Tonight, members trained on the rural hitch. The rural hitch uses a clappered siamese valve and is a method of laying a supply hose from the first arriving fire apparatus while traveling to a fire in a rural area. It is commonly used where there are no fire hydrants and water must be transported from a distant water source like a pond or river.
The rural hitch is designed to: Get the first arriving engine to the fire quickly. Begin fire attack immediately using tank water. Establish a reliable water supply as soon as possible with incoming tankers. Reduce delays in areas without municipal hydrants. Allow easier access for other responding apparatus as well as keep driveways or roadways clear for rescue or law enforcement to assist.
We want to extend a sincere thank you to Canton Fire 4-2, Erik Johnson, for teaching us about this tool and allowing us to use it in real time. This was a great experience and something we plan to train on more and implement into our list of equipment.
Units:
E-80 (S. Corbett), TA-100 (Ju. McGregor), R-14 (J. Bradish)
Mutual Aid:
Canton Fire, West Potsdam Fire, West Stockholm Fire, Hannawa Fire, Car 10
E-80 flowing water supplied through The Rural Hitch
Clappered siamese with 1, 4” LDH and 2, 2.5” supply lines feeding it. This allows 1 Tanker to empty and immediately switch to the other for continued water supply.
