw.
I'll have to go over the engine tomorrow and see what else I've added to the kit.
TCSS,
Reg
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Permalink Reply by Vic Silverfish on
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If you end up fighting a lot of bushfire, you should put some food and drinks on the rig. We try to carry enough to spend 24 hours in the field with no re-supply, a real lifesaver in the opening hours of a big bushfire.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on
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your head...rural situations calls for some thinking to be required and an increased attention to details.....if you run out of water you are dead.... there is no hydrant to give you an endless supply...so your supply is crucial....Another thing that gets used a lot and often overlooked is a hose clamp....always seem to have to add a length or 2 of line...so just clamp, break it apart add what you need and then unclamp....no need to shut the line down and drain it....surprising the number of senior people that didn't know how to use it.....training took care of that.....Paul
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Permalink Reply by Andrew Dalgarno on
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Drinking water...as mentioned above, it's a requirement for those out-of-control grass fires.
Here's one no one has mentioned...leaf blower. No, seriously...you can put out a lot of grass fire with a leaf blower. They move air at somewhere around 200 mph, so they put out the flames and embers before the embers get blown around. I had my doubts at first as well, but it works. Just make sure the guy using it has goggles AND a faceshield, 'cause it's messy.
Also for grass fires (gee, I wonder what most of our calls are), back-pack sprayers, shovels and rakes all work for putting out the flames.
A knowledgeable pump-operator. Nothing is worse than hitting a grass fire with 100+ psi and 100+ GPM from a straight stream. The water sprays stuff everywhere. Set your nozzle down to 30 GPM with a narrow fog, and only run 20-50 psi on the pump. No point in wasting all the water.
Andrew
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Our last one has a CAFS system...LOVE IT...!!! Has cut water usage by about 70-80%......and Rural Firefighting has issues with water supply....you city guys should come to our sandbox sometime and have to draft from a stream, pond, river or wherever a horse peed recently.....LOL
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Permalink Reply by Rusty Mancini on
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Travis, We too have a 3" separate load with a wye for two high rise packs, we call it the driveway line. Great for those tight driveways that you cant get the engine up to the structure.We serve a rural area with a lot of horse farms.Those winding driveways with the tree limbs hanging low, and hugging both sides of the driveway can be tricky!
Improvise and overcome!
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Permalink Reply by John Sees on
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My company carries a manifold for when we have to be the supply engine for filling tankers/tenders (chose the correct term for your area). We also carry a low level strainer and beach ball for drafting out of a dump tank. Also haz-mat pads, booms and oil dry. Traffic cones and flares. Cribbing. Everything else that we carry has already been mentioned.
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Permalink Reply by Loyd Dittfurth on
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generator / portable lighting
I know its not recomended and i dont know how rural you are. but i would invest in a meter puller to cut electricity
a repeater on the truck so your portables can get out easier
chainsaw
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I hate to burst your bubble here andrew but Im not thinking you have fought any big grass fires
I would say as high as you can get it and as much pressure as you can till we get it knocked down
and to ad to that note it depends alot on the type of grass
CRP burns into the roots and smolders under ground so I aim low and up root it with as much force as possible
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