Water is an amazing element. It sustains life, from humans and other animals to plants. It has many other uses. One of its most effective traits is the ability to extinguish fires in most cases.
The simple premise is to overcome the generation of British thermal units. It goes back to the basics of the fire triangle. Take any one side of the triangle away and the fire goes out. In most cases, it is difficult to impossible to remove the oxygen, though many have seen this occur in tightly enclosed structures where oxygen cannot keep up with the burning and the fire smolders or extinguishes. Fire educators teach people to “put a lid on it” for grease fires on stoves. There are circumstances where the fuel is removed, maybe with burning gas supplies being shut or removal of brush to create a fire break. But the most common and effective way in most fires is to remove the heat, which is done with water.
Water not only cools the fire by absorbing heat but greatly expands when converting from liquid to gas. If enough conversion, the gas can help extinguish by displacing other gases that are capable of burning. Moving water can also create air flow. This can help with ventilation but can also contribute to air entrainment, which gets more oxygen to the fire.
In the end, the fire service has put most of its eggs in the basket of using water as the extinguishing agent of choice. This has proven to be very successful in cases where there is enough water for the fire and enough resources to deliver that water to the fire. In simple terms, the best thing a fire department can do in all but rare cases is to put water on the fire as quickly as possible.
Water sources are the start. In urban and suburban communities, it is mostly from a water source distributed through underground pipe systems to fire hydrants. In rural areas, it is either through tanker or tender vehicles using a shuttle and drop-off system or with a fixed source such as a river, pond, or lake. Regardless, fire operations are dependent on a department’s ability to move the water from that source to the hostile fire. The better a department is at this, the more effective it will be at providing quality service. The ability to deliver water is based on the apparatus and equipment available and the capabilities of the firefighters. One would also include adequate staffing for the tasks to be performed.
Everyone has heard the adage, “Big fire needs big water.” This makes a good sound bite but may not always be practical. First, there must be a water supply to support the need. Mostly we think of rural areas, but this can occur in older urban areas or places where water supplies are down, reduced in pressure, or other things that can affect volume. You may need “big water,” but you don’t have it available. If you have adequate water, how will it be delivered? Do you have the pump capacity and appliances necessary? Do you have the hose size and length to get the water to the location? These are all questions that should be answered well ahead of fires. They would be most applicable to commercial and industrial fires and not necessarily the “bread and butter” single-family dwelling fires. There are exceptions for very large homes.
Well-staffed departments are capable of doing more tasks and have more options. One of these areas is water movement. For example, 2½-inch hose can be very effective and may be the best option. But if you do not have the human resources to deploy the hose, it cannot be a weapon in your arsenal. Charged large-diameter lines are very heavy. Without adequate personnel, the hose cannot be moved. It becomes a stationary option. There is also the challenge of making turns. The flexibility is very limited. Not every department can have this choice in tactics and must explore other options to deliver water. It could be fixed deck guns, aerial streams, or multiple smaller-diameter hoses that can be managed by the crews you have available.
All departments should have minimal standards for the deployment of lines. This would include establishing a water supply and pulling attack lines. The standards must include times and consistent methods. It should be reasonable to expect certain jobs to be done within certain time frames. Incident commanders need this information to make good strategic choices. This is definitely related to building construction and the amount of fire involvement. Modern buildings will not withstand fire assault for very long, so any delays in application will alter tactics.
Departments need regular drills to hone skills and also timed training to make sure that standards are being met. This is challenging to some to find the time but should be a priority as it is part of the core mission of all departments. Practice to hit the goal. Great organizations have standards, and they can prove that they meet them all the time.
One could make an observation that departments have many options when selecting methods of water movement, but one could also argue that departments default to what they always do more frequently than not. This could be related to past practices, the need to act quickly, or just running on automatic. This should not be the norm. Make conscious decisions based on the hazards faced, risk factors, likelihood of early success, resources available, and department capabilities. Organizations and their members must know their strengths and the best way to take advantage of them.
Getting water on a fire as quickly as possible leads to the best outcomes in almost all situations. In aggregate, it is about volume and delivery and the capabilities of the department. It involves fire pumpers and personnel as well as a water source. There are many things to consider, but competence in this area is essential. Training should include sufficient repetition to meet established standards; it should be ongoing to make sure that skills don’t diminish.
Only an individual department and its members can commit to the pursuit of excellence. There needs to be honest assessments and determined commitment throughout the organization.
RICHARD MARINUCCI is the executive director of the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) and chief (ret.) of the White Lake Township (MI) Fire Department. He retired as chief of the Farmington Hills (MI) Fire Department in 2008, a position he had held since 1984. He is a Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment and Fire Engineering Editorial Advisory Board member, a past president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), and past chairman of the Commission on Chief Fire Officer Designation. In 1999, he served as acting chief operating officer of the U.S. Fire Administration for seven months. He has a master’s degree and three bachelor’s degrees in fire science and administration and has taught extensively.
