GBW Associates LLC

06/11/2026

What's On Your Engine #26? - Some More Suction Hose

Norrisville Engine 1013 is equipped with three 10-foot sections and one 6-foot section of 6-inch suction hose to support its drafting operations. Carrying additional suction hose is strongly recommended, particularly in rural areas where water supply can be limited. Most fire department pumpers are capable of accommodating at least one extra length of suction hose. Some departments are able to store even more suction hose on their vehicles.

We recommend carrying enough suction hose to allow for the use of twin suction lines without needing to wait for another pumper to arrive. This ensures greater efficiency during drafting and improves response capability.

https://www.gotbigwater.com/news/729/Whats-On-Your-Engine-26---Some-More-Suction-Hose

06/11/2026

We are here! An awesome experience with some great folks in an outstanding facility! A top notch operation right here!

Walk in registrations are accepted! You can also register here: https://members.sdfirefighters.org/event-calendar/Details/sd-state-fire-school-2026-140th-annual-1422541?sourceTypeId=Website

06/10/2026

South Dakota bound for year three presenting at the South Dakota State Fire School. Looking forward to another great year with a great group of people.

06/08/2026

Flashback 20-years ago and an early version of one of our deployable, bridge-mount DFH designs. We experimented some using a Kochek In-Line Swivel to create an articulating "arm" for lack of a better description. The concept worked okay and so did the swivel, the problem was in the deployment and retrieval system...too complex. The system shown in these photos fell victim to vandalism early on and was eventually dismantled. But...the work got us to where we are today in terms of simplicity and durability.

06/06/2026

Dump Site Operations #42 - Water Transfer Operations Are Always Critical to Large Flow Success

Over the years, we have conducted more than 150 Rural Water Supply Operations Seminars, each featuring a two-hour tanker shuttle drill. At most of these drills, water flow was interrupted at least once. Only 17 groups have consistently sustained flows of 1,000 gallons per minute or more.

Several of these groups, known as the 1,000 GPM Club, have achieved rates above 1,500 gallons per minute, and a few came close to 2,000 gallons per minute. For these high-performing teams, water transfer operations were executed flawlessly. Handling such large flows leaves little room for error, especially when transferring more than 1,500 gallons per minute between multiple dump tanks.

The key takeaway is clear: to succeed at sustaining large water flows, it is essential to thoroughly understand and execute water transfer operations.

https://www.gotbigwater.com/news/728/Dump-Site-Operations-42---Water-Transfer-Operations-Are-Always-Critical-to-Large-Flow-Success

06/01/2026

We at GBW Associates, LLC routinely sing the praises of suction inlet control valves - internal or external. As with just about anything, there are advantages and disadvantages with each type/brand/model - it is not all rainbows, puppies, and toes in the sand type stuff. One disadvantage of an external valve is when the pump's inlet screen gets blocked with a foreign substance, there is really no way to clean that screen without shutting down the operation and removing the valve in order to access the blockage. These photos show loose pieces of tank coating floating around in a dump tank. Where did it come from? The inside of an old tanker that dumped water into the tank. Where did it go? The suction inlet on the fire pump. The pump was equipped with an external control valve; the driver noticed reduced intake and increased vacuum reading; the operation had to be shut down to clear the blockage.

05/31/2026

Some more good work.

05/29/2026

What's On Your Engine #25? - External Suction Intake Control Valves

Thousands of pumpers use some type of suction inlet control valve on at least one of their main suction inlets. These valves come in a wide range of sizes and types, offering many choices to departments. In rural areas where drafting operations are a standard practice, many departments use an external suction inlet control valve as part of their setup. In these situations, the best approach is to select a valve with the largest internal waterway to minimize flow restriction and ensure the inlet side is trimmed out with NH threads that match your suction hose, which is most commonly 6-inch NH.

Having a suction inlet control valve, whether internal or external, provides the driver/operator with several options when drafting, using onboard tank water, and adding additional suction lines. The photos in this story show a pumper equipped with a TFT Jumbo Ball Intake Valve on the officer’s side of the vehicle. The driver initially placed the suction line on the driver’s side into service without a valve. The second suction line was installed on the officer’s side after additional equipment arrived. The crew built out the second suction line, connected it to the intake valve, and brought it online without losing prime or stopping operations, thanks to the suction inlet control valve.

https://www.gotbigwater.com/news/727/Whats-On-Your-Engine-25---External-Suction-Intake-Control-Valves