Fighting fires in a rural area can be challenging, especially if there is no secure water supply to tap into. The Yorkton Fire Department's new tank truck will help make this job easier, by bringing water wherever it needs to go.
The truck, a $250,000 purchase, carries 3,000 gallons of water. Trevor Morrissey, Deputy Fire Chief, explains that the truck is a mobile water tank, something necessary when away from a secure water source.
"Accessing water isn't always as easy as one might think. This provides us with a portable water supply and shuttle operations," Morrissey explains.
While the truck has a 500 gal/minute pump, he says the purpose is not to be a first response pump truck. Instead, when the vehicle reaches the site, it will dump out the entire tank into a portable water tank, which Morrissey describes as a collapsible unit, similar to a backyard pool. Once dumped, the truck can go to a nearby water source in order to refill and continue to supply the other vehicles at the scene. The tank will drain in approximately one minute.
The truck will be able to draw water from a variety of sources, and includes a filter if drawing water from a slough is necessary. When not in use, the truck will remain full, in order to be a first response vehicle.
The priority for the new unit will be on the rural fire fighting operations, but Morrissey explains that the truck will have some advantages in the city as well. It can serve as a backup in case of a frozen hydrant in winter, for example.
The vehicle is part of an agreement between the City of Yorkton and the RMs of Orkney and Wallace which will see the City of Yorkton Fire Department will support the rural services. According to Mayor James Wilson, any fire within a five mile radius of the city will receive the same fire support as residents of the city. The reason for the five mile radius is due to response times.
"Safety is the first and foremost of our concerns when a fire takes place. That is why the city has invested in a partnership with the rural municipalities, for the welfare of everybody that's involved," Wilson says.
