Chief Ira Walker, Jr. and the folks at the Eureka Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Company in Stewartstown, Pennsylvania hosted GBW Associates' first ever, 16-hr Rural Pump Operator Course. The two-day program covered the basics of pump operation while trying to focus on "keeping it simple." The program combined 4-hours of classrooom work with 12-hrs of practical work. The classroom work covered the roles and responsibilities of the pump operator, nozzles and fire streams, how centrifugal fire pumps work, all the components of a fire pump, and how fire pumps are powered.

The practical work covered friction loss, attack pumper ops, relay pumper ops, supply pumper ops, drafting, elevated master streams, tanker shuttle ops, fire protection systems, foam operations, and basic pump maintenance.

Instructors for the program were Mark Davis, Alan Butsch, and Chris Reilly. We had a great time working with Chief Walker and his folks and many thanks to the ladies who provided lunch and break food both days.

Also - be sure to check out Eureka's Engine 54-4 - it is a GREAT water supply piece - very well set up to manage most any water supply situation!!!

http://www.eureka54.org/content/fireap/Apparatus-Engine54-4.cfm