Stateline firefighters learn to handle fires with limited access to water

SOUTH BELOIT, Ill. (WTVO) — Firefighters across the Stateline get critical training on how to handle fires in areas with limited access to water.

On Wednesday, six local fire departments took part in water supply training exercises. Firefighters practiced relay pumping and establishing long-distance lines for supplying water.

Many rural areas in the Stateline lack access to fire hydrants, meaning fire crews rely on pumping water from trucks.

Beloit Fire Department Battalion Chief Bill Hyde said the day was a chance to teach and learn.

“We have experienced people with over 30 years of experience and in fact today we put one of our newer people in one of the hot seats and made him do most of the pumping to train our newest people,” said Hyde. “There’s always a flow from being new to experienced in a fire department and we train from within and try to have the older, experienced firefighters teach the new ones.”

Fire crews were able to continuously supply 500 gallons of water per minute. On Thursday, they hope to reach a supply of 1,000 gallons per minute.

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