*Wildfire Response Cart*
By: TexasOk
30 May 2018

After seeing hundreds of homes and outbuildings burned to the ground during our recent wildfires I noticed a very common problem. People had their property fairly well maintained with grass and shrubs properly trimmed but had no way to put out spot fires caused by the burning embers as the fire approached them. Very few had water hoses gathered up and ready to go or failed to have enough to reach their outside property boundarys. Early on during the wild fire outbreak there was not enough available fire trucks and or equipments to protect every home in the area. Wild fires on hot dry days with winds gusting to 50mph creates a major loss of property very quickly.

I have 2 all metal hose carts from the big box store loaded with 300' of 7/8" commercial hose dedicated for fire protection. You will need a good water well to be able to get the volume and pressure needed otherwise you may need to go to a smaller hose or get you a inline booster pump such as a Simmer Pump which will increase existing water pressure by 30 pounds.

Next problem, have you ever tried to pull 300' of hose to the corner of your property ? Its very difficult.....near impossible if you already have it loaded with water ! Recommend you installing water hydrants out near your property boundarys to eliminate some of the work.

Most hose carts on the market unwind from the side rather than the rear. Solution was to convert it so you could pull the cart and unload the hose on the go.

I welded up an adapter frame out of 1/4" x 1 1/2" flat iron.

Then drilled the holes that match the mounting brackets which allowed me to turn the reel to the rear of the cart.

After building this one, I would recommend you make the frame longer to spread the wheel sets apart and rotate the reel to where the hose unloads from the bottom rather than over the top for better stability on rough ground.

To use this setup take the cart to where its going to be needed and wrap the hose around a tree or fence post leaving a few extra feet to work with. Secure it with a bungie cord.

Pull the unit back toward your water hydrant while unrolling the hose.

Warning Do not attempt to fight a wildfire in tall grass or in heavy trees with this setup. You are not going to be able to move enough water for the fuel load of the fire. This is only for spot fires in a well maintained area.

Plan your response now rather than later.

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