Fire Cistern - Traditional Draft Design
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Fire CisternsUnderground Water Storage Tanks |
Fire CisternsUnderground Water Storage Tanks |
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Fire Protection System
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FIRE CISTERNS are reliable year round water sources for fire fighting, often required when there is no central piped water supply in the area.
Providing a fire cistern in compliance with the local fire department's design and storage volume requirements for fire protection may reduce insurance premiums and create a valuable emergency water resource available to the entire community.
The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) has published guidelines regarding the location and volume of an appropriate fire cistern, based on the property or structure it is designed to protect. Please consult with your local Fire Chief about any such project before you start planning for an underground water storage tank.
The illustration on the right is one example of a common "draft" or suction type fire cistern design.
There are many different possible layouts; some will require drafting, while others may provide a gravity flow or pumped discharge. Work with your Fire Department to ensure the system will work as planned when needed.
Fire Departments also often use underground tanks for testing their truck mounted fire pumps. This process is called “Annual Testing” and should be done every year to make sure the equipment will perform as expected when called upon. The size and layout of a test tank will vary based on the flow rate of the pumps and the number of trucks to be tested, one after another. Contact us for information on several popular test facility designs.
Darco manufactures both polyethylene OcTanks and fiberglass underground water tank systems for fire cisterns and fire sprinkler reservoirs. You will find more Fire Service Cistern illustrations in the "Polyethylene Tanks" section: Polyethylene Tank Concepts and in the "Fiberglass Tanks" section: Fiberglass Tank Concepts.
Project Showcase
Veterans Construction Company (Alabama): Suction fire cistern / 20,000 gallons
Imperial National Wildlife Refuge (Arizona): Underground water storage tank for use as a fire cistern / 30,000 gallons
Pine / Strawberry Fire Department (Arizona): Fire apparatus pump testing and fire cistern / 12,000 gallons
Ameristar Casino (Colorado): Direct bury underground holding tank for fire protection / 32,000 gallons
River Island Ranch - New Development (Colorado): Four separate underground water tanks for fire protection / 120,000 gallons
Riccardi Bros. Construction Co. (Connecticut): Traditional suction fire cistern / 30,000 gallons
El Dorado Subdivision (Florida): Fiberglass water tank used to create a fire cistern for the subdivision / 32,000 gallons
University of Idaho / Farm Site (Idaho): Fire protection for off campus agriculture building / 18,000 gal
Pocatello Valley Fire District (Idaho): Remote rural water supply / 8,000 gallons
Betsy lane High School (Kentucky): Drafting tank for stand pipes / 15,000 gallons
Islesboro Fire Department (Maine): Rural water supply for F. D. / 20,000 gallons
Baden Fire District #3 (Maryland): Drafting Cistern for rural F. D. / 3 - 30,000 gal.
R.W.K.S. Engineering (Maryland): Rural land development, fire cistern / 20,000 gallons
Carpenter's and Company (Massachusetts): Fire protection for manufacturer / 12,000 gal.
Santiago Fire Station (Minnesota): Rural fire station water supply / 10,000 gallons
Frontenack Engineering (Missouri): Rural land development fire cistern / 60,000 gallons
M.S.C. Engineering (New Hampshire): Rural land development, fire cistern / 20,000 gallons
Wampanoag Indian Tribe / Martha's Vineyard Island (New York): Fire cistern for Tribal buildings / 15,000 gallons
Fire Station #51 (Ohio): Remote fire station water supply / 4,000 gal.
Appalachian RC&D Council (Tennessee): Rural suction fire cistern / 8,000 gallons
San Juan County Emergency Services (Utah): Water supply for fire fighting and road construction / 6 sites, each 10,000 gallons
Ken Dee Ranch - Horse barn, riding arena, and guest house (Utah): Underground water storage for potable water and back-up fire protection / 60,000 gallons
Ferring Residence (Virginia): Residential rainwater capture system used for irrigation and fire protection / 8,000 gallons
Bluff Haven Estates (Washington): Fire fighting water supply / 18,000 gallons
Freemont County Fire Authority (Wyoming): Water supply for rural fire stations / 30,000 gallons for 3 different stations
Hat Butte Ranch (Wyoming): Residential underground cistern tank for potable water and back-up fire cistern / 20,000 gallons
Laramie County Community College (Wyoming): Rain capture for landscape irrigation on the campus grounds / 40,000 gallons
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Bennett, CO 80102 || (800) 232-8660
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