FIRE DEPT: Report Outlines Miscues, Mis-steps Fighting Boathouse Road Fire
Groton Fire Department has issued its report on the investigation of the May 10, 2013 Boat House Road fire in which it took some 23 minutes to establish the initial water supply to attack the fire in the single family residence. Fire Chief Joe Bosselait estimated that the fire in the home had been in progress for some 2 ½ to 3 hours before the call came into the Communications Center. The Chief said that there were multiple issues that contributed to the loss of water during the fire;
The initial hand lines off the scene engine utilized all the water coming from the Boathouse Road hydrant;
The hydrassist valve was turned to the "off position" at the Boathouse Road hydrant instead of the "pumper relay position" which caused loss of water to the scene.
Switching out the relay pumper with a mutual aid pumper at the Lost Lake Drive hydrant and the mutual aid relay delayed water to the scene.
A water hammer at the scene pumper broke a steamer cap and needed to be replaced.
Once the hydrant from Lost Lake Drive was established with water to the scene we never had water issued again.
During the investigation phase of the fire it was determined that the fire had been burning for 2.5 to 3 hours before anyone discovered it and called 9-1-1.
The Chief acknowledged that there was, in fact, nothing wrong with the hydrassist valve and that the lack of flowing water was due to operator error.
A hydrassist valve gives firefighters control over the flow of water out of a hydrant. The valve can be used as both a hydrant booster and for in-line pumping during relay operations. By manually using the control handle located on top of the valve, the valve may be changed to different modes of operation.
Chief Bosselait said that it was the operation of this valve that caused issues with reduced water flow. "We kept losing water with the 12-inch pipe on Lost Lake Drive. If you are not familiar with the valve, it is important which side of the hydrant you stand on because it (the valve) can look like it is off. There is a reference to the front and back of a hydrant, and the pumper relay part can look different. We found that the new valve on the new truck had labeling that was different and it was unclear where the pumping position was and where the relay position was."
A water hammer is a force surge that occurs when water in movement is strained to alter direction abruptly or to stop. Water hammer commonly occurs when a valve closes suddenly at an end of a system, and a pressure wave propagates in the pipe. This can result in destruction of both meters and gauges. Chief Bosselait explained that the dip in Boathouse Road and the head pressure coming back contributed to the problem. "The hydraulic impact of the water hit the pump at a high rate of speed, and the head pressure was uphill and then back down, at 100 gallons per 100 feet. That is a lot of momentum and it broke one of the caps."
Contributing factors
The investigation and subsequent report was conducted and documented by Groton Fire Department Captain James Emslie and Captain Susan Daly. Both officers were among the first firefighters to enter the burning building to check for occupants and identify the exits.
The reviewers identified the following items as key contributing factors in this incident:
Limited water flow from the Boat House Road hydrant (approximately 500 GPM)
Untrained personnel assisted with the relay pump operation
Lack of experience and training of personnel operating the hydrassist valve and relay pump operations
Inconsistent labeling of the hydrassist valves in the department
Limited fire department staffing
Selectmen Chairman Peter Cunningham stressed that based on this investigation, it is important that firefighters and Water Department personnel be trained as these departments work together at emergency scenes. The Chief agreed, adding that because of the evolution in water delivery, firefighters have been trained in pump operations, and through grants, on a number on other processes, and "now we need to put it all together."
Selectman Josh Degen asked Chief Bosselait if the valves all face in the same direction, why there was an issue. The Chief responded that the initial fire setup was done by non-fire personnel, and the change in water caused them to believe that the truck may have been faulty and the decision was made to swap it out to another truck.
Degen then asked if there had been fire personnel available at the Lost Lake Fire Station, if this would have made a difference. Chief Bosselait said "No, all personnel responded, and Lost Lake responded."
Lost Lake Fire Station
Degen noted that one of the recommendations included the review of the adequacy of Fire Department staffing. He said, "If you request more personnel, and with the difficulty of the roads and the close proximity (of dwellings), I would ask you to consider manning this station."
Selectman Jack Petropoulos asked how a water hammer could be prevented. Chief Bosselait said that users have to be trained to let the water move through the pipe "at a quick walking pace. When you request water repeatedly, the hydrant/relay is set as fast as possible. This came fast and hit the truck. In the heat of the moment is it urgent to get water to the scene."
Selectman Anna Eliot asked what could be done between now and when the remedies are available. The Chief responded that training, both of his personnel and Water Department personnel was critical.
Eliot then suggested that the training take place in the Lost Lake area, but the Chief commented that there are tight roads all over town and long driveways. He added, "That's a great suggestion to do the training at Lost Lake."
No one injured, limited to a single dwelling
The Chief stressed that although there were many challenges to this fire, the fire did not extend to the house next door which was 15 to 20 feet away, or to the propane tanks and there were no reported injuries to any firefighters. He also praised all the work the Water Department did to help the firefighters protect the other houses and the propane tanks.
Recommendations
This review recommends the following to minimize risk of similar occurrences:
review the adequacy of the water available in the Lost Lake area for fire suppression, including the hydrant system, dry hydrants and draft sites
consider training Water Department personnel to operate the hydrassist valve
ensure that firefighters are sufficiently trained in operating the hydrassist valve and relay pump operations
ensure that all department hydrassist valves are labeled in a consistent manner
consider the adequacy of fire department staffing
Recommendation Detail
Recommendation #1: The town should review the adequacy of the water available in the Lost Lake area for fire suppression.
Discussion: There are several factors which make it difficult to ensure adequate water available in the Lost Lake area. The area is mostly protected by the hydrant system; however the topography of the Lost Lake area includes significant changes in elevation, which impacts the water flow from a hydrant. There area includes many narrow, hilly roads that dead end off of the main road, Lost Lake Drive. While the hydrants on Lost Lake Drive are supplied by a 12" main, the remaining roads are supplied by smaller mains. This impacts the water flow coming from those hydrants. The Water Department flow tested the Boat House Road hydrant after the fire and found that it was only able to flow 530 GPM at approximately 20 PSI from a 6" water main.
There is an abundant amount of lake water in the area. However, access to the lake water is limited by the topography and the ability to get fire trucks close enough to the lake to be able to draft from it. In order to draft from the lake, we need to get an Engine to within 30' of the water, including distance and elevation.
There are currently no dry hydrants on the lake. The availability of dry hydrants would increase the ability of the fire department to access water from the lake. The dry hydrants must be placed in locations that are accessible by fire trucks and can have no more than a 30' elevation from the lake. There is a cost associated with purchasing the materials and establishing the dry hydrants of approximately $5,000-10,000.
Recommendation #2: The town should consider training the Water
Department personnel to operate the hydrassist valve.
Discussion: Water Department employees are extremely knowledgeable about the hydrant system in town which is extremely helpful at a fire. The fire department has very limited resources, especially at the beginning of an incident. Additional manpower from trained Water Department personnel may help to ensure an adequate water supply is set up faster.
Recommendation #3: The fire department should ensure that all pump operators are sufficiently trained to operate a hydrassist valve and in relay pump operations.
Discussion: The hydrassist valve has three handle positions for different operations. These include the closed position, a position for sending water directly from the hydrant to the fire, and a position for relay pumping which boosts the pressure from the hydrant. This involves connecting to a fire engine and then using the engine's pump to boost the water pressure before sending the water to the fire. In this incident, the relay pump operation was complicated by the hydrassist valve being in the closed position. Personnel on scene did not recognize that the handle was not in the correct position for relay pumping. (Note: The hydrant was located at the bottom of an incline. As a result, the hose line which led to the fire from the hydrassist was full of water due to the back pressure. This may have made it more difficult to recognize that the valve was closed.)
The department should consider offering additional training opportunities for pump operators including both department trainings and professional trainings that meet standards set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). These trainings will require additional funding.
Recommendation #4: The fire department should ensure that every hydrassist valve in the department is labeled the same.
Discussion: The fire department currently has 5 hydrassist valves (Note: Attachments D, E and F show a photo of each. The numbers in the pictures signify which engine it is on.) The one used in the fire is the newest and is from Eng.1. It has a silver arrow on the handle which is not present on any of the other valves. The handle positions on the other 4 valves have been labeled 1, 2 and 3. The valves from Eng.2 and 4 also have handwritten labels for the hose connections. To reduce confusion, the hydrassist valves should all be labeled the same. The labeling scheme should include both hose connections and handle positions for the different operations.
Recommendation #5: The town needs to consider the adequacy of fire department staffing.
Discussion: Adequate staffing for fire apparatus is generally a minimum of four firefighter which would include a driver/pump operator, an officer and two firefighters. As the size of the crew is reduced, their efficiency also decreases. In this incident, the initial engine assigned to water supply responded with a single firefighter. Additional personnel would have been able to assist with the setup of the operation and with trouble shooting any problems that arose. With many call departments, minimum staffing of apparatus cannot be guaranteed. However, due to safety issues, the department may want to consider a minimum staffing of at least two firefighters per apparatus.
