Erika Wurst
The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
(TNS)
It’s a blessing to have 800 gallons of water per minute blasting through a firehose when a home is on fire.
It’s not so great when the same amount of fresh water is flowing through the hoses of firehouse trainees — with no flames in sight.
Those extra gallons get soaked into the ground, run down drains and are taken away from customers.
A water reclamation device, known as a Pump Pod, is allowing the Northwest Fire District in Marana to recycle water used in training exercises.
Trainees learning to use the hoses — improving their aim as they train to save property and lives — now have an improved impact on the environment, as well.
New device will help Northwest Fire District save water in training
Northwest Fire on Thursday showed off a new device that will help firefighter trainees save water during training exercises. A water reclamation device, known as a Pump Pod, is allowing the fire district in Marana to now recycle water.
The new device comes thanks to a grant provided by the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (WIFA).
The Pump Pod DRAFTS (Direct Recirculating Apparatus Firefighting Training Sustainability) lifespan is about 35 years, said Chief Brad Bradley. That said, tens of millions of gallons of water are expected to be recycled through the device over its tenure. In a span of 15 or 16 training sessions utilizing the Pump Pod, the department has saved nearly 40,000 gallons of water, Bradly said.
Fire trainees shoot the hoses into a large tank where approximately 2,000 gallons are stored. The water from the tank gets pulled through a fire truck and back into the hoses, and so on. Prior to this, training water would have the possibility to run off and erode as it entered into the ecosystem so quickly.
New device will help Northwest Fire District save water in training
Gov. Katie Hobbs and Northwest Fire District Chief Brad Bradley on Thursday discuss a new devices that will recycle water during firefighter training.
“Every single drop we can conserve is important,” said Gov. Katie Hobbs, who was in Marana on Thursday to see the device in action. Fire officials and media members were on scene as the Pump Pod sprang to life. “I’m grateful to the WIFA board for making these funds available,” she said.
WIFA provides grants of up to $250,000 per project or $3,000,000 per program through its Water Conservation Grant Fund (WCGF). Applicants must match the grant with 25% of the total cost.
“People of the state of Arizona want to conserve water and be more efficient, but want to have funds to do so,” said former WIFA Chairman David Beckham. “There’s been a mind shift in the state of Arizona. It’s been around since 70s. It used to be no one cared about water.”
That has since changed, Beckham said.
“You are showing leadership in Arizona to create these sustainable situations to conserve water,” Beckham said.
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