Flood

When the snow invariably melts, the fire department invariably gets called to pump out some basements. Many people have their own sump pumps so that the water that seeps in is dealt with before it rises too high. We get called when the sump pumps don't work (or don't work fast enough), or when flooding happens to a house that doesn't have a sump pump (yet).

I've been to a few pump-outs. They're considered 'public service' jobs, but they're still more interesting than many calls (like the false alarms at SUNY). Here is what the hose looks like when it's in full swing. I'd guess that we remove a few hundred gallons from a typical basement. Often the water is above our knees.