KIRBYVILLE, Mo. — A fire department is installing underground water tanks to provide water supply when a wildfire breaks out away from fire hydrants.
KSPR.com reported that the Western Taney County Fire Protection District is working to install six underground water tanks. The tanks cost about $32,000 each, plus $10,000 to $15,000 to install them.
“In these rural areas that don’t have fire hydrants, we do have to provide the water and we do bring it with us in tanker trucks but that’s just the beginning. The tanker truck has to go back and refill and come back to the fire scene. And most people don’t think about that,” Fire Chief Chris Berndt said.
At one fire station, the water runoff from the roof feeds the tank.
“The tank really is installed close to the building out to here. A $30,000 gallon tank is buried here, and one of the reasons it’s buried is to protect it from freezing in the wintertime,” Chief Berndt said.
Chief Berndt said his goal is to get two more tanks installed this year with three more installed later when funding is available.
On average, the department fights about 20 wildfires a month during wildfire season.