A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 49F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..
A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 49F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
Enid firefighters Carlos Cornejo, Kurt Pendergraft and Cody Keller (from left) demonstrate hydrant flow testing at Station 1 on Friday, May 13, 2022 . (Billy Hefton / Enid News & Eagle)
A fire hydrant at Maine and Grand shows EFD’s new hydrant-marking system with a blue disc. (Billy Hefton / Enid News & Eagle)
Enid Fire Chief Jason Currier speaks during an interview Thursday, May 12, 2022 . (Billy Hefton / Enid News & Eagle)
Enid Fire Marshal Ken Helms gestures during an interview Thursday, May 12, 2022 . (Billy Hefton / Enid News & Eagle)
Enid firefighters Carlos Cornejo, Kurt Pendergraft and Cody Keller (from left) demonstrate hydrant flow testing at Station 1 on Friday, May 13, 2022 . (Billy Hefton / Enid News & Eagle)
ENID, Okla. — Minutes can matter when Enid’s firefighters are responding to calls reporting a blaze or smoke.
Because a fire could’ve already grown exponentially once first responders from Enid Fire Department arrive, they need to know how much flow of water is within nearby fire hydrants, said new EFD Chief Jason Currier.
This year, while conducting annual flow tests at the more than 2,600 hydrants within the city of Enid, EFD began placing reflective, plastic rings on the hydrants to show how many gallons per minute (GPM) of water flowed from them.
A fire hydrant at Maine and Grand shows EFD’s new hydrant-marking system with a blue disc. (Billy Hefton / Enid News & Eagle)
“By the time somebody sees (the fire), it’s already really going,” Currier said. “It takes us time to get there and set up, and not having to worry about finding another fire hydrant saves us a lot of time. ... We know what to expect out of that fire hydrant.”
Each spring, EFD breaks the city’s fire hydrants into assignments to measure the static pressure, flow pressure and residual pressure to determine how many GPM firefighters can get from them.
Conducting the flow tests, Currier said, helps residents have better water quality; helps the city of Enid’s water department identify any trouble areas; and helps EFD evaluate how firefighters can use its system efficiently.
After conducting past flow tests, EFD would paint the bonnets, or the top portions, of hydrants a specific color to show first-responders how many GPM were available.
Light blue bonnets indicated there were 1,500 or more GPM inside the hydrant; green indicated between 1,000 and 1,499 GPM; orange bonnets, 500 to 999 GPM; and red bonnets, less than 500 GPM.
Currier said repainting hundreds of fire hydrants would take extra manpower, so this past spring, EFD implemented a new plan for easily replaceable rings after staff discussed better ways to indicate water flow from hydrants, while staying compliant with the National Fire Protection Association.
Water flow from hydrants depends on the size of water main lines and whether water supply comes from either one or both directions.
Enid Fire Marshal Ken Helms gestures during an interview Thursday, May 12, 2022 . (Billy Hefton / Enid News & Eagle)
Enid Fire Chief Jason Currier speaks during an interview Thursday, May 12, 2022 . (Billy Hefton / Enid News & Eagle)
Enid Fire Marshal Kenneth Helms said water flow can change if a valve on a water main line isn’t turned all the way back on after maintenance and repairs are conducted on main lines.
“When we go back and do the flow tests, all of a sudden, that hydrant that flowed 2,000 gallons per minute last year — we’re only getting 1,200 gallons per minute out of this year,” Helms said.
If the water flow changes during future flow tests, the rings will be replaced throughout the process.
“Now, we can spend our time doing training and things that serve the community,” Currier said.
Enid Fire Department is recommending the city put three older Enid neighborhoods on its shortlist to improve outdated waterline infrastructure…
The plastic rings are part of the tentatively budgeted plan fire officials have to further the department’s operations next fiscal year.
Set to be approved this week, EFD is requesting the city of Enid increase its training budget for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Currier said for the last decade, EFD’s training budget has stayed between $20,000 and $25,000 per year, due to needs in other fire department areas. This year’s proposed 113% increase would go to $42,500.
About 15 firefighters out of EFD’s 79 uniformed staff have been trained in specialized classes such as high-angle rope rescue, but Currier said he believed it’s time to focus on making available that “next-level training” to more firefighters.
EFD, whose staff have to meet a certain number of training hours every year, hosts as many in-house training classes as possible, but classes, conferences and seminars by different organizations come with their own costs such as travel and lodging.
“I feel like it’s gotten to the point now where we need to get back to where we used to — be taking advanced training courses,” Currier said. “By increasing the training budget, we’re hoping to expand that past the 15 guys.”
To be repaired in the 2022-2023 fiscal year are two waterlines running along Cherokee and Oklahoma between 7th and Lakeview (east of 20th), city engineering director Murali Katta said during a budget hearing Thursday with city commissioners.
The department also plans to replace a 15-year-old fire rescue truck, which Currier said has been having mechanical issues and has had other repairs done to it. EFD also acquired two new fire trucks last summer.
A new truck would cost $780,000, according to the budget.
“To go and fix that truck would not be cost-effective. It would be about half the cost of a new vehicle,” Currier said. “Just like at home, you evaluate that — if it’s still worth kicking the can down the road, but that’s one of our highest priorities as far as vehicle replacement right now.”
EFD also proposed switching to Lexipol software, which would provide customizable, state-specific fire service policies that are kept updated with any new state and federal laws and court decisions.
Currier said all of EFD’s standard operating procedures are individual documents on a main drive on a computer that staff have to sort through to find.
“This software is going to help us create a searchable database of all of those rules, regulations and standard operating procedures and dispense those out to everyone on an app-based platform,” Currier said. “We have full accountability that everybody has the rules. ... This will be something everybody has right in the palms of their hands.”
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