Water is a vital resource for firefighters, but in rural areas that lack fire hydrants on every street corner, water is a precious commodity. Firefighters must be judicious in their use of water when battling blazes, as adequate and reliable water supplies are crucial to saving lives and property.Water for firefighting is a challenge the FFPD has been dealing with for decades, and growth in population and an increase in building density adds to the challenge. Some of Falconís newer, more urban neighborhoods were developed with central water systems and fire hydrants. However, most of FFPDís jurisdiction lacks those resources.Ensuring that firefighters have the water they need is a multi-layered issue that involves equipment, personnel, national fire standards, county land development codes and the districtís own fire code.Getting water to the sceneThe rule of thumb for firefighting water supply is simple: Big fires require ìbig waterî to put them out, while small fires require proportionately less water. For example, firefighters used an estimated 45,000 gallons of water over two days at Januaryís hay barn fire at Big R. By comparison, a small residential fire contained to a single room might be extinguished using only a few hundred gallons or even less.Where fire hydrants exist, firefighters can connect a fire engine directly to a hydrant to access as much water as they need. In areas without hydrants, firefighters must rely on alternate sources like cisterns or bring water to the fire scene. Each of FFPDís two type 1 fire engines carries 750 gallons of water in its built-in water tank, and the interface engine (designed specifically for fires in the wildland urban interface areas) carries 500 gallons.Larger amounts of water must be trucked in by fire department water tankers, also called tenders. FFPD currently has three tenders and a pumper/tender, each capable of hauling 2,000 gallons of water. These tenders are kept full at all times so they can deploy to a fire without delay. Once on scene, the water is dumped into freestanding portable ìtanksî constructed of heavy-duty vinyl on a metal folding frame. Fire engines pump water from the porta-tanks, while the tender returns to a water source to refill in a process known as a tender shuttle operation. The time for a round trip will vary, depending on distances traveled between the fire scene and the water source. Vernon Champlin, FFPD battalion chief, said, ìThe biggest downfall to using a tender shuttle is that it takes away valuable firefighters to fight the actual fire or perform rescue operations from an organization that has very limited staffing to begin with.îFFPD also maintains two 30,000-gallon cisterns to provide supplemental water. Lakes and ponds are another option. However, because seasonal water levels fluctuate and private property laws prevail ñ and fencing and unimproved roadways limit access and donít allow heavy vehicles to approach; many local ponds and lakes arenít reliable sources of water for firefighting.How much water is enough?When discussing water supply, especially in relation to fire codes, Trent Harwig, FFPD fire chief, often refers to the term ìfire flow,î which includes water resources and factors such as square footage, number of floors, building construction components, fire protection systems and fire apparatus and personnel.The size of a building and the materials used in its construction affect the amount of water needed in the event of a fire. The use of fire resistant or noncombustible materials in building construction slows a fireís spread.Fire sprinkler systems can limit or even extinguish a fire, allowing building occupants a chance to escape while reducing the amount of water firefighters need.Based on current staffing levels and formulas from the National Fire Protection Association and the International Fire Code, Harwig and his staff estimate that FFPD can sustain a fire flow of 1,750 gallons per minute in areas where hydrants exist and 500 gpm in areas without fire hydrants. The flow rates are also supported by the districtís current ISO (Insurance Service Organization) rating.Keeping to the codesEl Paso County Land Development Code Section 6.3.3, which addresses fire protection and wildland mitigation, has required developers to install and maintain water supply systems for fire protection purposes since 2006. NFPA standards apply to areas that lack municipal-type water systems.The county land development code also requires the installation of fire cisterns in planned building areas not served by hydrants, unless the fire marshal has approved an alternative fire protection water supply system.El Paso County has not adopted its own fire code, so FFPD adopted the 2003 version of the International Fire Code in 2006. The IFC, which establishes requirements to protect lives and property from fires and explosion hazards, can be amended to suit the dynamics of each jurisdiction. Although the IFC requires the installation of fire sprinklers in commercial buildings larger than 12,000 square feet, FFPD amended the 2003 IFC to require sprinklers in commercial buildings 6,000 square feet or larger. FFPD doesnít have the resources for fighting fires in buildings larger than 6,000 feet.Although the 6,000-square-feet requirements are in effect under the 2003 IFC, the Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs is not favorable to the amendment for the 2009 code because it could stall growth, as Harwig reported at the February FFPD meeting.Harwig and Champlin are exploring other options. WUI residential requirementsNew residential structures without a central water system must meet a specific set of water supply requirements if they are built in areas known as the wildland urban interface within the FFPD. The Colorado State Forest Service defines the WUI as ìany area where man-made improvements are built close to, or within, natural terrain and flammable vegetation, and where high potential for wildland fire exists.î Residences in the WUI are particularly vulnerable to wildfires. ìItís the reality of building in the trees,î Harwig said. ìIn the interface, your fire can become a communityís problem.îHarwig said most of the homes being built in WUI areas require a minimum fire flow of 750 gpm. Since FFPDís capability is estimated at 500 gpm in areas without hydrants, supplemental water supply sources must be established to make up the difference.Although they can be costly, the installation of an NFPA compliant residential fire sprinkler system can reduce the required fire flow by half. Harwig said if fire sprinklers were the norm in residential construction rather than the exception, costs would eventually come down.While less expensive than sprinklers, water cisterns can still be costly, and property owners must maintain them. ìTracking which properties have cisterns in 120-plus square miles can become a logistical challenge for emergency responders,î Champlin said.Residential builders can also participate in the FFPDís Rural Water Fund in lieu of installing sprinklers or fire cisterns. RWF contributions are used to fund fire cisterns throughout the district, as well as the acquisition of resources used in shuttling water to a fire incident.The FFPD is currently developing a plan to analyze existing water sources in the district and determine the best locations to install new cisterns. Champlin, who is also the FFPD fire marshal, is heading this project.
