Water Supply for Large Scale Fires
Andy Soccodato
Friday, June 13, 2025
10:45 AM – 12:15 PM
Fires in large commercial buildings, warehouses, industrial facilities, and crowded urban areas have the potential for significant fire flows in order to control the incident. Although these incidents are often referred to as “once in a career” fire events, they will require every firefighter to perform at peak efficiency. In this class, students will be introduced to the various methods that can be employed during these incidents to ensure that the needed fire flow is delivered to the fire scene. This class will stress the importance of placing pumping apparatus at the fire hydrants used for the incident to help maximize the water availability to the scene. Heavy hydrant hookups will be discussed to show students how to get a fire hydrant’s rated flow capacity into the pumping apparatus.
Andy Soccodato
Andy Soccodato has served in the fire service since 2006 in both career and volunteer agencies that covered both rural and urban communities. Nine years of his career were spent as a firefighter and driver/operator for the Charlottesville (VA) Fire Department. Soccodato currently works as a full time Fire Instructor II at the Tennessee State Fire Academy where he oversees the driver/pump & aerial programs. He is also the owner of The Water Thieves, LLC, a business which specializes in delivering street smart driver/pump operator courses. Soccodato is also a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, has presented at FDIC, and is the author of the book Water Thievery: The Art of Water Supply Operations.
