A total of 22 fire companies from four counties arrived in Pavilion at 6 a.m. to start a morning-long drill to test, learn and practice in case of a fire that requires a substantial amount of water.
The goal was to pump 5,000 gallons of water. The exercise was also a chance for the departments to work together across communication networks and to test the reverse 9-1-1 system in the area.
The location was the Griffith Oil Company storage terminal on Pearl Creek in the Town of Covington, which is in the Pavilion Fire District.
"This is a drill to move a large volume of water in a rural area," said Pavilion Chief Paul Dougherty. "Even in our downtown area here, we have a limited number of hydrants. Originally the drill was going to be at our high school because that's one of the biggest concerns in town, but in the process of planning there was that event in Mumford at their propane facility, so we decided to take the lessons learned there, good and bad, and do the same thing here."
If there was a fire at Griffith, it would take a large volume of water to keep the propane tanks cool until firefighters could get a handle on the event and Griffith workers could manage the situation.
Griffith participated in the drill, even working through its own internal notification protocols.
Daniel Stowell had the following statement from Griffith:
Griffith Energy is pleased to participate in this morning's drill. The safety of our customers, employees and communities we service is our absolute top priority. We happily partner with local officials and first responders in support of their efforts to prepare, train and learn. WE are delighted to be here today to show our support of the fire companies involved in this collaborative effort and thank everyone for their time and dedication.
Dougherty thanked all the volunteers for coming out on their Sunday morning.
In addition to Pavilion, other participants this morning were:
Le Roy, Caledonia, Alexander, Bergen, Bethany, Stafford, York, Perry, Perry Center, Town of Batavia, Byron, South Byron, Darien, Cuylerville, Mumford, Attica, Castile, Gainesville, North Java, Silver Springs, Brockport, Wyoming, Warsaw, Geneseo, Genesee County Office of Emergency Services, Wyoming County Office of Emergency Services, dispatch centers in Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston and Monroe counties, Wyoming County Sheriffs Office, Rochester Southern Railroad, Pavilion Central School (provided buses for mass transportation), SUNY Geneseo (housekeeping) and Mercy Ambulance.
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5,000 gallons isn't really
5,000 gallons isn't really that much. Most tankers hold between 2,000-4,000 gallons. Im just guessing they flowed a lot more than 5,000 gallons
They may have meant 5k/min. I
They may have meant 5k/min. I couldn't make it so not sure how many apparatus they had set up. But I highly doubt the goal was to pump 5000 gal. Because that would have lasted 5 minutes including setup and break down :P