Okay, as a German firefighter with a 34 year old pump on the engine I have no idea what is happening here. I thought we are the guys with the over-complex shit.
TheEagle1 they're reducing the pressure inside the pump so it's lower than atmospheric pressure (1 bar for you, 14.7 psi for those in imperial) lowering the pressure inside the pump allows the water to flow into the pump. They're limitations to this and this is not the only way to prune a pump, if you have a broken primer, you can circulate your tank fill and tank to pump and create a Venturi effect and draft. In example of drafting in everyday life is using a straw. When you have a straw in your soda or what have you, you lowering the pressure inside your mouth and the liquid is flowing.
@@achilles6312 Yes he knows that. He just wanted to point out how incredibly complicated your process of drafting water is. In Germany we mostly use pumps with automatic bleeding devices. You turn on pump, connect hard suction, give it a little throttle and wait 10 seconds for it to build up that vacuum. As soon as it senses water in the pump it will automatically stop. This system (TROKOMAT, search it up for pictures) is around for almost 50 years by now.
Visually, nicely done. On the other hand, the narration borders on the comical. We're firefighters, not soldiers, you can be a little more human. As for the seatbelt? If you chock those wheels, your risk of going for a wild ride is far less. Train as you work, yes?
catboattwo Because now I’m assuming he is just in neutral with the air brake on, but there is always the chance of break slipping, or when he goes into pump gear the transmission could jump into road while he’s in drive and make for a really bad day.
Generally sending tank water is a bad idea. First, you often have a large hose lay. For example, several thousand feet of hose that take a gallon a foot to fill, your 500 gallon tank won't get you far. Second, when you open your pump to connect the suction, that is where your tank water would go. Even once your suction is connected, your water would flow down your suction and into your water source. Third, a skilled pump operator can use tank water to prime the pump if he has priming issues. Fourth, for rural water supply, tank water can be used to clean out clogged dry hydrants.
What the person above me said is accurate, as far as tank to pump being open for a relay operation or being this far away from the fire, debatable. We have a 600 gal tank and our tank to pump line is plumed to do 500 GPM. So if you lose your water source for whatever reason, if your the supply pumper, that 500 gal of water will just keep your pump running a little longer, but your centrifugal pump won't pump air, so it'll only make it so far, and if you have a newer pressure governor, it's going to shut down your pump as soon as it detects low flow or cavitation. Now if you're the attack pumper, to the fire, yes leave tank to pump open, you'll hear it rev up when it's starving for water and that's your sign to get on the radio and tell your guys you've got a less than a minute to get out before you run out of water
My department as a normal when we pull on scene we will use our onboard 1000 gallon to either put out or contain the fire while we set up draft or hydrant.
Why is this so unnecessarily difficult? In Germany, we get water from drafting after abou 4-5 minutes Maximum with 2 guys. With 5 guys in less than 2 minutes. I understand that you need a larger water volume due to faster burning wooden houses, but why have screw on couplings on every line? We use Storz couplings since 1900. They are fast, easy and universal (no male and female side). US pumps also seem very difficult compared to European designs. Many operations are automized since many years, such as bleeding you drafting line, many pumps in Germany have so called Trokomat, which automatically builds up vacuum in your pump to bleeds the suction line until water reaches the device. There has to be a reason for that, I would like to understand.
I live in the Los Angeles suburbs and am planning to put a 10,000 underground water tank in my front yard, primarily as a source for a residential fire sprinkler system (and an Australian style bush fire outdoor sprinkler system) in the event that an earthquake takes down the mains and electricity and starts neighborhood fires. My tank contractor suggested installing a 12” access well near the sidewalk and driveway so the LACFD would be able to draft it. Any suggestions on how that could be marked so responders would know it was there? (Blue reflector in the driveway perhaps?). The family across the street had a natural gas leak last month that burn down much of their home in a few minutes so this does not seem over the top anymore. This will be permitted so they’ll be able to list requirements but I’m trying to get some ideas for the submission.
If nobody's gonna drive in the next 5 minutes it's well worth shutting down for your health and hearing. Keep it running if the lights need to be on though. 🖒
This procedure was obviously developed by someone who sits behind a desk. Why in the world would you need to put your seat belt on just to shit into and out of pump gear????? And that hose mount is very cumbersome.
Riley Nietzer yeah, we are a dual dept, and we most always have to draft and use tanker shuttles. I sometimes fill in as pump operator, and we start with our on truck 1,000 of water while we set up our folding tank and connect our suction line to our steamer fitting. We've been up and drafting within 5 minutes after starting pump.
I get the impression that this is not a rural fire department. Departments who mainly draft for water save a large number of the steps in this video, including that one. Cudos to this department for training on drafting, as it is a lost art in some departments. This video is a start and a great teaching tool, but for a department to rely on drafting, their operators need to understand what is happening and be able to debug and fix drafting problems as they happen. Just learning a procedure doesn't cut it. When the operator can't get water to the fire he can't blame it on a broken hydrant. Ponds don't break.
There’s two different ways to set up a draft 1 from a dry hydrant that has the thread 2 static draft what they have done here We’re I’m at we have the capability of both but mostly use dry hydrants then trucks will set us a tanker lane and the dry hydrant truck will act as a hydrant as tankers come in
@@1701spacecadet No we don't. Suction hose is screw thread & always has been, old chap. By the way, the bayonet to which you refer is correctly termed a standard instantaneous coupling.
Why are there so many unnecessary steps. In the CFA (Australia) 1 man can set up drafting. The suction hose is already connected, always, through it into the body of water, pump on, prime, change to hard suction and tank fill, done
its just a very robotic and procedural way of teaching a new guy. In reality we get off the truck, drop the suction hose in the tank and connect to the pump. This is the book way, obviously we are all familiar with the street way.
Great video, but it definitely would have been a lot better without the play by play narration. It got so annoying I ended up muting the video. Next time I think speaking normally would be much more appropriate and would add more of a personal touch to the instructional video. The best instructors I have ever met were always the most memorable due to their personalities, not by acting like robots. Play by play is like reading a textbook, its boring and nobody WANTS to remember it.
Way too long to do something basic. I believe in following procedures and steps but some of this stuff has gotten out of hand. 20 years ago when I came in things were better, and that's not even that long ago.
