BERWYN, PA - This past Saturday, volunteers and career staff from the Berwyn Fire Company, Radnor Fire Company, Paoli Fire Company, Malvern Fire Company, East Whiteland Fire Company, Valley Forge Volunteer Fire Company, and Newtown Square Fire Company completed a water supply drill at Leopard Lakes Farm in Easttown Township.

This past April the Berwyn Fire Company worked with the Leopard Lakes community to install three dry fire hydrants around the lake that encompasses nearly 40 homes. The lake is the centerpiece of this unique neighborhood situated in the Berwyn section of the Township. This project was made possible by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - Volunteer Fire Assistance Program.

The addition of these hydrants greatly expedites water supply operations in the event of a structure fire. In turn, this also helps to minimize fire loss if disaster strikes and eliminates the need to put firefighters close to the water to put hoses into the lake itself as was done in years past.

Unlike a normal fire hydrant that runs off of a water main, dry hydrants work by pulling the water out of the water source (ie. lake, pond, pool) via a hose connected to a fire truck. This is commonly referred to as 'drafting' in the fire service. Prior to this project coming to fruition, there were no fire hydrants that adequately served this neighborhood.

Regional training like this promotes teamwork and robust discussion around strategy and tactics. Thank you to all the volunteers and career staff for taking the time to attend this training session despite the heat wave.

Photos courtesy of Justin Brundage, Damien Enderle, Bob Robie and Christopher Totaro.

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The Berwyn Fire Company is a registered 501c3 non-profit combination organization that provides primary fire, EMS, and rescue services to 30,338 citizens between Tredyffrin Township and Easttown Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania. To learn more about the Company visit www.BerwynFireCo.org.