As the City of Lubbock looks to grow in size so does Lubbock Fire Rescue’s coverage and one concern the fire fighters face in less developed areas closer to the county line are lack of fire hydrants.

“We want to be prepared that the day it goes into effect that we have the equipment where it needs to be, our people are notified where the new city limit is and where they are responding,” said Lubbock Fire Rescue Division Chief Steve Holland. “Knowing that we don’t have water supply out there, we’ll have the Tankers in a position to be beneficial for the initial call.”

According to Lubbock Fire Rescue the fire code recommends a maximum of 1,000 feet between hydrants. In some parts of Lubbock reaching out of the City limits fire hydrants can be scarce in areas near Idalou road or fields across North East Lubbock.

LFR said they are prepared in tackling areas without hydrants by using their equipment like a Tanker or Brush truck to fight blazes with a reliable water supply.

“A lot of times those grass fires occur off road and those brush trucks are designed to go off road,” said Chief Holland.

Another tactic they use is relay pumping, which uses the fire hose to pump water between engines every 1,000 feet.

“Knowing if we do get a potential fire there the Tanker will go just to have that extra water if we need it,” said LFR Fire fighter Jared Faubus.