I did some rough calculations today.
Here's what I came up with.
Our service area is approximately 450 square miles or 1200 square kilometers.
We have 25 miles of Transcanada Hiway 1
We have 19 miles of hiway 24
We have 8 miles of hiway 21
We have 15 miles of hiway 564
We have 20 miles of hiway 817
We have 13 miles of hiway 901
We have a recreational lake (Eagle Lake) and the Bow River
We have the Hamlets of Carseland, Cheadle, Namaka, Nightengale, Lyalta.
We have the golf course developments at Speargrass and Lakes of Muirfield With more planned at Oxbow golf course and another major development at Eagle lake.
We are on the flight path for the international airport in Calgary
There is major commercial / light industrial development ongoing as part of the Hiway 1 area structure plan.
I'm struck when I think about the grand scale of it all by the massive potential for bad things to happen. I'm also amazed by our ability to adapt with such limited resources.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
GRASS FIRE equipment.
Grass fire containment tools
In no specific order, here are some of the tools we use to fight grass fires along with some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Grass backpacks
2 Varieties of packpacks. Hard and Soft.
Hard backpacks are made from Ridgid ABS plastic.Soft backpacks are make from vinvyl/plastic. Both have nylo straps and are meant to be worn on the back. They have a large opening on top for quick filling and a very simple pump mechanism attatched to a short hose. Best suited for difficult to reach areas such as coulee bottoms . Very effective on light fuels.
Fire brooms/ swatters
effective on slow burning light fuel fires such as grass / summerfallow., not tremendiously effective in running grass fires or in brush areas. Broom bristles are made from bamboo and are meant to be soaked so tehy don't burn. The trouble is keeping them moist for a long duration results in rot.
structural hoseline
The structural hoseline generally a 38mm (1.5 inch) line with a variable flow nozzle. This gives flexibility to apply a large volume of water (60 - 125 GPM) and manouverability to reach deep into brush stands. When combines with pump and roll capabilities, the structural attack line can move up the flank of a slow moving fire with a firefighter on foot.
Bush buggy
The bush buggy is our most flexible attach unit. Equiped with 200 -300 gallons of water and a small potable pump, these trucks can attack a running grass fire from the passenger seat, and can also be used as a platform from which to fight brush fires on foot. With 10 - 24 GPM nozzles, they conserve water for light fuels, but have enough punch to cool larger fuels. The buggys are entirely dependant on the water reserves of the tankers (tenders). The could draft water froma static source, but are not configured to do so.
Pump and roll (monitor)
Our larger tanker (tender) apparatus are equiped with pump and roll capabilities and either a remote control monitor, or fixed nozzels. The remote monitor is the 'most' effective of these two configurations. It can be used to patrol road ditches which is usually our fire break but can also be used in dynamic situaltions such as brush piles etc. It can be used to apply a large volume of water at 20 - 30 feet . The fixed nozzel is usefull only for patroling firebreaks (roads).
In no specific order, here are some of the tools we use to fight grass fires along with some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Grass backpacks
2 Varieties of packpacks. Hard and Soft.
Hard backpacks are made from Ridgid ABS plastic.Soft backpacks are make from vinvyl/plastic. Both have nylo straps and are meant to be worn on the back. They have a large opening on top for quick filling and a very simple pump mechanism attatched to a short hose. Best suited for difficult to reach areas such as coulee bottoms . Very effective on light fuels.
Fire brooms/ swatters
effective on slow burning light fuel fires such as grass / summerfallow., not tremendiously effective in running grass fires or in brush areas. Broom bristles are made from bamboo and are meant to be soaked so tehy don't burn. The trouble is keeping them moist for a long duration results in rot.
structural hoseline
The structural hoseline generally a 38mm (1.5 inch) line with a variable flow nozzle. This gives flexibility to apply a large volume of water (60 - 125 GPM) and manouverability to reach deep into brush stands. When combines with pump and roll capabilities, the structural attack line can move up the flank of a slow moving fire with a firefighter on foot.
Bush buggy
The bush buggy is our most flexible attach unit. Equiped with 200 -300 gallons of water and a small potable pump, these trucks can attack a running grass fire from the passenger seat, and can also be used as a platform from which to fight brush fires on foot. With 10 - 24 GPM nozzles, they conserve water for light fuels, but have enough punch to cool larger fuels. The buggys are entirely dependant on the water reserves of the tankers (tenders). The could draft water froma static source, but are not configured to do so.
Pump and roll (monitor)
Our larger tanker (tender) apparatus are equiped with pump and roll capabilities and either a remote control monitor, or fixed nozzels. The remote monitor is the 'most' effective of these two configurations. It can be used to patrol road ditches which is usually our fire break but can also be used in dynamic situaltions such as brush piles etc. It can be used to apply a large volume of water at 20 - 30 feet . The fixed nozzel is usefull only for patroling firebreaks (roads).
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