A simple photo from our 2008 seminar in Strong, Maine. Phillips Engine 4 (1000 gpm/3000 gal) was used to support dump site operations at the 2-hour drill. About an hour into the operation, the crews were able to round up several lengths of 3-inch suction hose from a couple rigs carrying portable pumps and they used that suction hose to bolster Engine 4's output ability. All of the suction hose ... (Full Story & Photos)

Some photos of another homemade jet siphon water transfer device; this time from our 2015 seminar in Northampton, New Brunswick with the Jolly Farmer Fire Brigade. The folks fabricated a jet powered siphon tube from some 8-inch metal tubing and powered it with a 1-1/2" (38mm) hose. The device transferred water pretty efficiently during the two-hour drill. The key to its successful use was to keep ... (Full Story & Photos)

If you run external suction inlet control valves on your pumper and those valves are outfitted with 4-inch or 5-inch Storz fittings, then a very important adaptor to carry is a Storz to threaded suction hose adaptor. In most cases these days, this is going to be a 4-inch or 5-inch Storz to 6-inch NH male adaptor. The purpose of the adaptor is to allow a second suction line to be brought on-line while ... (Full Story & Photos)

When using a portable dump tank operation to supply water to the fireground, sometimes additional dump tanks are needed just to gain more usable capacity because of the storage capacity lost due to the slope or grade of the road surface. These photos from our 2015 seminar in Jefferson County, WV show exactly that. The slope of the dump site area significantly impacted usable capacity of each dump ... (Full Story & Photos)

We recently had a social media inquiry regarding the brand of PVC cement we use during our dry fire hydrant installations and repairs. For the past 15+ years we have used Oatey heavy duty cement and primer. No special reason why, it simply was the cement and primer for sale at the plumbing supply store where we bought our first PVC pipe and fittings. The products have served us well ever since. ... (Full Story & Photos)

We found a few photos from our 2011 LDH/Relay Pumping Seminar in Hyde Park, NY. We laid out about a mile of 5-inch hose and added in a pumper here and there using different appliances. The challenge at the location shown in the photos was the use of a traditional, LDH manifold and a pumper that did not have a high-flow discharge. The scenario was water already flowing with the manifold in place upon ... (Full Story & Photos)

A couple photos from our 2010 seminar in Marion County, Kansas. We had a great time there and got to work with some really nice older apparatus that did the job just fine! One of the rigs had a homemade, 6-inch jet siphon water transfer device. The folks used the device to transfer water during the 2-hr drill and it seemed to meet the needs of the operation. In our opinion, the key to the device's ... (Full Story & Photos)

As 2024 comes to a close we want to thank everyone who contributed to our success this year. We completed dry fire hydrant installations in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Tennessee, and Vermont; delivered seminars in Alabama, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, and Texas; and conducted a bunch of fire hydrant flow tests in the Baltimore/Washington Region. The year ... (Full Story & Photos)