A fire pond is a body of water used to extinguish and prevent the spread of fire. Fire ponds are especially important in areas where fire hydrants are not conveniently accessible, particularly in rural or remote areas. As climate changes have led to drought and higher temperatures, more frequent and more significant fires have burned throughout the US, even in relatively wet areas like the East Coast. Now is the time to take stock of your situation and decide how to best protect your home, and perhaps your livelihood, from the devastating effects of fire, no matter where you live.
Why Are Fires Problematic in Rural Areas?
Farmers, Ranchers, and many other people choose to settle in rural or even remote areas for their livelihood or for the peace and beauty of natural vistas, far from the hum and drone of highways and city life. In most cases, people are prepared for the absence of neighbors, lack of common city conveniences, and the long drives into town. In fact, life can be downright idyllic.
Sometimes, though, there are aspects of rural life that may not be well considered and could cause significant trouble left unaddressed. One of those is the capacity of local firefighters to provide support in the case of a fire. It may be a nice new heater attached to a worn extension cord, or it could be the proverbial cow who kicked over the lantern, but a fire is a fire and, quite frankly, it’s a problem when you’re out in the sticks.
The distance between rural communities and individual homes within those communities present some unique challenges because once a fire starts, it is often hard to control. For example, homes tend to be secluded and surrounded by woods, dense brush and combustible vegetation that fuel fires. In addition, many rural homes are located far from fire stations or have limited road access. When a home is on a lot where a fire truck can’t turn around, one obvious result is delayed emergency response times, and time is critical when an entire home may be destroyed in a matter of minutes.
In rural areas where fire hydrants don’t exist and water is difficult to obtain, the problem is even more thorny. Fire trucks typically carry only 500-700 gallons of water, while tanker trucks may carry as much as 4000 gallons. These numbers are important because larger and taller structures require higher flow rates (gallons per minute) and sometimes multiple tankers are needed. For example, if there’s a ten-minute drive to the nearest good hydrant, each round trip will take about 25 minutes per truck. A typical 2000-gallon tanker can supply about 80 gallons per minute (GPM). If the incident commander determines that your large 2 story barn needs a flow of 500 gpm to extinguish, it would require seven 2,000-gallon tankers running continuously between your barn and the hydrant to extinguish the fire. Not many rural fire departments have access to that kind of brigade.
What Does This Mean to Me?
Failure to plan for these specific challenges can result in tragedy. Fire death rates in rural areas are much higher than in urban areas; fires destroy buildings, livestock, vehicles, equipment and often cripple the livelihood of farming families. These fires can have an extreme emotional and economic impact not only for the family involved, but in the entire community.
Residents in rural communities and remote locations must take proactive steps to protect themselves, their families, their property, and their livelihood from harm by fire. In subsequent articles, we’ll discuss concrete steps you can take to limit risk and mitigate damage from fires, as well as strategies to effectively battle any fires that might spring up. We’ll also discuss the concept of fire ponds. You may want to consider working with your neighbors to build a centralized fire retention pond from which local fire fighters can draw. One, well-maintained pond can keep an entire neighborhood flame-free.
