In this episode of our Water Delivery Podcast, Bill Adkins and Andy Soccodato join Chris Mc Loone to discuss getting the maximum flows to your fireground and how your supply line choice (5″, 4″, 3″, etc.) can impact the gpm you receive at the scene of a fire. They’ll discuss the topic from both rural and urban/suburban perspectives and will also delve into some of the designs behind the pump panel to consider to ensure you deliver maximum flows.
Brought to you by our friends at The Fire Store.

One of the core themes explored in the podcast is the crucial role of hose diameter in establishing a reliable water supply. Adkins asserts the need to use the largest hose available, often recommending a five-inch supply line for all fire scenarios. He emphasizes that even smaller fires have the potential to escalate, making it vital to have an adequate supply of water immediately available.

Soccodato suggests that while five-inch hoses offer a robust solution, it may not always be necessary in every situation, particularly for smaller fires where a three-inch or two-and-a-half-inch hose might suffice.

The podcast also sheds light on common misconceptions concerning fire hydrants. As Soccodato points out, hydrants are often misunderstood as being capable of delivering all necessary volume with sufficient pressure over long distances; however, this is not the case. Most hydrants are calibrated to deliver their maximum flow rate at a residual pressure of 20 psi, which is insufficient for overcoming friction loss in extensive supply lines.

When determining the appropriate supply line from a hydrant to the fire scene, factors such as line diameter and length must be highly regarded to ensure that friction loss does not diminish the flow’s effectiveness. This understanding becomes critical when firefighting involves hydrants with varying capacities, particularly in urban firefighting scenarios where high-volume hydrants must be strategically tapped.

A crucial aspect of any firefighting operation involves calculating the flow required for effective fire suppression. As Adkins aptly explains, the formula for estimating flow needs—width multiplied by length, divided by three—serves as a guideline for departments. In rural contexts, flow needs can vary significantly, with factors like facility size and materials contributing to disparate requirements.

Soccodato echoes these sentiments by noting that rural departments with varying types of water sources—whether tankers or hydrants—need to tailor approaches based on locally available resources. In communities reliant on tanker systems, it becomes essential to calculate the potential yield of the equipment in use, ensuring the selected hose size meets the fire’s demands without unnecessarily taxing pumper capacities.

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Taryn Luna
Los Angeles Times
(TNS)

A man was killed Sunday morning in a car accident after he turned in front of a fire engine at an intersection in Pacoima, according to authorities.

A Los Angeles City Fire Department engine was responding to a call and driving southbound on San Fernando Road around 10:45 a.m. when a Toyota Corolla made a left-hand turn from Terra Bella Street in front of the fire truck, said Sgt. Jodie McGee with the Los Angeles Police Department Valley Traffic Division.

“A collision occurred,” McGee said. “The driver of the vehicle, the Toyota Corolla, was transported to Holy Cross, where he was pronounced.”

McGee said the firefighters in the engine were shaken up but uninjured.

The LAPD is handling the investigation into the incident. Police are still attempting to identify the victim, who McGee said was not carrying identification. He was the only person in the Corolla.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

©2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The Fairplay Grant Fire Territory Chief Bryan Woodall wrecked the department’s newest fire apparatus Saturday, March 29, he said in a Facebook post.

Here’s the post:

“Yesterday afternoon I was involved in a wreck in one of our fire trucks,” Woodall said in the post. “Yes, it was our newest truck. Only being in service for two months yesterday. I moved over too far on the edge of the county road and the truck went down into the ditch. I thought I could ride it out, but when the truck came to the end of the ditch the culvert caused the truck to bounce and skid sideways. The truck went off the other side of the road skidding sideways in the road. The truck rolled over one time and came to rest on the passenger side.”

“It just reminds you of the dangers of big trucks on the county roads,” the chief said. “Remember that most county roads do not have shoulders and if they are blacktopped. There is a definite drop off.”

The post IN Fire Chief Wrecks Department’s Newest Fire Apparatus appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

DeLand Fire Department’s antique fire truck, The Sutherland, was recognized with the Judges Award by the Society for the Preservation & Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America (SPAAMFAA), the department said in a Facebook post recently..

The award was given at the organization’s national winter convention hosted this month in Kissimmee where more than 50 fire trucks were on display.

“We are incredibly honored to receive this award,” said Fire Chief Todd Allen. “The Sutherland is a large piece of our storied history and one we are committed to preserving for future generations here in DeLand.”

Chief Allen noted that The Sutherland was one of the few trucks on display at the competition that is still actively in use by a fire department.

The 1942 Chevrolet Fire truck is a fixture in the DeLand community, often used at city functions including the DeLand Christmas Parade. It served as an active fire truck during World War II and was donated to the city at the conclusion of the war.

The fire truck is named for former longtime firefighter Dave Sutherland, who began as a volunteer firefighter with the City of DeLand in 1972. He later became a full-time employee in 1975 as a meter reader. After his retirement in 2005, he continued to volunteer with the fire department.

The post Deland (FL) FD Antique Fire Truck Wins National Award appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

CANNELBURG— A small volunteer fire department saw a need for a new fire house and now they have it built. The Cannelburg Volunteer Fire Department has now opened a new fire station on St. Mary’s Road.

“We started planning this more than five years ago,” said Cannelburg Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Jordan Graber. “About half of our volunteers live on St. Mary’s Road. That means that anytime there is a fire in that area, the responders would have to drive to Cannelburg and get a truck. That didn’t make a lot of sense. For a while, one of our guys parked a fire engine in his garage. As we worked with it, we found that on every run the truck parked on St. Mary’s would beat the one from Cannelburg by 10 minutes.”

Graber says after the test, the department moved the truck back to Cannelburg. Then a fire wiped out a home in the area.

“The house wound up burning to the ground,” he said. “We felt like if we had had a truck closer that would not have happened. At that point we put out some feelers to the community about adding a fire house and they said they wanted it.”

The fire department then went into fundraising mode. They had several events and received enough donations to purchase a plot of land at CR 250 N. and St. Mary’s Road. The land purchase wiped out the money and put the department back into raising money.

“We finally got enough to build. We realized we wouldn’t have enough to build a nice, new full fire station, but we did manage to get enough to build a two-bay building to park two fire trucks in,” said Graber. “We got some good deals on the building, and then more people chipped in and we got enough money to put a newer truck in there.”

Graber said the department spent $140,000 on the building, almost all of it coming from people living in the area.

“The government is totally out of it,” said Graber. “There is not a single cent of tax money that went to this project.”

Graber has nothing but praise for the people in far eastern Daviess County for their support of the project.

“I am pretty thankful about the community we live in,” said Graber. “There is something real special about the people around there. They understand needs and wants. They knew they needed the fire station. In the long run it will pay for itself for them. This is going to save the people who live in that area 30% on their home owner’s insurance.”

Graber says that even when it felt like the project might fall apart the community came through.

“Somebody came in at the last minute and donated the metal to finish the inside of the building and all of the electrical work,” he said. “The Amish-Mennonite community out here really made a difference.”

The fire department isn’t done yet. With a new facility, they are now looking to fill it with upgraded equipment.

“We have a used pumper that we purchased and it will be delivered next week,” said Graber. “The plan is, down the road, in a year or two, we would like to add a new brush truck to respond to brush fires and medical calls. We will equip it with an AED and the equipment we use on medical runs.”

While there are no plans to immediately expand the new fire station, Graber says it was built with the idea of getting bigger in the future.

“We can add on to it if we ever need to,” he said. “We could put a meeting room on there if we