Operating the pump at a working fire can be a high-pressure job, if you will excuse the pun. Pump operators are obliged to supply water on demand to a wide variety of appliances ranging from booster reels to cellar pipes to sprinkler systems, including every kind of handline and master stream in between. Each appliance has its own exigencies and requirements. For the study of hydraulics, friction loss formulas, pump specifications, and so on, to lead to precision in pumping operations, it is necessary to understand the underlying concepts and terminology on which they are based. Some of the basic concepts of fire service hydraulics for the "hands-on" pump operator in the field are discussed below.

Flow is the volume of water delivered through hoselines to the burning material by means of the mechanical force of the fire pump. Measured in gallons per minute (gpm), flow is the definitive factor in whether the fire will be controlled or not. The minimum flow recommended for a handline operating inside a burning building is 150 gpm, except during overhaul. Flow rates to master streams range from 350 gpm for deluge sets up to 1,000 gpm for elevated platforms.

Most standard fire pumps are designed and rated to flow a capacity of either 1,000; 1,500; or 2,000 gpm. Hence, a 1,000-gallon pumper would be capable of supplying one tower ladder or up to three deluge sets, provided that conditions are right, meaning that the water source was capable of yielding 1,000 gpm to the intake side of the pump.

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