In a lot of firefighting scenarios and especially in wild land situations, portable fire pump are used to draw water from a stream, lake or other natural water source to help extinguish or control a fire until the firefighters can arrive. Portable fire pumps are available with a gas or diesel engine, and can be equipped with different types of hoses to accommodate the specific scenario.
When selecting a fire pump, it is important to find the right size for your application. Too much and you are wasting resources, not enough and the consequences could be catastrophic. Finding that “Goldilocks” sweet spot is similar to identifying the right size sprinkler system for a building: too large and it is expensive, too small and the safety benefits are not realized.
To find the right size fire pump, you will need to know your desired rated flow and pressure capacity and what the anticipated hazards are that you will be protecting against with the fire suppression system. Then, you can evaluate and select a fire pump that meets those requirements and still complies with the current edition of NFPA 20.
Generally speaking, there are three main types of portable fire pump: end suction, horizontal split case and centrifugal/turbine fire pumps. End suction fire pumps have their discharge outlet perpendicular to the suction inlet, are easy to maintain due to their split casing design and can be used with both electric and diesel drivers. portable fire pump