By Chief David R. Flannery, Carlisle Fire Department
One thing residents never have to do is pay a Town water or sewer bill. That’s because we have no municipal water or sewer system. Every dwelling in Carlisle has a private well and a sanitary waste disposal system. When a new home is planned, a well and septic system must be constructed in accordance with state and local regulations. The cost of a well depending on the depth and plumbing required can cost anywhere between $ 7000 and $10,000. Septic systems average $30,000 to $50,000 depending on the size and complexity of the engineering required. Today when new homes are built this is often a major part of the construction cost. There is however a continuing expense to maintain the septic system with regular pumping. Wells tend to be relatively low maintenance unless you have to treat or filter
the water.
This is the way of life in Carlisle and the price we pay for living in a rural area. However, a downside of not having municipal water and fire hydrants is where do you get water to fight a fire? The average house fire requires 25,000 to 30,000 gallons. Many home values today are well over one million dollars. Homes built 40 and 50 years ago ranged in size from 1200 to 2000 square feet. Today many homes being built are anywhere from 3500 to 10,000 square feet. This presents a challenge for our fire department.
Early Firefighting In Carlisle
In the late 1700’s and early 1800’s firefighting in Carlisle consisted of bucket brigades. Everyone had a leather fire bucket and when there was a fire neighbors came with their bucket and formed a brigade. Buckets were filled from a nearby water source (if there was one) and passed along a line of people to the fire. Needless to say if there was not a water supply near by or not enough people to man the brigade the fire always consumed the property. Later in the 1800’s and early 1900’s came the pressurized water fire extinguisher. These were the soda and water type and were strategically located around Town at various locations in “ fire warden’s “ houses. Town records show that in the early 1930’s the Town purchased 30 of these extinguishers. In
addition these units were also put on a motorized vehicle- the Town’s first fire truck. Carlisle’s first fire truck was a Ford Model T in 1916. The fire extinguishers were much more effective than the bucket brigade. However, when there was a fire, property losses were still high. Knowing that the soda and water mixture was much more effective the fire department mounted two 40 gallon tanks on the back of the 1931 Chevy fire truck Carlisle Engine 1. Bicarbonate soda dropped into the tanks created pressure and the water was forced by this pressure out the hose. Firefighting consisted of putting out as much fire as 80 gallons could. Next came the gasoline driven pump, which was mounted up onto a modified truck with a limited amount of tank water and a small amount of hose. Having more success with the gasoline driven pump the fire department then went about creating “ suction holes “ or today we know them better
as water holes. These water sources were often dug in neighborhoods at strategic locations and provided for a limited amount of water in cases of fire. They often however dried up in the summer months. So again if there was water and the water was close enough to the fire, and there was enough hose, the engine pumped the water from the water hole to the fire. If not then the truck refilled its tank by drafting or sucking water from the water hole into the tank and then carrying the water back to the fire. This was a very inefficient way of fighting fires and property losses remained heavy. In addition to the man made water holes the Town utilized natural sources such as ponds and brooks too. Many of these natural sources are still used today by the department.
Innovations - Cisterns & Large Diameter Hose
Almost 30 years ago the Town began to require developers to install cisterns or water tanks in the ground when subdivisions were made. At first a 5, 000 gallon tank was required. Some years later as homes got larger a 10,000 and when it was realized that that was not enough water for a structure fire the 20,000 gallon tank was required. Today the department requires a 30,000 gallon tank to meet the current need and standards. Large diameter hose was purchased in 1988 along with the necessary appliances to move the water long distances. The department has been replacing apparatus in its long-term capital plan so as to upgrade equipment and integrate the apparatus into this water supply system. This system is in effect a portable above ground water main and gives the department the capability to move enough water to fight a fire up
to 4000 feet away. We now have over 4000 feet of 5-inch large diameter hose, which has a capability to move up to 1800 GPM depending on the distance and elevation from the water source to the fire. We have the ability to pump 1250 gallons a minute with the current pumper truck which is now 26 years old. This water supply truck is scheduled for replacement this year and we are upgrading the pump size to a 1500 GPM in order to meet our water supply needs.
Firefighting Today – What it takes
Firefighting requires adequate quantities of water expressed in gallons per minute or GPM based on the size and composition of the structure to include exposures (other structures in close proximity that could catch fire when exposed).
Carlisle fire trucks carry a total of 6490 gallons of water to the scene of a fire. As part of a very detailed preplan the attack engine or first truck arriving at the scene of a fire carries 1250 gallons. The tanker that arrives next carries 3500 gallons. Three firefighters can effectively flow approximately 150 gallons per minute with a single attack hose. To flow a larger amount of water such as 300 GPM ( larger fire ) would require four firefighters.
Adequate staffing is essential for safety and efficiency in doing battle with a fire. The attack engine and tanker each need an operator in order to make this system work in the initial attack phase. An operator is also needed for the ladder truck in addition to two more firefighters to begin the search and rescue work and ventilation. An officer,“ Incident Commander “ or “ IC” is required to oversee and manage the fire scene and maintain safety for the firefighting crews. The “ IC” must assess the fire, develop a strategy and carry out a plan. He is responsible for the overall management of the fire including calling for additional resources such as mutual aid from a neighboring community. A mutual aid engine is needed with three firefighters to lay a supply line ( 5” LDH) to another source and set up to draft and pump water to the attack engine. If you have been counting you will realize that a structure fire requires a minimum of eight firefighters in the first few minutes
of a fire to be effective. It is important to understand that without adequate resources of manpower, equipment and water being delivered in a timely manner there will always be heavy property loss. Firefighting can be equated to doing battle. When you have a big fire you need big water!
Once the water on the trucks is used up hopefully the fire department has established a water supply from a source nearby or suppressed the fire. The department has the capability to move large quantities of water using the 5-inch large diameter hose, laid out over the roadway, for distances up to 4000 feet. A relay pump is required in many cases to boost the pressure midpoint in the hose lay depending on the length and elevation difference between the water source and the fire. Putting a large diameter hose lay together with a relay pump and then moving the water through the hose at no more than a five mile an hour speed can often take 15 to 20 minutes. Hopefully the trucks at the fire scene have not run out of water before the water source water arrives. Water sources need to be strategically located around
Town to prevent this situation from happening and to prevent heavy property loss due to insufficient quantities of water being delivered to the fire.
Fire Doubles Every Two Minutes
The National Fire Protection Association has determined that a fire in a home doubles in size every two minutes. With this in mind time becomes a major factor in saving property and suppressing a fire. Successful firefighting is simple. If you don’t or can’t deliver sufficient quantities of water to suppress the fire it will continue to consume property until you can or until there is nothing more to burn.
An Adequate Water Supply Vital
Fire departments across the nation use the standards of two nationally recognized organizations for determining adequate water supplies for firefighting in rural communities. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in its standard number 1142, – the Standard for Suburban and Rural Water Supplies, calls for a 30,000-gallon minimum supply being available. This is based on a needed fire flow of 500 gallons per minute for 60 minutes. The second agency setting the standard for firefighting is the Insurance Services Office (ISO). The ISO is a National rating service that insurance companies look to in order to determine a community’s firefighting capability and hence the insurance rate a homeowner will pay. The ISO uses very specific criteria in its evaluation of a community. A community with
a classification of 10 is a community that is essentially unprotected. A community with a classification of 1, such as the City of Cambridge Massachusetts, has the highest level of firefighting capability and therefore insurance companies usually give homeowners a much-reduced insurance rate. Homeowners in communities with higher classifications typically pay higher fire insurance rates. This can often be several hundred dollars a year. Carlisle’s current ISO classification is 9. A classification of 9 indicates that a community is semi-protected. Typically homeowners of homes valued at greater than 700,000 dollars in Carlisle can often have difficulty getting insurance and most likely will pay very high premiums due to the potential of a large loss to the insurance company in cases of fire in a semi-protected community such as Carlisle.
Today’s Need and Requirements
Since the time factor as well as having sufficient quantities of water nearby year round is vital to successful firefighting the department has been studying the current water supplies and the distances between an adequate water supply and each dwelling in Town. Our collection of data thus far indicates that there are many areas in Town where the department cannot adequately supply water in cases of fire to save property. Newer developments with cisterns provide the best water sources in cases of structural fires. Many older sections of Town have no readily available water source. This is because the town either did not require cisterns at the time the homes or developments were constructed or the area is in a section of Town where “ suction holes “ were used and structures were smaller. Homeowners in areas where
cisterns are strategically located are better protected and may quality for a slightly lower insurance rate..
Looking At The Standards
Fire Alarm Systems in homes that provide good detection coverage is important. This will give early detection and is required by code. Having your fire alarm system monitored by an alarm monitoring service will be key in giving the fire department automatic early notification. In most cases insurance companies also give discounts for alarm monitoring.
New building codes and their enforcement provides for a higher level of fire safety in homes today. New code requirements also help reduce the degree of property loss in some cases. Newer homes often receive discounts from insurance companies for this reason. Sprinkler systems in homes have been discussed for many years. They allow for the safe exit of a home by the occupants when there is a fire and smaller property losses. Since sprinklers are optional in homes the cost continues to be a factor that prevents their installation. A typical home installation would range from $ 5.00 to 8.00 a square foot. The NFPA has just proposed a standard that would require them in residential structures. A downside of the installation of sprinklers in a home may be a slightly higher insurance rate ironically due to
the potential of water damage from a leaky pipe.
Historical Information –
The department has reviewed the structure fire records over the past 25 years. Specifically with regard to the detection, notification, and water sources used, the estimated gallons of water pumped, and the property losses incurred. Complicating factors in Carlisle include having sufficient help to respond to be able to attack a fire safely. Getting sufficient water to the fire to begin a fire attack and having the availability of an adequate water supply are key to a successful outcome.
Our response times are between 8 & 12 minutes to the scene of the fire from the time of the call. The amount of tank water carried on the trucks is limited and will only provide from 10 to 15 minutes of firefighting capability. Staffing with a call department can be limited in the first few crucial minutes and mutual aid is some 15 to 20 minutes away if they are even available. Additional staffing is required to establish a water supply and lay the hose some distance from the fire to the source. A problem in the past has been the inexperience of mutual aid personnel in drafting and the fact that they don’t carry very much hose or water on their trucks. The pumper has to be set-up and the drafting hose and floating strainer need to be assembled. It then takes time to move the water in the large diameter
hose from point A to B. The speed of the water moving in the hose when it is filling can be no greater than 5 miles per hour for safety. There are eight tons of water being pushed by the pumper for every one thousand feet of large diameter hose. If there is not sufficient water and mutual aid tankers are required they must travel some distance to get to Carlisle. Often locating the scene of the fire for an out of Town crew is difficult, traffic affects the response time and weather plays another factor in delays. All the while the fire is burning
Planning for Adequate Water for Firefighting Town Wide
The department is currently reviewing all existing water supplies in relation to the dwellings they can adequately serve. We have already identified several areas in Town that have no readily available water supply. These areas include: Oak Knoll, Carlisle Center, Autumn Lane, Log Hill Road, North Road, Lowell Road – north end, Cross Street, Indian Hill/Indian Hill Road, Bedford Road/River Road. A proposal is being brought before the Town as part of the long-term capital acquisition program. Many facets have been explored including the cost of the installation of cisterns, the specific locations and their siteing. It is preferred to have cisterns located in the Town’s right of way. The Town’s ISO insurance rating and potential cost savings benefit on insurance bills are also factors
that have been reviewed and considered.
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