MARSHFIELD — About 20 firefighters from the Machias, Machiasport, Marshfield and Jonesboro/Roque Bluffs fire departments gathered on a recent cold, wet Sunday morning to train with a diesel-powered water pump designed to enhance fire protection in downtown Machias and Marshfield.
The pump allows crews to draw from any freshwater source — not just municipal water lines — to provide enough water at adequate pressure for large commercial structure fires and forest and grass fires, according to Danny Bowker, chief of the Marshfield Fire Department and deputy chief of the Machias Fire Department.
Municipal water lines are not designed to keep up with the larger pumps used on modern firetrucks and equipment, and they cannot supply enough water for large commercial structure fires.
The Bluebird Motel fire last Christmas Eve solidified the idea of installing a permanent pump and dry hydrant in downtown Machias, according to Bowker. During the fire, crews had to haul in additional water using pumper trucks because the municipal water lines could not supply enough.
“We had to truck water from the standpipe to help subsidize the hydrant system just because the town water system is not designed for large commercial fires,” Bowker said. “It’s designed more for municipal water usage.”
Three years ago, Bowker acquired two Gorman-Rupp four-cylinder diesel water pumps — each rated at 1,200 gallons per minute — for the Marshfield Fire Department. During training last Sunday, firefighters put one of the pumps to the test, operating three deck guns at full pressure while drawing water from a neighbor’s private pond on Pumpkin Ridge in Marshfield.
“I was very impressed with what that pump would do, as well as what we can do with an adequate water source,” Bowker said.
Bowker said his plan is to have one pump permanently installed at a dry hydrant in Marshfield, one permanently installed in Machias — likely along the Machias River on Water Street — and one pump that can be portable and “go anywhere.”
Bowker also said he plans to sell one pump to Machias at cost and buy another to be shared between the two towns.
The pump and dry hydrant will likely be installed in the town’s Water Street parking lot along the Machias River, just above Bad Little Falls, where the water is fresh, Machias Town Manager Sarah Craighead Dedmon said in an email. She noted the pump is expected to cost between $15,000 and $20,000, but the town plans to pursue grants and donations to offset the cost.
“I’m in hopes of getting donations from the businesses that would directly be benefiting from the protection of this pump, to purchase that pump,” Bowker said.
Craighead Dedmon echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the town’s focus on public safety and emergency preparedness.
“We believe that giving our fire departments the opportunity to draw on not just the Machias fire hydrants but also the Machias River could be an absolute game changer in the event of a downtown fire,” she said.
Machias’ fire trucks carry about 2,000 feet of large-diameter hose, according to Bowker. If the dry hydrant were installed on Water Street, the lines could reach between 1,500 and 2,000 feet from that point — covering the University of Maine at Machias campus, most of Main Street and much of the downtown area, including Machias Savings Bank.
All of the funding for the Marshfield Volunteer Fire Department’s pumps came from donations.
“When people donate to volunteer fire departments, they do go to great resources and give us the resources we need to purchase equipment to help protect the community,” Bowker said.
“If we can preplan, we know our town doesn’t have enough water, and we can preplan and foresee and help protect our community. Why would we not do everything we can do to protect our community?”
