By Tara de Ryk
March 29, 2010

DAVIDSON-A water tower that's half filled with ice isn't much use to firefighters battling a major blaze.

This was the concern that was brought last Tuesday to Davidson town council in the wake of a March 2 fire that destroyed the AC Motors NAPA Auto Parts building.

Firefighters did not have access to an adequate water supply to properly fight the fire, said business co-owner Clayton Schilling who on behalf of Davidson and District Business Association brought the concern to town council.

The business association wants council aware of the water supply issue and its concerns that the town lacks the ability to suppress a major fire. The business association is hoping for some discussion.

Schilling is also Davidson's fire chief and was able to explain to council the problem firefighters had in combating the blaze.

In the winter, because water freezes in the tower, the town lacks the storage capacity to fight a major fire.

"We didn't have enough water that night because our pumps were running dry," Schilling said.

He said firefighters did not have access to enough water to extinguish the blaze. Instead, they focused efforts on keeping it cool.

Had the fire spread to nearby buildings, Schilling said the town lacked the water to fight it.

"If the wind had been in the wrong direction, we would have lost more buildings," Schilling said.

Coun. Adrian Schmiedge said the water supply is something public works and engineering will have to look at.

 "We've got to have a better reserve on this side (of the highway) or a better water system to get it here," Schmiedge said.

Currently, water from the treatment plant behind the A & W on Highway 11 is carried to town in a 6-inch water line.

The water line goes cross-country, under the highway, across Sellar's Crescent and to the water tower where it is stored.

Davidson's water supply system is gravity fed from the tower, which is why people whose homes are close to the water tower have good water pressure and those who live farther away, particularly at the north end of town, have poorer water pressure.

"What the engineers would love to do is put in a 12-inch line along Railway and have an underground reservoir near the town shop," administrator Gary Edom said.

Edom said such a system would improve water pressure for every-day use.

Underground storage would also eliminate the problem of water freezing in the tower.

Such a system will likely cost a "few million bucks", Edom said.

It's expensive for an event that happens once a decade, which is Davidson's average for major fires in recent history.

Before the AC Motors fire, the last major fire in town was at Panther Packaging in 1999. Another major fire in Davidson occurred in the early 1980s when the J. V. Restaurant was destroyed.

Edom said he would consult with the town's engineers to see what can be done to alleviate ice in the tower. This could involve aerating or circulating the water so it doesn't freeze.

The leaderonline is a division of The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan, Canada.