A Team Staying ‘Always Ready’
One of the best things to do with your kids… or grandkids… is to tour your local fire station. There, public safety pros are always prepared to respond to 911 calls for help, whether a fire, rescue or a medical emergency. Firefighters and paramedics never know what or where the next call will be, so they adhere to the classic Boy Scout motto, “Be Prepared”.
That raises a few interesting questions about flood control in Valley Ranch. Are personnel on duty 24/7 at the IFCD 3 pump station? Do they sleep there? How long is an operator’s shift?
While our team is available around the clock, every day of the year, the good news is that providing flood control is different from delivering other public safety services. Fires, accidents and medical emergencies rarely, if ever, can be predicted. Professionals stationed throughout the city are best positioned to rapidly respond to emergencies. For flood control, we have the benefit of more than 100 years of weather history and a range of professionals on our extended team – from forecasters at the National Weather Service to our colleagues in the City of Irving Office of Emergency Management. Where fire and EMS emergencies generally are unpredictable, our team benefits from seasonal weather patterns and advance awareness of potential storms.
Equipped with one or more days of early warning, District personnel determine the right response plan for the emerging circumstances. Using experience gained from countless minor and major storms, an operations leader will assess current water levels at various points in the IFCD 3 system. The team determines what means – sluice gates, pumps or a combination of both – will be used to maintain the 418’ average above sea level measurement that is the District standard for system water height.
Generally, moving from regular system operations to a storm-focused response is handled by one or more team members who place themselves in the pump station well in advance of storms reaching Valley Ranch. Typically, storm-related activities conclude in a matter of hours, after which activities are adjusted to continue maintaining the 418’ average system level. In cases of a longer event, additional personnel from the Dallas County Utility and Reclamation District – with which IFCD 3 has an interlocal agreement for service and support – can provide staff to provide a break for the core operations team, ensuring continued, focused attention on the storm’s impact on the District’s system.
Do you have a question about IFCD 3’s operations and service to Valley Ranch? Contact us using the IFCD 3 message board. Your query may become the subject of a future WaterWays post!