The pump pod in action.
The San Luis Indian Water Authority (SLRIWA) recently donated a “pump-pod” training unit to local fire departments in the Valley Center-Pauma Valley area. Valley Center, Rincon, San Pasqual, La Jolla, Pauma, and Pala Fire Departments will now have the opportunity to conserve valuable water resources while conducting training exercises.
“We are so proud we are able to donate this training unit to our local Fire Stations,” said Bo Mazzetti, president of the San Luis Rey Indian Water Authority. “We need to do more to conserve water in our region. This pump-pod is a step in the right direction and a win-win for our entire region.”
Fire Chief Joe Napier of the Valley Center Fire Protection District said, “I am so appreciative of the leadership provided by all of the tribal councils, the Tribal Water Authority and the Valley Center Fire Protection District Board of Directors to bring the Pump Pod Drafting Unit to the Valley Battalion as a shared resource for everyone to use for training, promotional exams and annual apparatus maintenance. We are truly grateful and look forward to continuing our partnership in the quality of life for everyone who lives, works and plays in our emergency response areas.”
This new technology will allow firefighters to pump water into a closed recirculating system. This system saves water and decreases runoff which assists in improving water quality by not washing down road grime and other pollution into local storm drain systems.
“The impact of firefighting training and utilizing water has always been a challenge for any fire department located in the state of California,” said Rincon’s Fire Chief Chip Duncan. “The public has high expectations of their fire department’s ability to get water quickly and skillfully on any fire. To fulfill this expectation, we train frequently and much of this training involves pumping water and flowing water from hose streams.”
It is estimated that the pump-pod will save almost 9 million gallons of water a year between the six member fire stations, which is equivalent to 360 average size 25,000 gallon swimming pools.
“We need to be proactive and think outside the box when it comes to water conservation,” added Mazzetti. “I think other water agencies should look into this training tool and partner if they can. We need to support our fire fighters due to the extreme drought conditions California faces.”
A year-round fire season is a result of years of drought and semi-drought weather conditions. Despite the significant amounts of rain these past months, we will most likely relapse back into drought conditions once the rains have subsided.
The San Luis Rey Indian Water Authority, a federally charted government agency, provides water rights and oversight services to La Jolla, Pala, Pauma, Rincon and San Pasqual Indian Tribes in North San Diego County.
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