RUN THE PLAY
The full one-line evolution, step by step, against the clock. The tank starts draining the moment your nozzle gets water — exactly like the real thing. Say each callout out loud as you tap it. You run this panel with your mouth.
PSI is yours to bring — the drill never hardcodes it. Promotional-exam tolerance: ±5 PSI. That's the band to land in.
THE NINE BLOCKS — ONE LINE
Merged from three drill days (02/08 · 5/9 · 5/31). The order never changed once. Formal names with spoken forms — what actually comes out of your mouth at the panel.
SOURCE
Built from station drill notes and a cold voice walkthrough — 58's operation as taught by the Engineer. Not from a manual. All PSI parameterized: targets come from the hydraulic calculator, never from this document. Drill-day numbers were practice assignments, not procedure.
BLOCK ⑧ — TRANSITION TO HYDRANT
The densest block in the notebook, and the one the Mistakes page points at. Hands: right on the throttle, left on the BIV wheel, eyes on the discharge gauge. Throttle is the InfinityPRO: left = DOWN, right = UP.
1 · INTRODUCE — THROTTLE DOWN
Ease the BIV open slowly. Dip the needle below target first — incoming hydrant water climbs it back up to target instead of shooting past it. Down, introduce, down, introduce. In stages.
2 · EQUALIZE → FULLY OPEN → THROTTLE UP
When pump-side and hose-side pressures match, the BIV opens all the way with no spike. Throttle up, back to target.
3 · CLOSE TANK TO PUMP
The hydrant is feeding now. Stop depleting the tank. The tank's whole job was buying time — fire doesn't wait for a supply line.
4 · REFILL — OPEN TANK FILL — THROTTLE UP
You're pulling water off the pump to refill the tank, so discharge pressure drops. Throttle up to hold target.
5 · TANK FULL — CLOSE TANK FILL — THROTTLE DOWN
No longer diverting water, so pressure would climb past target. Throttle down in step as you close. Settle at target.
| ACTION | WATER | THROTTLE |
|---|---|---|
| Introduce hydrant water | INTO pump | DOWN |
| Open tank fill (refill) | OUT of pump | UP |
| Close tank fill | back INTO pump | DOWN |
THE ENEMY — AIR IN THE PUMP
One enemy, three defenses, three moments:
| DEFENSE | WHEN | JOB |
|---|---|---|
| Petcock (on the BIV body) | As water comes in | Let air out ahead of the water |
| Prime (Hale, on the panel) | After air is already in | Pull the air out of the pump |
| Keep water in the pump | Always | Never let air in at all |
Petcock: ¼-turn lever on the BIV. In line with the hose = ON. Across = OFF. Close it once the hose is full and water is in the pump.
ON SIDE — THE COMMAND CENTER
Every wheel and gauge for all eight discharges lives here. Three tiers: engine instruments up top (hinged), discharges + management in the middle, intakes and drains along the rail.
THE TANK CLOCK
500 gallons is the timer. Be on the hydrant before it empties, or the pump cavitates. Target: everything in 2 minutes, top.
COLOUR → TIME
TankVision and the Christmas Tree share one code. Each band ≈ 125 gallons. Read the colour, know the time.
| COLOUR | LEVEL | TIME LEFT @200gpm |
|---|---|---|
| Green | F → ¾ | — |
| Blue/white | ¾ → ½ | — |
| Amber | ½ → ¼ | — |
| Red | ¼ → E | — |
Three water instruments: sight tube (mechanical, right edge — tells you FULL when refilling) · TankVision (electronic — HOW MUCH while flowing) · Christmas Tree (on the body — the crew's read from fifty feet; also your pump-engaged confirmation, which is why it's panel step 1).
MISTAKES LOG
The Engineer's rule: write it down or you'll repeat it. The Captain's rule: repeating it is wasting everyone's time. Log yours — and the other candidates' too. Pattern matters, attribution doesn't.
CARRIED FORWARD — 5/9 DRILL
YOURS
Nothing logged yet.