Many of Westport's homes north of the Merritt Parkway are not near fire hydrants and in emergencies, the Westport Fire Department has to rely on water tankers, pools, or nearby streams to draw water. As a result, homeowners in these areas pay higher insurance rates.
On Sunday, the department hopes to do something that might help lower the rates – it will conduct a test of tanker shuttle operations.
The drill will take place between 8 a.m. and noon at Bedford Middle School and Coleytown Middle School and involve fire apparatus, eight water tankers, and firefighters from 13 neighboring communities in Fairfield County and Vista, N.Y.
The department advises area residents to use caution on roads between the schools during the test as tankers will be moving between the test locations continuously that morning.
Parking may be limited at both schools in certain areas, but there will be minimal impact on sporting events and practices scheduled for that morning, according to a department announcement. Members of the public who wish to watch the drill are welcome, and there will be a safe viewing area behind barrier tape at both school locations.
Tanker shuttles are used to supply large quantities of water in areas that lack fire hydrant coverage not only for firefighting but for other purposes such as a terrorist or weapons of mass destruction incident.
The operation begins when a water tanker -- which looks like a fuel oil delivery truck -- fills up at the water source. It then drives to the scene of the fire and dumps its load into a portable reservoir.
The fire engines then pump water from this reservoir for fighting the fire. The empty tanker returns to the water supply to refill. A typical tanker shuttle operation uses several water tankers shuttling back and forth between the water source and the location of the fire.
Over the past several years, the Fire Department has worked to improve its Insurance Standards Organization (ISO) rating score. The tanker shuttle test will be documented to see if the ISO rating for parts of town that are not served by fire hydrants can be improved.
ISO ratings are used to determine the cost of residential fire insurance. These ratings measure many different components of a fire department's operations, with staffing, equipment and performance translating into lower fire insurance rates for homeowners.
The tanker shuttle drill is a performance test that will show how well Westport firefighters can deliver large quantities of water to neighborhoods without fire hydrants.
Commenting on the benefits of the drill, Westport Deputy Chief Chris Ackley said, "Many people don't realize that north of the Parkway there are many areas without hydrants. With the larger homes now being constructed, we need to ensure we have enough water fast enough to protect them.
"We've been working with the Department of Public Works and Aquarion Water Company to increase hydrant coverage in town, but that's going to take time. A tanker shuttle operation works today, tonight, whenever that next fire starts.
"And documenting a successful shuttle drill could save hundreds or thousands of dollars in fire insurance premiums for the affected areas."
Ackley said the test will demonstrate logistical coordination and communication between many different towns and will also exercise the incident command system fire departments use for major incidents.
"Westport has relied on Wilton Fire Department's tanker many times over the years," he said. "By bringing in other area departments, we increase the number of resources and quantity of water available.
"With a network of tankers, Westport firefighters will have a 'plan B' to ensure there's enough water to fight a major conflagration or an incident where large quantities of water are needed.
"We also benefit in this type of situation by working closely with the Westport Police and volunteer EMS."
In addition to Westport, departments scheduled to participate in the drill include: Weston, Vista, N.Y., Darien, Round Hill, Botsford, Stevenson, White Hills (Shelton), Wilton, Easton, Southport, Nichols, Greenwich, and Monroe.
Posted April 14, 2005 04:13 PM