Wow, the Kee-Kee birds are definitely out there this morning. Looking at a temperature map I see many areas along the U. S. / Canada border that are in the minus-20′s and minus 30′s. That’s almost incomprehensible to us folks down in Dixie. When it’s that cold, water can freeze the moment it hits the air and I wonder how the firefighters manage when they are using outside streams. Just keep plugging, I guess.
In Montreal they are experiencing water main breaks at the rate of 12 per week, thanks to the combination of the extreme cold and a water system that is still using pipes that are 120+ years old. This photo was taken yesterday when a main burst and sent thousands of gallons (liters?) into a city street. Those cars are not driving through the water – they are frozen in place in the water.
CBC photo
Needless to say, my own experience with working a fire during Oº F. temps is limited. But I can never forget the novelty of coming out of the fire building and my protective clothing instantly freezing, turning me into a statue. That’s weird.
Picking up was a challenge too. We dragged the hose lines over to a pumper’s exhaust pipe where the couplings could be thawed quickly in order to be unscrewed. Then we would bend the hose sections in the middle and load them onto the aerial ladder bed to be carried back to the station where they could thaw out. Not fun.
I admire you guys who are out there this weekend doing your best. Now let’s get ready for it and get this equipment checked out. I’ll make sure there’s plenty of coffee.
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