No Hydrant? Firefighters Will Find Water

A fire started at a house on Hunter Ridge Road early one February morning in 2008. Nobody was home and by the time a neighbor noticed and called 911, it was engulfed in flames.

The house was on a dead-end street with no hydrants and water had to be brought in from half a mile away, Stepney Fire Chief Mike Klemish recalled.

A shuttle of eight tankers from Monroe, Newtown, Oxford and Shelton supplied engines with water to fight the blaze.

But by the time the smoke cleared, the house was completely destroyed.

"It would have had extensive structural damage because the fire had a head start," Klemish said. "But it might not have been a complete loss if we had a hydrant."

At a recent Town Council meeting, the chief said the Hunter Ridge Road blaze highlighted the need for more sources of water in areas of town without fire hydrants.

Each fire engine holds up to 1,000 gallons of water and tankers can hold anywhere from 1,500 to 3,600 gallons, Klemish explained. But that supply can quickly dry up at the scene of a major fire.

To put it in perspective, Klemish said, "You could be looking at 50,000 to 100,000 gallons to put out a big fire. Maybe more, depending on the size of the fire. It could even be a million gallons."

Many Monroe neighborhoods still depend on well water. As a result, there is no public water line for fire hydrants to draw from.

But that does not mean all areas without hydrants don't have other options.

Firefighters use a network of bodies of water and cisterns in several parts of town and set up shuttles to move water to the scene of a fire.

Lakes, ponds ...

Inside a bay at Stepney Volunteer Fire Department's Station 2, a map is marked off with red and blue dots. Red represents the location of a fire hydrant and blue for dry hydrants.

Klemish said dry hydrants can be hooked up to a nearby lake or pond.

There is a pipe in the middle of ponds at Blanket Meadow, Bridle Patch Trail and Wild Horse Court to supply dry hydrants, according to Klemish.

"Stevenson always has Lake Zoar with millions of gallons," Klemish said. "We also have Great Hollow Lake."

"Main Street, from Sippin's building down to the Trumbull line, doesn't have a hydrant," Klemish said. "We have the Pequonnoc River which runs behind the car wash and Chuck's Corner."

In an emergency, Klemish said firefighters would even use water from a swimming pool, though he said his department has not done that.

No pond? Firefighters can bring their own.

Monroe and Stevenson departments have what is called a portable pond or folding tank that holds 2,500 gallons, according to Klemish.

He said a tanker dumps water into it and an engine pumps it, enabling its hoses to hit fires with a steady flow.

"A tanker's primary job is to shuttle water," Klemish said.

Several tankers continue to refill the portable pond on a loop to keep it viable during a fire.

"After a fire the tankers aren't done," Klemish said. "They have to refill the cisterns."

New cisterns

A cistern is an underground water tank with two above ground pipes, one for ventilation and the other for a fire hose to be fastened to.

The town has an old, 10,000 gallon cistern on Hannah Lane and another on Glen Hollow Drive, according to Klemish.

The Town Council recently approved $150,000 in bonding for the purchase of three new 20,000-gallon cisterns for parts of Monroe that need it most.

Klemish credits State Rep. DebraLee Hovey (R-112th) with securing the state funds.

"Public safety and the well being of our citizens is one of the most important responsibilities of any municipality," Hovey said Friday. "These cisterns will serve us well. And hopefully lower people's insurance costs. I am so glad I was able to get this done."

Klemish said one cistern will be installed in the Patmar circle, terrace, drive and lane area. The second will be on Crown View Drive in Stevenson. The exact location of the third is yet to be determined, but Klemish said it will be in the area of Knorr and Black roads and Christianna Drive.

"We need an easement from a homeowner," he explained.

Despite all of the alternative sources of water to fight fires, Klemish said Monroe's situation can still be significantly improved. For instance, the map on the wall at Station 2 still shows a lack of supplies in some areas, especially near the Easton and Trumbull borders.

Whenever a new water line is installed, the fire code requires new hydrants to be part of the project. Klemish said there are developments — such as the corporate park off Pepper Street — that may bring public water to neighborhoods.