Kingston Fire & Rescue announces important re-accreditation

Kingston Fire & Rescue (KFR) has successfully completed its re-accreditation of the Superior Tanker Shuttle Service with Commercial Rating through Fire Underwriters Survey (FUS).

According to a release from the City of Kingston, this level of accreditation is a recognized equivalency to hydrant protection and must be renewed every five years. Having the accreditation allows firefighters to use water supplied outside of the use of fire hydrants in firefighting events. This can include the filling and use of large vessels of water, as outlined below.

FUS said that to be recognized for Accredited Superior Tanker Shuttle Service, a fire department must exceed the requirements in several key areas, including:

• For personal lines insurance, the fire department must be able to deliver a flow rate of not less than 950 LPM (200 IGPM) within five minutes of arriving at the test site with the first major piece of apparatus (wheel stop).
• For commercial lines insurance, the fire department must be able to deliver a flow rate of not less than 1900 LPM (400 IGPM) within five minutes of arriving at the test site with the first major piece of apparatus (wheel stop).
• The fire department must be able to deliver the flow rate which will be accredited within 10 minutes of arriving at the test site with the first major piece of apparatus (wheel stop).
• The volume of water available for firefighting must be adequate to sustain the accredited flow rate for a duration in accordance with the Fire Underwriters Survey Water Supplies for Public Fire Protection.

“This achievement demonstrates our ability to transport water to rural fire scenes and confirms our commitment to providing exceptional fire protection service to our residents. It also provides our rural residents with a potential reduction in insurance premiums,” said Kingston Fire & Rescue Chief Monique Belair. 

According to the release, Kingston Fire & Rescue would like to thank and recognize Frulact Canada for the use of their property to conduct the testing, as well as South Frontenac Fire & Rescue, Loyalist Township Emergency Services, and Leeds & the1000 Islands Fire Service for providing equipment and resources.  

“Last but not least, thank you to our amazing firefighters and training division for their hard work and dedication to achieving this level. Well done and congratulations,” said Richard Edworthy, Chief Training Officer with Kingston Fire & Rescue.