Preincident intelligence is an important fire service tool. It is necessary to identify equipment needs and other special resources. It is useful for determining specific training requirements and is a vital resource for incident management. Preincident preparedness articles have greatly reinforced the need to gather target hazard-specific information such as access, floor plan layout, and utilities. Another essential aspect of preincident preparedness is water supply. One of the most important fireground resources is water. If you don’t have water, you can’t establish and maintain a consistent water supply or support a water-suppression medium. Most likely, the incident will deteriorate rapidly with unfavorable results.
Some areas are fortunate to have hydrants in their jurisdictions supplied by a municipal water authority. Others must rely on mobile water tankers. In any case, you must identify where your water supplies are located. You must locate not only primary water supplies but secondary contingencies as well. If a water main breaks, leaving an area without water, what will you do? Even if the delay is only for a short time, Murphy’s Law will surely come into play. If a pond or stream dries up, what will you do?
This article is not intended to outline rural water supply methods or hydrant operations. Rather, it is to reinforce the need for fire officials to evaluate and improve their water source intelligence. It is imperative to identify both primary and secondary water sources. Just because your area has hydrants does not mean you may not need to establish an alternate means of water supply.
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