Rural & Suburban Topics

Rural fire departments have always dealt with this. No hydrant doesn't mean no water. It just means we bring our own.

How we supply water without hydrants:

• Tanker trucks (tenders). These are large trucks that carry their own water. They drive to the scene, supply water to the engine fighting the fire, then shuttle back to a water source to refill. Multiple tankers may rotate to keep a continuous supply.
• Portable tanks (drop tanks). Tankers dump their water into large portable folding tanks set up near the scene. The engine pumps from the tank while other tankers keep refilling it. This is called a tanker shuttle operation.
• Pull water straight out of a pond or stream. If there's water near enough, an engine can drop a suction hose right into it and pump. Some departments identify and mark these draft sites in advance.
• Mutual aid. For large fires, multiple departments respond with their tankers. A house fire in a rural area without hydrants might have tankers from 3 or 4 departments shuttling water.

This is one reason why response times and fire damage can be greater in rural areas. It takes time to establish a water supply that a hydrant would provide instantly. The best thing you can do is have working smoke alarms to give your family maximum warning time, and make sure firefighters can find and reach your home quickly.

In rural and suburban areas, finding the right address is one of the biggest challenges we face, especially at night, in bad weather, or on roads where houses are far apart and set back from the road.

What you can do:

• Visible house numbers. Large (4+ inches), reflective numbers mounted where they're visible from the road. This is the single most helpful thing. See our detailed guide on house numbers.
• Driveway marker. If your house is set back from the road, put a reflective address sign at the end of your driveway where it meets the road. Green reflective address signs are available at most hardware stores.
• Porch or driveway light. If it's dark and you're expecting us, turn on every exterior light you have.
• Somebody at the road. If there is a person to spare, send them to the end of the driveway to wave us in. On a long drive at night that beats any sign.
• Clear directions to 911. When you call, give the dispatcher your street address and any landmarks: "Third driveway past the church on the left," "Blue house with a red barn." If you're on a road with confusing numbering or shared driveways, say so.
• Make sure GPS works. Test whether typing your address into Google Maps or Apple Maps actually leads to your house. Some rural addresses are wrong in GPS databases. If yours is wrong, report it to the mapping service, and mention it when you call 911.

Every minute we spend looking for your house is a minute we're not helping. Make it easy for us to find you.

Fire apparatus is big and heavy. A typical piece is about 30 feet long, 8 feet wide, and weighs around 40,000 pounds, and an ambulance needs room of its own. If they can't get down your driveway, it delays everything.

What fire apparatus and ambulances need to get up your driveway:

• Width. At least 12 feet wide, ideally 20 feet. If your driveway is narrower than that, apparatus may not fit, or may not be able to turn around.
• Height clearance. At least 13.5 feet. Trim overhanging branches that could block a truck or an ambulance. Low-hanging wires are also a problem. Contact your utility company if lines sag too low.
• Weight capacity. 40,000+ pounds. If your driveway has a culvert, bridge, or section built over soft ground, it may not support fully loaded apparatus. If you know it can't, tell the dispatcher. We'll park at the road and run hose in.
• Surface. Gravel or paved surfaces work. Dirt driveways can become impassable in mud season or after heavy rain. If your driveway gets muddy, keep it graded and consider adding gravel.
• Turnaround. If your driveway is more than a few hundred feet long, having a place to turn around is a real help. Apparatus cannot easily back out of a long, narrow driveway.

In winter: Keep it plowed, and plow it wider than you think you need to. A track cleared for your own car is not wide enough for fire apparatus or an ambulance. Push the banks back rather than letting them build along the edges, because they close in a little more with every storm. Keep the turnaround clear, and stake the edges so a plow driver can see where the surface ends. If we can't get up the driveway, we carry gear and hose in from the road, and on a long one that costs minutes.

If you know your driveway is too narrow, steep, or soft for large vehicles, mention it to 911 when you call. We'll adjust our approach.

With any luck we will never need to come up your driveway at all. If we do, we need to be able to get up it.

If you have a water source on your property (a pond, pool, cistern, or large storage tank), it could be extremely valuable during a fire. Here's how to make it accessible:

• Ponds and pools. Keep the access point clear of brush and debris. If possible, create a gravel pad or cleared area where an engine can pull up close enough to drop a suction hose in. The truck needs to be within about 20 feet of the water's edge. A pond needs at least 3-4 feet of depth for a pump to draw from reliably.
• Dry hydrants. A dry hydrant is a permanently installed pipe that runs from a water source (pond, lake, or stream) to a roadside connection point. We connect to it the same way we would to a regular hydrant. If you have a suitable water source and want one installed, get in touch. We can help coordinate it, and there may be grant money available to cover the cost.
• Cisterns and underground tanks. Some rural properties have large underground water storage tanks. Tell us where it is and how to get at it, and mark the access point clearly.
• Swimming pools. An in-ground pool holds a lot of water. That's a significant water supply. If you have one, tell us. It won't be our first choice (chemicals, covers, access issues), but in an emergency, it's water.

The most helpful thing you can do is tell us about any water source on or near your property. We keep track of where the water is in the area we cover, and knowing about yours helps.

In a city, a fire station might be a mile or two away, with hydrants on every block and career firefighters on duty 24/7. In rural and suburban areas like McKean, the reality is different, and understanding why helps you prepare.

Factors that affect rural response time:

• Distance. The fire station may be several miles from your home. At legal speeds on rural roads, that alone can mean 5-10 minutes of travel time after the truck leaves the station.
• Volunteer staffing. Volunteer firefighters aren't sitting at the station. When a call comes in, they receive an alert, drive to the station (or directly to the scene if allowed), gear up, and then respond. This adds several minutes compared to a career department where firefighters are already at the station.
• Road conditions. Narrow roads, steep grades, unpaved surfaces, and winter weather all slow a fire truck down. A fire truck can't safely drive 60 mph on an icy rural road.
• Water. Where there is no hydrant, we have to bring the water with us and haul more in by truck. That takes time before anyone can put water on the fire.
• Finding the address. Poor house numbering, unmarked driveways, and inaccurate GPS can add minutes of search time.

What this means for you:

• Working smoke alarms are even more critical. They give you the early warning you need to get out safely while help is on the way.
• A practiced escape plan ensures your family can get out fast.
• Visible house numbers and accessible driveways help us reach you faster.
• Closing bedroom doors at night can slow fire spread and give you more survivable time.

None of this means rural residents are unprotected. It means that preparation, on both our side and yours, is especially important.