Tanker Task Force

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David Klotz on June 30, 2008 at 7:39am

Kelly,

In my area we have a tanker taskforce which is setup of 5 tankers and chief. How they are dispatched depending on a persons grid setup. In our town we get a tanker taskforce automatically on the second alarm and in other towns they have to ask for the assignment to be dispatched. I really have not worked much with the taskforce but the two times I have seen it used the only down side that I saw was the amount of time it took for the tanker shuttle to get going and we have had issues with the tankers getting lost going to the fill points. Here is a link to our guideline. http://www.bcfirechiefs.org/Guidelines/tender_guideline.htm

Permalink Reply by Robert Rhoades on July 3, 2008 at 7:07am

In our area, tankers are dispatched in rural area according to the area of the county the fire is. This evolved over a period of years and was done after a lot of training and planning. At this time it's an accepted practice that all new tankers in the county be purchased with side dumps instead of rear dumps. Most now have th abilithy to dump from either side, front or back. A federal grant was acquired to purchase materials for draft sites throughout the county. Farm ponds and streams were used for these fill sites. Initial response on a strucural fire sends an engine to a fill site to set up for tanker fill. Standard routes are established so that tankers don't pass each other going in opposite directions. The officer on the first arriving tanker usually becomes the water supply officer and establishes water supply on a different radio channel from th fire attack. Tankers are usually 2000 gallons or more. Because of this arrangement, many small villages have dropped the ISO rating from 9 to 6.

Permalink Reply by Kelly Saunders on July 13, 2008 at 8:50pm

Thank you David, the link was a great help. This is something new for us & I am trying to learn as much as possible from all.

Permalink Reply by Wayne Knott on April 13, 2009 at 2:28pm

Anumber of years back we had on our Mutual Aid running cards on a second alarm a 5&5 ( 5 tankers{oops TENDERS} and 5 engines) many of the engines" were and are" PUMPER/ TENDER type so we've got both worlds. But with more Aerial APPS available and greater fire flows MORE tankers are needed and PRIMARY and SECONDARY WATER SOURCES also. stay safe Wayne

Permalink Reply by Kelly Saunders on April 13, 2009 at 3:03pm

Thanks Wayne, We have yet to have an automatic Tender response on Structure Fire calls, the 1st Due Officer or our Chief calls for them upon confirmation of a working fire. We go one step further at our Station & have them toned out even before we leave the Station, it's easy to stand down units if not required. You hit it right on stating with so many variables to factor in on each call, we believe it critical to get lots of water moving our way quickly. Distances between our Stations also plays into how long for help to arrive.