Salinas City Council
August 20, 2024

To Whom in May Concern, The Salinas Fire Department consists of 97 sworn members that serve an area of approximately 23 square miles with a population exceeding 163,000 persons. Salinas Fire is an all-hazards municipal fire department that deploys its personnel and apparatus from six fire stations located throughout the city. 6 Engines and 2 Ladder trucks responded to a total of 17,294 calls for service.In 2022, the Training Division conducted a Recruit Academy comprising of 15 Recruits and in 2023, another Academy was completed comprising 5 Recruits. In 2024 we will be conducting another Recruit academy comprising 17 more Recruits. During a recruits initial training, they are required to complete a week-long Pump Operator training and 30 additional pump evolutions. In addition, our line personnel complete 16 hours of training every month and most of these drills include flowing water. Our standard pump evolution/wet drill includes securing a water supply, stretching attack lines, and flowing water into our tower or an open field. These drills flow anywhere from 150 gallons per minute up to 1500 gallons per minute and can take several minutes up to several hours. While these drills use an extreme amount of water it is the only method, we have to provide realistic training for our Firefighters. Our department is extremely cognizant of waters value and do everything we can to minimize our usage. During pump operator training, we conduct these drills in an open field where the water is able to seep back into the ground but a lot of drills need to occur at our drill tower which results in millions of gallons wasted. We are requesting Cal Waters assistance in the purchase of a DRAFTS unit. This unit will allow us to provide the needed training to our members, while saving millions of gallons of water a year. We are requesting Cal Waters assistance with the purchase of a DRAFTS Unit from Pump Pods. This system would allow us to provide our members with realistic, hose/nozzle training and pump operator training. This unit would be housed at our training station #3, located at 827 Abbott Pl, Salinas CA. Recently, we were able to use a local junior colleges trailer and out instructors were extremely impressed with its functionality, build design, and capabilities. We appreciate your support and assistance. Chris Knapp Division Chief/Fire Marshal