To: All Stuart Island East Residents

Re: Stuart Island East Localized Fire Prevention Proposal

From: Jason Douglass. V.P. / Stuart Island East Maintenance Association

Date: May 20, 2015

Greetings! As a result of last year’s annual meeting, I have put together a list of items required to create a community fire prevention system.

There are a few thoughts driving this proposal:

1. As you are all aware, we’re basically ‘on our own’ with regards to fire prevention (specifically when it comes to structures.)
2. The water trailers at the hangar are certainly helpful, but there is a concern regarding the time it would take to locate a tow vehicle, hook up the trailer, and get it to the site of the fire (especially for those on the far side of the island, or in any area with poor road access).
3. There are water tanks all over the island. If we could essentially convert those tanks into ‘Fire Hydrants’ we could have quick access to high-pressure water near the site of any potential fire.
4. If we had a set of common fittings, pumps, and hoses, multiple pump ‘setups’ could be moved to the site of a fire hydrant in cases where additional water and/or equipment is needed.

To use the proposed system, two things need to be done:

1. Each individual tank owner will need to set up their tank with common fittings using the ‘Common Tank Fitting’ Bill of Materials below. Cost to do this is about $120. This buys a set of fittings, a gate valve, and a rigid suction hose with cam-locks. This will allow any pump purchased to the specifications listed herein to hook up to any equipped tank and draw water.
2. A pump setup will be needed. Groups of 3-5 homes can purchase a pump setup, with hose that could be located close to that group of owners to hook up to any tank nearby. Cost to do this is about $1000 per setup (~$200 – $350 per household depending on the number of homes per setup and lengths of hose needed.)

The entire cost per household if a pump is shared would be around $320 – $470 (the cost of the tank fittings + the shared cost of the pump).

With this design, all suction hoses and fire hoses will be able to daisy chain together for additional length to and from the pump.

I’ll have a setup at my cabin to demonstrate. If there is interest, I could do a bulk purchase of the parts for everyone and help you set up your systems and offer to help get the fittings installed.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Cell Phone: 425-301-0864 email: jason.douglass@frontier.com

Thanks! -Jason

Common Water Tank Fitting Setups:

Bill of Materials:

1. Tank Bulkhead Fitting (1 Per Tank):
   

2” NPT Bulkhead Fitting (~$12)

http://www.zoro.com/i/G3303684/?category=7927

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2. Bulkhead Fitting to Gate Valve (Pipe, 1 Per Tank)
   

2” Brass Pipe: (~$18)

http://www.zoro.com/i/G3246835/?category=5764

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3. Optional [Additional parts to get hose connection off the ground a bit if the tank outlet is low]
    

3.1) 2” Brass Pipe: (~$18 per) (Need 2 per setup)

http://www.zoro.com/i/G3246835/?category=5764

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3.2) Elbow (90 2” NPT) (~$16 Each) (Need 2 per setup)

http://www.zoro.com/i/G1628006/?category=6438

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4. Water Tank to Pump Shutoff Valve

Gate Valve (2” NPT): ~$35 (Need 1 per setup)

http://www.zoro.com/i/G3746775/?category=5803

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5. Valve to Suction Hose Cam Lock Connector (Need 1 per setup)

Male NPT to Female Cam Lock to accept male ended suction hose

http://www.zoro.com/i/G3171427/?category=33

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6. Water Suction Hose with Female Cam Lock (Can be daisy chained)

2” Suction Hose with cam locks (20ft)  

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-x-20-Trash-Pump-Water-Suction-Hose-w-Camlock-/171033413240?pt=BI_Pumps&hash=item27d262c678

OR http://www.zoro.com/i/G0298977/?category=6159

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7. Suction Hose Male Cam Lock Fitting
   

Male Cam Lock fitting for suction hose to connect to tank side: ($6)

http://www.zoro.com/i/G1235945/?category=33

Note: Fittings need to be located at the bottom of the tank. (Seems obvious, I know…)

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Mobile Pump Setup – Recommend one pump for up to 4 homes (the goal being to have a single pump close to each residence)

8. Suction Hose to Pump Connection

Male Cam Lock fitting (to Female NPT) for suction hose side of pump: ($6)

http://www.zoro.com/value-brand-adapter-male-2-in-3lx26/i/G3451113/

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9. North-Star High-Pressure Water Pump — 2in. Ports, 8120 GPH, 94 PSI, 160cc Honda GX160 Engine ($550) (2” NPT Male Fittings)

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200418131_200418131

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10. Mobile Wheel Kit for Pump ($50) :  

Recommend 2 to get a 4-wheel setup for easy movement over terrain.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200624888_200624888

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11. Pump outlet connection ($30)

2” NPT to 1.5” Fire hose Adapter for Pump (2” NPT Female to 1.5” NH Male)

http://www.zoro.com/i/G3049776/?category=5763

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12. Fire Hose

Discharge Hose (100 ft X 1.5” ) ($150)

http://www.zoro.com/g/Fire%20Hose/00080790/None

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13. Hose Nozzle: ($24)

http://www.zoro.com/i/G1518273/?category=8605

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Optional, but certainly recommended: Fuel Conversion

As I was putting my own system together, I thought about fueling the system. Traditional fuel is gasoline. Gasoline has a limited shelf life. These systems, more likely than not, will get forgotten about for months if not years on end. At which point, if the systems have no fresh gasoline in them, they won’t start when you need them.

I’m converting mine to propane (which does NOT go bad.) You can place a couple of 1 lb disposable cylinders with the unit for operation.

There are two options. One’s a little easier than the other to install, but is a bit more expensive.

Tri-Fuel Kit: Allows the engine to run on Gasoline, Propane, or Natural Gas. Price $187

This is the kit I recommend for ease of installation if nothing else.

http://www.motorsnorkel.com/motor-snorkel-tri-fuel-natural-gas-propane-and-gasoline-conversion-kit-3055.html

Dedicated Propane Kit: Price $157

http://www.motorsnorkel.com/propane-and-or-natural-gas-only-no-gasoline-option-after-conversion-conversion-kit-3045.html

Propane Adapters You Will Need (Not included in the carb kit)

With the following components you can use the run of the mill Coleman disposable propane cylinders to run the system.

1. Disposable Cylinder Adapter (~$18)

http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-Disposable-Bottle-Adapter/dp/B0002YSY20/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1431724655&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=propane+disposable+adapter+1%2F4%22+npt

2. Propane Hose & Regulator (~$16)

http://www.amazon.com/Char-Broil-5184657-Hose-and-Regulator/dp/B002J9N10G/ref=sr_1_93?ie=UTF8&qid=1431725098&sr=8-93&keywords=propane+hose

 

3. Carb Adapters

http://www.amazon.com/Eaton-Weatherhead-48X6X8-Degree-Adapter/dp/B00BKFKDV0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1431725278&sr=8-3&keywords=1%2F2%22+NPT+to+3%2F8+Flare+Adapter

http://www.amazon.com/Bushing-Adapter-Convert-Solid-Hydraulic/dp/B00MI0NGEC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1431725388&sr=8-2&keywords=3%2F4%22+NPT+to+1%2F2%22+NPT

Optional: Frame Mount

I used a couple of 1” Square aluminum tubes to build a simple frame for mounting the wheels and propane carburetor. This gets the system up off the ground a bit for easy handling, gives you a place to mount the propane carburetor, and allows you to mount the pump without a bunch of additional drilling into the pump frame as it uses existing holes in the pump frame (for the most part.) The advantage here is that it minimizes frame corrosion as you’re not removing the factory powder coat as you drill the hoses. (You can pick these up at any local hardware store)

1. Qty 2 Length 18” – 1”X1” Aluminum Square
2. Qty 2 Length 24” – 1”X1” Aluminum Square
3. Qty 4 ¼”-20 X 2-1/2” Long Screws
4. Qty 4 ¼”-20 X 1-1/2” Long Screws
5. Qty 8 ¼-20 Lock Nuts
6. Qty 12 ¼” ID Washers

System Schematic: