NEWS RELEASE

(Fire District Tests Apparatus and Firefighters During Large Water Flow Exercise)

On April 25th from 2:00-3:00 p.m., Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue will be conducting a drill simulating a large commercial or apartment fire. The drill -which will be held at Tualatin Valley Water District, 1850 SW 170th Street in Beaverton- is designed to test fire apparatus and fire personnel and their ability to flow large amounts of water.

During a typical house fire, firefighters use anywhere from 125-400 gallons of water per minute. In a large commercial or apartment fire, however, firefighters may use up to 4000 gallons of water per minute. Aerial master streams, flowed from fire truck ladders which can reach up to 125 feet high, are a vital tool in delivering large volumes of water. During the exercise, media will be able to see these same aerial master streams that were used during the Barnes-Miller Village fire last January.

Since commercial or apartment fires are less frequent than residential fires, training and practice is imperative. A total of four ladder trucks and two fire engines will be participating in this exercise coordinated by Fire Flow Technology, a Las Vegas based company, and Reta Meade, a Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue apparatus operator.

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