West Pawlet and Pawlet Firefighters Train on Water Supply

West Pawlet, Vt. — September 16 — On Tuesday evening, firefighters from the West Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department and the Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department teamed up for a water-supply operations drill, part of an ongoing training initiative aimed at enhancing coordination among nearby departments. 

The joint session was part of West Pawlet’s “Training Tuesday” initiative. Firefighters carried out water-supply operations during the exercise and faced multiple challenges. Instead of being seen as setbacks, the problems offered crews a chance to pinpoint areas for improvement prior to a genuine emergency. 

Water supply is especially critical for rural fire departments, as hydrants may be scarce and firefighters frequently need to create water sources using ponds, streams, dry hydrants, or tanker operations. Pawlet’s fire department operates a network of dry hydrants and regularly trains personnel in rural water-supply operations. 

According to the official information from the Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department, the department carries out over 70 hours of training annually, which includes mutual-aid drills, classroom sessions, and live-fire exercises. The department also designates Tuesday evenings as weekly drill nights within its standard training regimen.