Marina Dock Age, September/October 2001

Adequate and Sustainable Water Supply
by Gene Spinazola

If we were designing a marina from scratch, it would be easy to lay out the site to allow good emergency vehicle access to all parts of the marina. We would start with an adequate hydrant system with 12-inch water mains, then add fire lanes with a wide turning radius for the fire apparatus, and good building separation. We would have no main docks longer than 150 feet and the emergency apparatus could drive right to the head of each dock. Yeah, right!  

The reality

I know that you paid a lot for an upland site, and to get return on your investment you need to utilize every inch of the property. However, the right design for you may not be the right design for me—at least from a safety standpoint.

I wasn’t joking in my last article when I wrote: “Most marinas that I have been to are located on the water.” So, getting the “wet stuff” (the water) to the “red stuff” (the fire) is the point.  

Let’s say you pick me up at the airport and we drive to your marina. My work starts long before we arrive at the front gate. It starts somewhere up the road as we pass the local fire station, a hydrant along the roadside, or, perhaps, no hydrants along the roadside. Is this an urban or rural area, is the access road narrow and winding or a divided highway, and is there a train track crossing?

When we arrive at your marina, a whole new set of criteria comes into play. We’re not starting with an empty lot; we’re starting with your marina, as it is today. And we’re going to look at the good, the bad, and the ugly situations that could arise from a fire emergency.  

Using what you have

Do you have a hydrant system? Is it on the property or down the road? Is it ornamental or adequate? By ornamental, I mean totally inadequate for the fire load potential at your marina. By adequate we mean that it will supply all the water we would need for the largest fire load at your marina (i.e. burnable buildings or boats).

At most marina fires, supplemental water supply will be a required operation for the fire service. The initial fire fighting water will come from the onboard tank of the “first in” fire truck. Then hydrants will be utilized, and if not adequate, or not available, drafting or tanker shuttles will supplement the water supply.

When and where you need it

Where will the fire department get the supplemental water supply at your marina site? Although there may be plenty of water just outside your facility’s windows (either in the lake or river), you need to remember, that big red truck has to get within a few feet of that “wet stuff.” If the truck can get to the water and draft (suck water into the truck), then it can pump the water to the fire scene where it can be used. If something stands in the way, or if building positioning doesn’t allow for a fire truck to get within a few feet, all the water in the Atlantic isn't going to do you any good. Continue »