On Wednesday April 1st, units from Frederick and Washington Counties in Maryland were dispatched to the 10600 Block of Church Hill Road in Myersville for a report of a house fire. Initial units found an advanced fire in a single family dwelling which was located in an area without fire hydrants. The incident commander directed Engine 122 (Braddock Heights) to establish a fill site at a pond at the intersection of Church Hill Road and East Church Hill Road.

The pond made for a great fill site but the crew from Engine 122 faced some challenges. They immediately recognized that their 20' of hard sleeve was not going to be enough. The unit officer called for additional hard sleeves to complete the draft which were dropped off by an incoming engine and tanker. With a total of 60 of hard sleeve linked together the crew was still struggling to achieve a draft as the hard sleeve was following the contour of the ground as it crossed a stream and climbed a short hill to the pond. Running out of water in their on board tank and exceeding the working time of their rotary vane primer, the crew stepped back and regrouped. To try to overcome the issues created by the topography between the pump and the pond the crew extended a 2 section 28' ground ladder. Once again they attempted to draft and were able to pull the prime without a problem as by using the ladder the vertical lift was minimal.

While the 3 person engine crew was working to achieve the draft from the pond, they were also able to devise and set up a back up plan if the extended draft did not work. Using a salvage cover and a roof ladder the crew dammed up a creek that ran between the pond and the roadway. While the reservoir that was created by the dammed up creek would not support a 1,000 gpm fill site it was a viable alternative to supply the fireground. In all the operation took under 10 minutes for this three person engine company to set up.

Several good points can be displayed in reviewing the pictures of this draft site set-up.

* While a engine company can be limited by vertical lift when drafting, hard sleeve can reach pretty far horizontally before it becomes an issue.
* If you are struggling to achieve your draft for what ever reason, always stop and regroup prior to emptying your onboard water tank.
* Ladders can be very handy in bridging changes in topography for your hard sleeves
* Always have a plan B in your back pocket

Stations making up Frederick County's "Battalion 2" hosted Rural Water Supply Operations Seminar in the Fall of 2014. Thanks to Captain Chad Cave (E122/Frederick County DFRS) for the information on this incident