Water Shuttle Operations
Topic: Water Shuttle Operations Teaching and Learning Domain: Cognitive Time Required: 2 hours Materials: Appropriate visuals and chalkboard or easel pad References: IFSTA Pumping Apparatus Driver/Operator (1st ed.), Chapter 14...
e. Recommended apparatus farthest from scene be released first
2. Once all tankers refilled, fill site pumper and equipment shut down and prepared to return to
service
IV. DUMP SITE OPERATIONS (EO 1-1-4)
A. Introduction
1. Dump site located close to incident and goa1 to provide continuous source of water supply to
apparatus attacking incident
2. Variety of methods used to run dump site, as well as variety of methods employed to discharge
water from tanker
B. Dump Site Operational Methods
1. In direct pumping method, tanker pumps water from tank directly into attack pumper
a. Method typically accomplished by having attack pumper lay out supply line that ends in location
easily accessible to tankers approaching scene
b. When tanker arrives at dump site, supply hose connected to discharge of tanker
c. Contents of tank pumped to attack pumper
d. Siamese placed at dump site that allows two tankers to pump into supply line
2. Advantage of direct pumping method that it reduces need for tanker to park directly next to attack
pumper
3. Disadvantages are many
a. Interruption of flow when tankers disconnecting and connecting
b. Tankers with small capacity pumps not able to supply water to attack pumper at the rate attack
pumper discharging water
4. Second method is nurse tanker operation
a. Involves very large tanker that parks immediately adjacent to attack pumper
b. Attack pumper supplied by discharge line from pump of nurse tanker or drafts directly from tank
of nurse tanker
c. Departments that use tractor-trailer tankers use them a nurse tanker because highly ineffective as
shuttle apparatus in most cases
5. Advantage that nurse tanker so large that fire controlled before need to refill tank
6. Several disadvantages to operation
a. Tankers required to have sizable fire pump in order to pump loads into nurse tanker
b. Even with sizable fire pump, dumping time for tanker significantly higher than if able to discharge
through dump valve
7. Most efficient way of operating water shuttle to use portable water tanks as dump site water supply
source
a. One or more large portable water tanks positioned in strategically sound location near
emergency scene
b. Once tank(s) positioned, pumper deploys hard intake hose with low-level strainer into one of
tanks and prepares to draft water from tank
c. When first tanker arrives on scene, discharges water into portable tank
d. Dump site pumper may begin drafting from tank and supplying water to attack pumper
e. Dump site may be located directly adjacent to scene and attack pumper may draft from portable
water tank
8. Method does not require shuttle tankers equipped with fire pump as long as adequate-sized
direct-tank discharge valve and adequate venting
a. Method easiest of methods to ensure constant supply of water to attack pumper
b. Primary disadvantage is that multiple tank operation requires substantial amount of working
space for dump site
9. Tankers may pump water into portable tank (or nurse tanker) through one or more discharges or
hoselines
a. Only done when tanker not equipped with dump valve
b. Not possible to pump water out of apparatus as fast as dump valve empties tank
c. Limiting factors are flow capacity of tank to pump lines, pump size, venting capability, and ability
to control hoselines at delivery point
d. In addition to longer time required to empty tank, method requires tanker driver place fire pump
