(Spirit Lake)– Spirit Lake’s Fire Chief is once again expressing concern over the size of water mains on the city’s north side.
David Kollasch told the city council Tuesday he’s concerned over an inadequate flow of water in an area north of 15th Street in the event of a fire in that part of town. He says most of the fire hydrants in that area put out less than 500 gallons of water per minute (GPM). He says the department’s new pumpers put out 1,500 GPM. As a result, Kollasch says it’s likely the pumpers would “suck the mains dry”.
Kollasch says the department encountered an issue with low flow in that part of the city several years ago already while battling a house fire.
Kollasch added he was pleased to hear the Water Department plans to flush hydrants soon throughout the city. The goal is to find and repair any hydrant that may not be working properly. Kollasch says he wants to avoid an incident similar to one last winter when firefighters encountered a frozen hydrant while battling a house fire.
