OpenTube

Fire Engine Operations: Pressure vs RPM Mode

Clear Lake MN Fire & Rescue Education Div

20,071 views

Here we cover the basics behind the modern fire engine's pressure governor and how we use it in some common scenarios. The purpose of this video is to provide a clear understanding of the differences between the Pressure and RPM modes and how they interact, if at all, with our intake and discharge gauges. Once we have a good grasp on this as a foundation, slightly more advance procedures will come with ease and less mystery.

I hope you find this helpful and thanks for watching.

#firefightertraining #volunteerfirefighter #firepumps

20 Comments

@lanceturner9686 6 hours ago

Man I love the scenarios actually. They are clear simple then add visual

@TimothyRichardson-x7o 1 month ago

After 10 years away from the fire service, I am about to go back with my focus being a driver/pump operator. I am very impressed with your teaching style and found this video to be an excellent refresher before even getting myself in front of a pump panel. Thank you1

@setharbanas6795 4 months ago

These videos are the absolute best. I have not found anything like these and this is exactly what I needed. The only thing I wish this particular video covered is what setting to use when you are doing a nurse operation

@brianwinger2021 3 weeks ago (edited)

One thing I'd like to add if I can. You covered what happens to the handline when the hydrant supply is opened and how the governor adapts to that. One thing everyone needs to keep in mind when this is happening though is that the governor only uses the speed of the engine to change the pressure. Nothing else. With that in mind, if you have a strong hydrant and you open up that supply, the governor may end up going right down to an idle and your handline pressures may still be at an unmanageable pressure. At that point your pump is basically just a manifold for the hydrant pressure.

Bottom line is that the pump operator needs to be very aware of this change when they open up that MIV to let that hydrant pressure in. I hope this makes sense. Great video

@mikehinson5935 2 months ago

27 year engineer here and sound much like me when teaching. I prefer only one or 2 others when I’m teaching as well. Bigger groups sometimes make people more hesitant to ask questions. I’m right there with ya.
Respect from NC

@JustinTaylor-jk1yf 1 month ago

Awesome, explanation and video. Thank you for sharing.

@Johnny_Vox 4 months ago

And you’re a drummer to boot! Way to go bro!💪🏼🙌🏼🚒

@Illusions2020 3 months ago

Thank You so very much for a precise and easily graspable function of the pumper operations. Wow!

@timmorgan8264 4 months ago

Amazing, clear presentation. Thank you!

@michaelfouse4102 4 months ago

What a great series of videos on “pump operations”. I am normally on the first due engine as interior fire attack, but on many occasions arriving late to the station, end up running our tanker. Or if the call is a midday low staffing run, I might be driving our first run engine and start with an exterior attack until sufficient SCBA qualified Firefighters arrive on scene so we can conduct a transitional attack (if fire conditions allow). I have book marked all your videos and plan to watch them a lot, especially while sitting in front the pump panels of our first and second run engines. As an all volunteer department in northern NY, we have to be able to fill whatever position needs filling when the “tones” drop. I hope you don’t mind that I sent this playlist to our 2nd Deputy Chief, in charge of training, so we can use this resource for our more junior firefighters. Great stuff, and thanks for sharing with the community.

Thanks for your Service, brother 🫡🇺🇸

Mike Fouse
FF #50
Malone Callfiremen (MCF)
Malone , NY

@ro6ocarp 4 months ago

Amazing videos and resource for volunteer FFs!🙏

@Dmoney__01 5 months ago

Thank you for making this

@DonnyKalifornia 5 months ago

Another great video, and great explanation.

@ducatiparkpre1 5 months ago

Excellent job!

@chrisfox5001 4 months ago

This is awesome!

@njjeff201 5 months ago

Good stuff!!!! 🚒

@DwiSubagio-t7l 12 days ago

tanks for explane sir, good job.what is do work for any engine pump .

@dfgiuy22 3 weeks ago

10:55 mate, I can use pumps. I cannot teach pumps! We in lowly Australia (rural brigades) don't have fancy pressure governors as a rule. Pumps work the same. This gave me so many flash backs to a industrial fire where it burnt for days and we started with the onsite pumps working. Day and a half later they stopped and I got to sit there trying to figure out what was going on.

Best bit of advice to everyone out there, LISTEN, FEEL and HEAR what the appliance is doing. With the onsite pumps and mains pressure going, I didn't even need to run the pump. We just used the manifold to manage the water and pressure. This was a long lay to. We were hooked on via a 30ft (10m) 2 1/2 (64mm line) to the first appliance then 1279ft, 390 meters to the next. Even at idle we were over pressurizing the second appliance to the fire.

Ended up just stopping the pump, then the onsite pumps died and the first appliance had to start using it's pump only getting slight input pressure.... It's a trip, I gave a crap explanation but we had water most of the time.

Glad you explained it WAY BETTER than I, Sir!