Table of Contents
Where does the water come from in a fire truck?
The short answer is that Cal Fire takes water from wherever it can get it. A Cal Fire spokesperson told SFGATE that there are several sources of water that fire crews can draw from: municipal water sources at Cal Fire facilities, fire hydrants out in the field, lakes, ponds and even residential swimming pools.
Why can’t we filter ocean water?
Salt dissolves very easily in water, forming strong chemical bonds, and those bonds are difficult to break. Energy and the technology to desalinate water are both expensive, and this means that desalinating water can be pretty costly.
Why don’t they use sea water to put out forest fires?
However, sometime when the fires are closer to the ocean, sea water is used. That creates problems for the equipment (because of the salt water) and ocean water hitting the fire will hinder the recovery after the fire is over (again because of the salt water). 8 clever moves when you have $1,000 in the bank.
Is groundwater depletion linked to forest fires?
A connection between groundwater depletion and increasingly destructive and frequent forest fires — like the recent ones in the American West — might seem tenuous at first glance, but in fact such a connection has been observed not just in United States but also across the globe.
Why can’t fire apparatus pumps be used in the ocean?
Most fires in Caifornia happen in the moutains that are several hundred miles from the coast. Second, standard fire apparatus pumps would not do well with the salinity content of ocean water. It could be done, but would require extreme flushingg with fresh water, and most likley would still shorten the life of the apparatus.
Why don’t they use seawater for firefighting helicopters?
“As for using seawater for firefighting helicopters or ‘super scooper’ fixed-wing aircraft, the problem is safety,” Kurtz explained. “Our helicopters hover approximately three, four feet above the water’s surface to use its suction hose to draw up water.