Twelve fire departments based in Prince Edward Island have taken part in a joint water testing activity along Hunter River. While the test was an opportunity for the departments to measure their ability to deal with emergencies in a rural setting, it was also monitored by an insurance inspector looking to grant certification to the departments.
The fire departments, all members of the Central P.E.I. mutual aid group, spent two hours gathering thousands of gallons of water from one river to pump back into another. The test was meant to gauge how much water the firefighters could continuously pump over a two-hour period.
“In the city they have hydrants, so you have that continuous water,” New Glasgow fire chief Jason Peters told
CBC News. “Out in the rural areas we don't have the hydrants therefore there could be some delays in between getting water.”
The participating fire departments help each other out with hauling water during large fire emergencies. Water collected by the departments is stored into four portable tanks, and then expelled through a deluge gun mounted on one of the fire engines.
“Within five minutes of the truck being stopped, we had to be able to pump 400 gallons a minute, and we did that for several minutes, and then he [the inspector] would bump us up to a higher number. And then, like I say, at the end of the exercise we were pumping 12,000 gallons a minute,” Peters said.
Peters explained that a flow of over 900 gallons a minute over the span of two hours is required to meet accreditation from the region’s insurance inspector. The departments last earned their certification five years ago, and a renewal was due.
Related stories:
Bigger Fort McMurrays may lie ahead, research warns
Manitoba community declares state of emergency
