By Lauren Young

Staff writer

The Southwood Fire Department of Jamesville recently received a life-saving donation from Covanta Onondaga to help suppress aggressive fires.

The Covanta Onondaga waste-to energy facility, which processes 990 tons of municipal solid waste disposal for the county and greater Syracuse region per day, donated a Blitz Fire Cannon to Southwood firefighters, a piece of equipment that prevents unintentional movement during critical fireground operations and can be left unattended to remotely suppress fires.

“We appreciate the generous donation from Covanta and are grateful for their support and partnership over the years,” said Southwood Fire Department Chief Tom Bouvia during a demonstration on Nov. 16 at Covanta’s facility on 5801 Rock Cut Road. “This is a much-needed piece of equipment for our department. The water cannon is an invaluable tool that will allow for the safe operation of a fire hose by a single firefighter and lets us switch the hose direction at a moment’s notice as fire patterns shift.”

This community donation — which normally comes with a $4,000 price tag — is important for the department in safely and accurately operating high pressure hoses, including its safe operation by a single fireman. A typical fire hose easily releases enough pressure to knock a firefighter down, and because of this force, two or three people usually need to hold a fire hose, said Bouvia. However, with the Blitz Fire Cannon, it can be set up and manned without manpower.

“You can set it up and you don’t have to mess with it,” said Bouvia. “To be able to set that up and man it with one person max — that’s pretty awesome.”

And with this Blitz Fire Cannon, it can release up to 500 gallons a minute.

“It puts out more volume, so it could potentially be quicker,” he said. Its ability to stand ground is also useful in versatility, as it can be used from surrounding a fire to protecting a structure next door, he said.

Bouvia said if the Blitz Fire Cannon becomes unsteady, it shuts itself off with its safety shutoff system feature, unlike the mess that would ensue from losing control of a fire hose.

Of Covanta Onondaga’s two Blitz Fire Cannons, bought to combat potential combustion at the facility, Covanta donated one of them to the Southwood Fire Department because they are the local responders along the City of Syracuse, and “we’ve got a really good working relationship with them,” said Kathy Carroll, client-waste solutions manager of Covanta Onondaga.

Carroll said the Southwood Fire Department and Covanta have maintained a close relationship through the years, holding fundraisers and events together like Breakfasts with Santa and electronic recycling open houses.

When Southwood firefighters last visited the facility while conducting rescue training with Covanta, the firefighters commented on its Blitz Fire Cannon and marveled at its power – prompting the facility to donate it to the department as it was “the least we could do,” said Carroll.

“We couldn’t be more thankful for the selfless work the fire department does for our community and are happy to contribute this critical piece of equipment to help Chief Bouvia and his team,” she said.

The Southwood Fire Department will hold its annual Breakfast with Santa from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 17 at the station on 4581 Grace Place. The event is free, and Santa will have a gift for every child under 12.