Precast Concrete Water Storage Vault Tests Fire Engine Equipment

Fire Station 63 in Oroville, California, fields an average of 2,000 calls a year from residents, businesses, and fellow firefighting units in and around Butte County, California. When a call comes into the Oroville outpost, the community counts on the station crew to be at the ready. The same goes for all the equipment it takes to battle a blaze. Every piece must be counted on to work as hard as every firefighter.

For fire engines to work at optimal capacity, no matter the time and place, pump tests are performed on a regular basis from underground water storage vaults.

“For our pump tests, we pull a draft of water from the vault into the fire engine, then test the gallons per minute the firehoses release the water based on the size of the fire engine,” says Station 63 Fire Apparatus Engineer Jimmy Waddle. “We test to see if all the apparatus is working at full capacity. During the process the water is returned to the vault to use again. This saves financial and environmental resources.”

Currently undergoing a complete renovation, Station 63 is installing a new pump test vault manufactured by Jensen Precast in Orland, California. Set at 16’ deep, the 23’ L x 8½’ W x 16’ H custom vault weighs in at 57½ tons.

“Our job for Station 63 includes one base, two risers, and one cover slab,” says Marshall Hammon, Inside Sales Representative for the Jensen Precast Orland Branch. “We worked with Bobo Construction out of Elk Grove, California, and expect to finish in early July. It’s an important project for the Oroville community. Our precast concrete vault will help ensure the fire engines are ready to go when needed. You can’t afford to have them fail when a fire breaks out.”

At completion the 4½ acre facility will house a new fire station and a new administration building for the Butte County Fire Department. During renovation the Oroville fire crew is working with Station 44 in South Chico, California, to maintain operations for public safety.

“We’ve had great support from our fellow firefighters in Chico,” Waddle says. “It takes strong teamwork to manage all the schedules and carry out training, testing, and answering calls. Being able to get everything in place at Station 63, though, will be worth it all in the long run.”