Salinas Los bomberos y Cal Water se asocian en la unidad DRAFTS

Fire Department Serves as Model for Residents, Businesses to Save Water Every Day

A new piece of equipment is allowing Salinas firefighters to train and test their life-saving fire equipment, while also now saving more than 47,000 gallons of water-enough to fill more than two residential swimming pools-every time it is used. The Salinas Fire Department and Cal Water partnered on the purchase of the new Pump Pod® DRAFTS (Direct Recirculating Apparatus Firefighting Training Sustainability) Unit, which is helping Salinas Fire reduce water usage from 50,000 gallons to 2,500 gallons per training.

Through Cal Water's conservation program, Cal Water and the Salinas Fire Department collaborated to bring the DRAFTS Unit to Salinas as a way to continue regular training and fire equipment testing, while also saving water. While millions of gallons of water are needed for training and testing purposes, the unit allows water used for full-flow training to be recycled and reused instead of going down the drain.

"I want to first and foremost say thank you to Cal Water for its continued partnership and commitment to our community. Everywhere I have turned in my 12 years of service, Cal Water has been there," said Salinas Mayor Kimbley Craig. "Another example of this partnership is the [DRAFTS Unit]; we're incredibly excited about it."

Cal Water estimates that, with this unit, the Salinas Fire Department will save more than 5.8 million gallons of water per year, while fully training firefighters and testing its equipment.

“Cal Water is dedicated to assisting firefighters, not just with a reliable supply of water, but also with their training,” said Christy Colby, Director of Water-Use Efficiency for Cal Water. “As conservation is becoming a way of life in California, Cal Water is investing in making sure firefighter training can happen in ways that significantly reduce water use.”

By teaming up with Cal Water's Conservation Department, the utility was able to provide the Salinas Fire Department more than $124,965 as a rebate to purchase the DRAFTS Unit.

Chris Knapp, Salinas Fire Division Chief/Fire Marshal, said saving water while training firefighters is a win-win. "With the acquisition of this [DRAFTS unit] that is fully funded by Cal Water's conservation rebate program, Salinas Fire can reuse 2,500 gallons of water and still prepare our members for any pump operation they may encounter in the field," he said.

Brenda Granillo, Cal Water Salinas District Manager, thanked Salinas Fire for its continued partnership to keep the community safe. "As a water provider, we're in regular communication with Salinas Fire to supply the water and pressure they need to extinguish fires and save lives and property," she said. "We appreciate their leadership in making conservation a way of life, and are happy to support them with equipment that will help keep our community safe."

Cal Water offers customers a number of incentives to save water every day through conservation rebates and programs. To learn more, visit the conservation section.