Plan devised for Suncrest fire pumps
A plan to address low water pressure in the Suncrest neighborhood substantially boosts flow at fire hydrants, but still falls short of fire code standards. Neighborhood residents told city council last month they want to find a way to reach those standards.
“We are pleased with the work that has been done so far, but there is more work to be done,” Suncrest resident Ben Whitten told council. “I think we are putting a large Band-Aid on this, and I suspect major surgery will be required.”
Deficiencies with the Suncrest pump station came to a head last August when an early-morning fire totally destroyed a duplex on Ridge Crest Drive. Nine people, including children, evacuated the home safely.
During efforts to control the blaze, Whitefish firefighters hooked up to a hydrant in front of the duplex. That hydrant, however, dried up and there was no water from other hydrants in the area. Crews had to use 1,200 feet of hose to connect to a hydrant on Wisconsin Avenue and relay the water with engine pumps to boost pressure.
Public Works director John Wilson said the hydrants failed because the largest pump at the booster station wasn’t properly triggered after a malfunction in the relay system.
Carver Engineering was contracted by the city to evaluate all four of the city’s booster pump stations at Suncrest, upper and lower Grouse Mountain and Mountain Park.
In a recent staff report prepared by Wilson, it’s noted that there is no way to meet fire code standards with Suncrest’s current piping and booster pump system. The International Fire Code requires 1,000 gallons per minute of pressure at fire hydrants. The maximum flow at the Suncrest hydrants with the new plan would be about 850 gpm.
“It concerns us to see we are 20 percent below standard,” Whitten said. “We feel we want to be at that minimum requirement. We have a lot of homes up there.”
Whitefish Fire Chief Tom Kennelly, however, said 850 gpm should be “more than adequate” to fight a blaze.
“This is not a public safety situation,” Kennelly said. “850 is a great improvement.”
Wilson agreed, noting that the fire code standard was 750 gpm when the Suncrest subdivision was designed and constructed.
“It’s not unusual to see areas that don’t meet evolving standards,” Wilson said. “If it was a safety issue we’d be approaching you.”
Reaching the 1,000 gpm threshold is costly.
The best way to reach that flow level, Wilson said, is to build a 160,000 gallon reservoir. Such a project is estimated to cost as much as $500,000.
Wilson reports that many deficiencies with the Suncrest booster pumps have already been addressed and that the presented plan should adequately improve the system’s reliability. Suggested improvements will be included in the Fiscal Year 2013 city budget and could start as soon as this summer.
The other three pump stations examined are in good shape, Wilson said.