This page contains details of firefighting
equipment that has been our readers have recommended to us. We list the
equipment here for informational purposes only and take no
responsibility for any harm to life or property that may result in its
use.
Davey Fire Water Pump
This
high volume pump was recommended to use by one of our readers. Here are
his comments:
Here it is! Its a Davey Fire Water Pump capable of
pumping out 4,800 GPH at 125 PSI. Toss the intake into your swimming
pool, or any volume of water over 25 gallons and your ready to do some
serious soaking. Now you have to prime this big boy but that is easy,
what is hard is to make sure your water supply doesn't run low and you
lose your prime in the pump. That means if you are pumping out of a 25
or 50 gal trash can, being refilled by your constantly running garden
hose? You have to shut down your fire hose to a sprits and let your
supply catch up. about every 5 or 7 minutes. Kind of a pain but you can
wet very large areas with this monster, you just have to pace your self
or have some one watch the level and warn you when it low.
BUT if you have swimming pool, or large source of
water like a storage tank? Its bombs away. Now you can power a 1 1/4
inch fire hose with this. Or, what the forestry dept likes to use a
couple of 1 inch fire hoses. Each can use foam nozzles, stream nozzles,
fog nozzles or bigger gel applicators.
USE CAUTION::::THIS WILL REACH THE TOP POWER LINES
ON THE POLES. (you and your pump will be vaporized.)
Were can you get one of these things?
www.NorhernTool.com Model AK280 Or go to
Line gear in RSM
Or were I got mine
www.homefirefightingsystems.com
When you order this pump make sure you get ALL your
fittings and a pressure relief valve so, first you can hook it up to
your fire hoses and second you can turn the hose off with out blowing
out the pump seals. Remember hose size and thread type...
1.25 Inch Foam Gun
Can You Use Foam Like The Big Boys?? You Bet!!
Foam
is used by fire dept worldwide as a fire extinguishing agent and
Pre-treatment agent for flammable and combustible materials. When
proportioned with water using the appropriate eductors (applicators)
The foam concentrate changes the properties of water, reducing the
surface tension and allowing for greater penetration in all class-A
fuel and wildland (bush) fires. It also gives the water a foaming
ability allowing it to remain and cling to the surfaces with out run
off as quickly as plain water.
By using foam you can extend the
usefulness of a limited water supply and make your system 3 to 5
times more effective than with just plain water.
Pictured here is a dry cartridge
eductor (applicator) Just put the dry cartridge in the nozzle and
its foam time. they also make them in liquid concentrate versions.
Foam your trees, leaves on the
ground, wood pile, under and over porch. This as a pre treatment
will last about an hour before being hit by the fire so you have to
be right their to apply it in a timely bases as a pre treatment. But
as an active fire fighting tool? This stuff WAY out dose water on
fire. It just smothers it flat!!
Little Gel Pump
By Dave Seroski, Trabuco Canyon, CA
A WORD about Gel's. They are the wave
of the future for wild fire / bush fire fighting! But you can get
in on it right now.
Just about every one that lives in
the canyon here either owns, or has heard of, or used Barricade fire
gel.
Just hook it up to your garden hose
and spray everything you don't what to go up in flames. BUT their
is a life to the application.
It has to be applied, and kept wet,
for when the fire arrives. Now I have heard that it works for 3 to
5 days. But when its really dry like 10 percent humidly and its
really blowing? It wont make it 3 to 5 days. Figure a day maybe 2 if
you re-wet it with a mist of water or a fog of water. It will perk
right back up, just don't let it dry out or get it too wet it will
run.
This little pump, available at
Lowes will give
you a very portable (pump out of a trash can full of water) or hook
it right up to the house and double your reach. Or if the pressure
in the lines go down? Your still squirting.
This portable fire truck in a bottle,
should be used on under eaves, porches (top and underneath) and on
any structure you really want around after the big blaze. One
group of forestry fire fighters have been drowning cabins, barns,
even dog houses in this stuff. The burn over comes and goes, then
they move in and give the structures a bath to wash the Barricade
off and move on, everything is saved. Since your not the fire dept
with a big budget? Makes sure you get all your windows, doors and
don't forget that pesky garage door, especially that rubber seal at
the bottom of the door its the first thing to go when hit with heat
and it just lets all those sparks and barbs right in. Good idea to
juice up those propane tanks. No one likes it when they are flying
around.
Here is how you set this thing up:
First get a nice kit of Barricade gel
from
Line gear in RSM.
It includes the applicator and gel, you can buy as many bottles of
gel as you want.( you get a nice video with the product too) If you
have it right now? Please go shake it up, thank you very much.
The applicator screws right on to
your garden hose. (word on the garden hose / get a FAT one, flow is
everything! 3/4 inch will do nicely)
Then its off to Lowes and get that
pump, its the smallest gas powered one they sell. Don't forget a
small gas can. It is a 4 stroke so no mixing gas with oil. Please
buy good high test and use a gas stabilizer, it keeps your gas good
for a year.
If you cant start it, you cant fight
it. And I'm not cooking hot dogs in my back yard, cause yer pump
didn't start!
Now, while you are their? Get the
suction hose out of the package and go over to the plumbing section
and find fittings to hook the suction hose TO your garden faucet,
Take a look at the hose end picture, its 2 parts, one fits on the
faucet and a 2 inch pipe that fits tightly in the hose screws into
the base of the faucet part. Use screw hose clamps any thing else
will leak. Use Teflon tape on the fittings between the 2 parts, no
leaks. If all of this is to much? And if you are standing in the
plumbing isle for more than 15 minuits, looking at other guys
with glossed over faces fumbbeling the wrong parts. Go ask for Mike
Milligan (Plumbing God) Yes he is a fire fighter and he will help
you.
Every thing under arm? Back to the
casa and (put oil in your new pump) Hook every thing up and give it
a try. Don't use the Barricade gel on the applicator, use a water
filled bottle. See how far it shot with out the pump running? Now
fire up the pump, now yer talking. This is really very important if
you don't know what this dose now you may be a little short on fire
day and darn it, I don't like roasting hot dogs in my back yard
cause yours burnt down! Kind of that good neighbor thing. Don't
worry I come over and put you out later. Hay, have a hot dog!
Quick, on the hose bib (faucet) You
may what to change your old turn 20 turns to open faucet (bib) to a
nice sexy lever 1/2 turn ball valve. These increase "FLOW" lots.
While your old turn knob offers only about 3/8 th's of an inch
opening for flow? A ball valve offers about a 1/2 inch. Fast to open
and lots of flow. Ya, you want that.
