Why Is Water Important To Fire Fighting?

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Why is water so vital to fire fighting? This one question alone is the purpose for this entire research paper. There are many topics that could be covered, but, let’s highlight some of the most important characteristics of water as a fire suppression agent. The use of water is vital in fire fighting, but let us look deeper into the relationship with regards to fire suppression.
If you reflect back to science class in elementary school, you probably remember that the Earth is made up of 71% water and of that percent, 96.5% of all water is in the oceans. Another number that is staggering to think on is that the 71% of water on Earth equals to 326 million trillion gallons, that total is mind blowing and almost impossible to rationalize. But, …show more content…

According to Wikipedia the term drafting water refers to the use of suction to move a liquid such as water from a vessel or body of water below the intake of a suction pump. Drafting water. (2015, April 20). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drafting_water A rural fire department or farmer might draft water from a pond as the first step in moving the water elsewhere. The most common method of accessing water is by hooking up to a fire hydrant. There are actually different color coded fire hydrants, these color codes represent how many gallons per minute that particular fire hydrant is capable of producing. A blue colored hydrant can produce 1,500 GPM or greater, a green colored hydrant can produce 1,000 GPM or greater, a yellow colored hydrant can produce 500 to 1,000 GPM or greater and a red hydrant can produce up to 500 GPM. One of the first challenges that firefighters face when they arrive at a fire is finding a suitable water source that provides enough water for the type of fire they are fighting. Common sense tells us a car on fire will require much less water than a burning apartment building. There are formulas used by firefighters that will tell them approximately how much water is needed to fight a given fire. This allows for quick decision making when they are deciding which hydrant to access. Fire Hydrant Colors Actually Mean Something. (2013, January 09).

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