May 31, 2014 – Thursday Shift and others standing duty on Saturday night participated in a drafting and master stream drill that included use of personal flotation devices (PFD) when they also answered the Cold Water Challenge from the Freiwillege Feuerwehr Pinneberg, the volunteer fire department from Rockville’s Sister City, Pinneberg, Germany.
The drill consisted of hooking up drafting hoses to two engines, drafting water from a pond and then flowing master streams back into the pond. Drafting is used when there are no fire hydrants available and water is needed to extinguish a fire. While this is a rare occurrence within the City of Rockville, RVFD units are often called to areas outside the City where hydrants are not available, particularly in the western part of the County. Master streams, in this case deck guns, are used to deliver high volumes of water on large fires. The recent fire in the King Farm area of Rockville utilized multiple master streams to bring the fire under control.
The Challenge
On May 30, 2014, the Freiwillege Feuerwehr Pinneberg issued the Cold Water Challenge to the RVFD. Over the past 25 years, RVFD and the Pinneberg Fire Brigade have developed a close relationship with their members visiting Rockville and RVFD members visiting Pinneberg. The Cold Water Challenge is a fun activity in which various firefighters or departments challenge their colleagues to get wet within 24 hours or make a donation to a fire department related charity, usually a burn foundation. Most individuals answer the challenge by jumping in a pool or lake and then post the video to social media in which they then pass on the challenge.
Here is the challenge from the Freiwillege Feuerwehr Pinneberg to RVFD:
Members of the RVFD took the opportunity during their PFD drill to answer the challenge:
Answering the challenge and a new challenge is issued:
