How About Reducing the Fire Flow Even More?

    by Dixie A. Walter
    November 3, 2003

    There is a small group of people in the area who refuse to believe Eatonville only has water hookups for 29 homes. Or 24 ERUs (equivalent residential units) if the five ERUs set aside for commercial use is subtracted. This group includes  two members of the planning commission, Ron "Grins" Pierce and Chair Steve Lind as well as the Dispatch. According to a "Short List of Items for Auditors to Check" stamped "draft," prepared by this group, their figures show "...901 ERUs that can be allocated to new construction." 
     Now there is a proposal to reduce the required fire storage, shaving fire flow down so it  would be very close to the minimum required by the state. This would make more water available for the three biggest developers to continue with their large residential building. The required fire flow is based on enough water to fight a three hour fire in the town's largest building, the Mill Village Motel. If the proposal to take more fire flow from the town were to be adopted the town could be left in a very dangerous situation. 
     Worst case scenario: The motel catches fire; there isn't enough water to quench the fire and it jumps to the mall. Next to the mall is a service station with gas and diesel tanks. Behind the mall is senior housing, a trailer court and Associated Petroleum. To put out a petroleum fire would require foam. Of course such a fire could also jump to Aaron's Ark and from there spread to Associated Petroleum, senior housing and the trailer court. Best case scenario: There is never a fire in any large building in Eatonville.
     The water availability analysis was done by consulting engineers from Gray & Osborne.  In a memo dated October 27, responding to the "Short List of Items for Auditors to Check" engineer John Hastig states: "...there have been comments about G & O taking sides in this issue. I can assure you that G & O has maintained an unbiased approach to working with the Town to get through the number of water supply issues it faces. We would gain nothing from taking a biased approach toward either side. The same applies to all of our work"
     There is also a rumor drifting about the community that the town staff  has taken "sides" on the water issues, thus,  have not given some public water consumption documents to the group. According to staff they have, indeed, given all the documents requested. However, they would not give out citizen's names.
     John Hastig also writes in his memo answering the "Short List:" As for your Town staff, our working relationship with them has been such that we believe we can attest to their professional attitude toward working with the information and data as it exists, and taking action to gain additional knowledge of the systems in place when that data is questioned..."
      Below please see how the proposed reduction in fire flow would affect "standby & fire storage."  Also please see the graph explaining what is required for the new reservoir. Graphs by F. Gregory Wilder, Interim Public Works Director.

     The town’s reservoirs currently do not meet the requirements necessary to provide for fire water storage.  The drawing on the left represents the town’s existing reservoir capacity and the drawing on the right represents the town’s needs for water storage.  The different sizes of the two drawings is intended to visually represent a true comparison.  As you can see, we cannot meet our fire protection needs as it is now!

     Planning Commission Chairman Steve Lind has proposed to the town council that we should, instead of adding more reservoir storage, take what we already have and reduce our needs even further so that new development can have the water for their needs. The drawing on the left represents what we have, and the drawing on the right represents Lind’s suggestion. The yellow band represents the amount of water he thinks we should give up so the builders and developers can have more. We, of course, would have less water which violates Eatonville's Comprehensive Plan and the State’s Growth Management Act.

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