Jumpline MAG_Winter 2026 - Flipbook - Page 9
1403 Of昀椀cers
“Bobby Boucher” Paul Blake
Local 1403 Treasurer
9
It wasn’t that it had 4,000 gallons, because you would
exhaust that in 16 minutes. It was that it had the ability to
of昀氀oad its water into a portable tank and get more water.
That was not something our Tankers had the ability to do.
昀椀re-due apparatus, and the department must
maintain the 昀氀ow, without interruption for the
2-hour duration.
structure burning down to the slab. Equally
frustrating was that same year, the department
placed a fully staffed 昀椀re boat into service.
The department seemed more interested
in protecting our waterways than our rural
property owners.
Tanker-13 was relocated to Station-34 along
with a secondary vehicle which carried the
portable tanks and appliances needed to
operate them. At the time, we were a Class-4.
The goal was to become a Class-1. In 2018
we improved from a Class-4 to a Class-2.
Class-1 was only 昀椀ve points away. To get the
necessary points, it meant seeking solutions,
looking beyond MDFR for answers. We had
to be better at documenting our training and
better at rural water delivery.
Tanker-13 (Water Tender-1) was a surplus
vehicle from the Parks Department. It was
operated by Logistics staff and usually put in
service by them during grass 昀椀re season. It
did not have a portable tank nor dump valve
until it was refurbished many years later.
In 2009 I tried to relocate Tanker-13 to
Station-16. I wrote a chain of command letter
to the Assistant Fire Chief. The plan was to
share staf昀椀ng with one of the two suppression
units. It was denied by my operations division
chief who wrote: “This tanker is a resource for West Miami Dade
from Broward County to Monroe County limits and should not be
located in the extreme South.” Thinking it was me; I gave the
letter to the Engine Captain, on a separate shift, to forward up
his chain of command. Denied.
When new Tankers were being purchased, I had foolishly
suggested they be out昀椀tted with dump valves and portable tanks
as I had seen on other units, such as the 4000-gallon tanker at
HARB and Key Largo Fire Department. The response I was
given was “you are a ladder captain, not a tanker captain.” That
having been said, I bid out of Station-16 and over to EMS.
Fast forward a decade and MDFR’s quest to improve their
insurance rating. Fire departments rated Class-8 or better must
be able to deliver at least 250 gpm for a period of two hours.
If the 昀椀re department delivers the 250 gpm through tanker
shuttles, large-diameter hose, or other alternative water supply,
the water must be available within 5 minutes of the arrival of the
Chief Danny Cardeso, who was the Operations
Chief at the time, came down and drove the
area.
He understood the challenges of
rural water supply. Roads he travelled that once had 昀椀elds
with agricultural wells, now had homes. There were other
opportunities for improvement in addition to having more
tankers, such as installing dry hydrants and changing the zoning
code requiring homes constructed outside the UDB to have a
dry hydrant. Still, those were years away.
Chief Brian Gelabert, along with dedication and work of his
crews in Battalion-10, B shift played a huge role in making
the Water Tender a reality. Numerous Standard Operating
Procedures were also updated and created because of their
training. Brian was able to get Tanker-13 relocated to Station-16
from Station-34. The unit designation was now Water Tender-1.
The unit was shared staffed with personnel from Station-16
possessing the quali昀椀cations to operate it.
On March 25, 2024, the Fire Chief announced that we had
achieved a Class-1 rating. Still, Water Tender-1 had not become
a fully staffed unit. Without it being staffed, we could not meet
the rural water supply requirement. MDFR was still sending
multiple units above those performing 昀椀re attack just to shuttle
water to the 昀椀re scene. Although the Water Tender was at
Station-16, because it was not staffed, it usually arrived late in
the 昀椀re. Additionally, the 4000-gallon tank leaked so it had to be
昀椀lled prior to leaving the station.
The union and the department agreed to a pilot program to
staff the Water Tender on a full-time basis in February 2025.
MDFR rented a water truck from United Rentals until the original
vehicle was repaired. From day one, it has made a difference.
This past year, we operated three water tenders due to the grass
昀椀res in South Miami Dade.
MDFR can state with con昀椀dence that when it comes to 昀椀ghting a
structure 昀椀re, it is able to do so on both sides of the street.
Winter 2025 | JUMPLINE Magazine
