H O U ST ON F I RE D E PA RT ME N T P U MP O P ER AT OR P R O GR AM VAL JAHNKE TRAINING FACILITY

HHHHOOUUSTSTONON FFIIRERE DDEEPAPARTRTMEMENNTT

PPUUMPMP OOPPERERATATOROR PPRROOGRGRAMAM

VAL JAHNKE TRAINING FACILITY

First Arriving Engine

• May start developing water supply– Consider fire load– Consider fire conditions– Next company arrival time– Consider nearest water source– Consider driveways or dead ends– Inform next company of actions needed

(forward or reverse lay)– Communicate GPM flow to supply company(s)

Supply Engine(s)

• Use side intakes only– Avoid rear intake (restrictive)

• 3rd LDH line in could use rear intake

• Multiple lines from hydrant to engine– 6” soft suction attached to steamer– adapt 2 1/2” to 4” at hydrant (both if necessary)

• use water thief(s)

– Will need 2 1/2” female to 4” male adapters

Supply Engine(s)

• Water flow from 2 1/2” pump discharge– Over 1,000 gpm– 2” tip @ 80 psi delivers 1,000 gpm

• Dual lines between engines– Reduces gpm flow in hose by half– Greatly reduces friction loss in hose

• Engine Pressure– E.P. = T.F.L. + 20 (50)

Relay• Supply engine

– Starts water flow– Maintains correct engine pressure

• Intermediate engine(s)– Should be pumping same as supply engine if

hose lay is the same

• Attack engine– Different engine pressure– Pressure for individual lines (hand or master)

Relay

• After water supply is established– Set governor or relief valve

• Shut down of relay– Reverse order– Attack engine first– Intermediate next– Supply engine last

Dump and Relief Valves

• Dump valve(s) operating– Check incoming pressure– Do not cap– If capped, loss of pump protection

• Relief valve(s) operating– Check incoming pressure– May need adjusting

Reverse Lay

• Advantages– Crew left at fire scene– Additional manpower– 2 in / 2 out– Supply engine spots at hydrant– Hydrant supply not interrupted

Ladder Pipe Operations

• Newer apparatus have flow meters– E-One trucks– Needs approximately 200 psi at base of truck– LTI uses PDP (predetermined pressure)

• FY 2000 platform and ladders– Will be setup to deliver 1500 gpm– Will have siamese for dual 4” supply laid to

truck

Ladder Pipe Operations

• Need engine spotted within 100’ of ladder truck– Engine may need dual lines laid into side

intakes depending on length of line from supply engine

– Supply engine at hydrant with 6” soft suction and possibly second 4” from same hydrant

Supplemental Pumping

L93

E70 E52

E61

Standpipe/Sprinkler

• High failure rate of piping between the FDC and the standpipe riser

• There are a few sprinklers on a separate riser, with a separate FDC

• Very tall buildings are divided into two or more vertical zones

Non-PRV Systems

• Standpipe systems– Fog nozzles at 150 psi + 5 psi/floor to the fire

floor– 2 1/2” straight streams at 65 psi + 5 psi/floor to

the fire floor

• Sprinklers at 150 psi + 5 psi/floor to the fire floor

PRV Systems

• Engines should supply the systems only if the building’s fire pumps are not functioning adequately

• The designed system pressure must be supplied (information in high rise survey)

• Standpipe & sprinklers are calculated the same on PRV systems

Tandem Pumping

• Is a short relay for high rise buildings (this will be a high pressure operation)

• Becomes necessary after 40 stories (roughly 300 psi)

• High pressure engine reverse lays from the FDC to an safe area (falling glass)

• Supply engine will reverse lay to the hydrant

Large Volume Hand Lines

LDH to Ground Monitor

3” to Ground Monitor

LDH to Ground Monitor

FYI

• Centrifugal pump– Can double its capacity with positive pressure

supply (hydrant system)

• Staged engines– May need to share adapters– Used to lay second line (forward or reverse)

HHHHOOUUSTSTONON FFIIRERE DDEEPAPARTRTMEMENNTT

PPUUMPMP OOPPERERATATOROR PPRROOGRGRAMAM

VAL JAHNKE TRAINING FACILITY