The Science of Firefighting: Cisterns I Science in the City I Exploratorium

Ever notice a brick-lined circle embedded into a street intersection? Keep an eye out and you'll see them throughout San Francisco. As part of the San Francisco Fire Department's Auxiliary Water Supply System, these brick circles indicate a cistern full of water. Join SFFD's Chief Ken Lombardi and Firefighter Hashim Anderson as they discuss the history and function of these cisterns, and demonstrate the drafting procedures used to access the water.

[@chrisreed26]

Wow..how amazing..talk about future planning!! They really learned after the big quake and the need for water source to fight fires!! More cities could learn from SF's water supply!

[@user-hw1cr5uq4z]

SMART! Never knew this. SFFD is a first class operation.

[@paulaharrisbaca4851]

SF used to have some of the finest police and fire departments, as well as water departments because people who were employed to do the jobs were the best at their profession with no ulterior motives, and the ciry fathers of the day were willing to pay, especially as San Francisco's reputation rested upon it, post 1906 earthquake and fire, to make the city one of the leaders in everything. Now they are doing the exact opposite intentionally. Sad. (never let left wing people run anything besides arson, riots and general mayhem)

[@huntrrams]

Wow this was interesting! I never knew the reason behind the different colored hydrants. This was informative.

[@Lacombe57]

WoW!! Well done. Lessons were learned and followed through on. The present and future owes a debt of gratitude to the past.

[@edbouhl3100]

A fantasticly great example of proper planning by government.

[@ricku7809]

The ADC had me on the edge of my seat. So knowledgeable. So charming.

[@supertrinigamer]

That's really cool. It's like... Sourcing from a pond... but inside a city!

[@7perm882]

This was awesome to watch, I live no where near San Francisco but I love these types of videos.

[@dcentral]

Interesting as I've never seen this system being discussed.

[@exploratorium]

San Francisco Fire Department's Engine 29 crew extinguishes our burning questions in our latest Science in the City: Cisterns.

[@PauwerFurry]

No need for a tanker when the tanker is under your feet all the time. Smart thinking by the SFFD.

[@user-sf4fy8bq1h]

"Fireboat Manifold." Damn that's awesome

[@leehart9055]

I just saw this for the firs time.This is very interesting to me.

[@camilo8427]

very interesting. In Valparaiso, Chile the local gov start a similar project. As San Francisco, Valparaiso is a "hill city".

[@trackerrrr]

Learn something new everyday.

[@arfffirefighter7310]

Good to know, Good Stuff.

[@DavidGallagherSF]

"The cisterns date from the early 1800s" - should be "early 1900s"

[@joediver7669]

I caught that too. I read elsewhere some of them were there before the 1906 quake. Couldn't be "early" 1800's though. The population of SF before the gold rush was like 200 people.

[@Teddy_Bass]

Cool history there

[@bouchee2007]

kinda neat they can use the fire boat to pump into the system

[@cartman4885]

Very cool..

[@paulaharrisbaca4851]

Engineers were so intelligent becak before they had computers. They worked with slide rules and measurements and didn't rely on anything more sophisticated. And mostly they were men who loved the job, they were fascinated by solving problems (like Joseph Strauss and the Golden Gate Bridge). Now it seems as though it's not about solving problems and accomplishing some fine and longlasting for future generations, it;s about building something forever using tax dollars and making it dynamically obsolescent. No one takes pride now. And now they hire according toe DIE, I mean, DEI guidelines, there is no interest in doing things as well as they can be done, and as efficiently as they can be done. It's sad. The use of gravity, just like the Roman aqueducts, are so simple and infallible and require NO electricty or dependence on computers

[@snowday333]

Neato

[@brushrescue1701]

Waw 😱👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@williansribeiro6564]

Willians

[@mrmakeadeal2415]

I'm thirsty