Home / The guide / Fire and safety
Fire and safety · Design out fire and fuel hazards · safety-6Size and protect a fire water reserve and pump
Without hydrants, firefighters rely on water you store. In the US, NFPA 1142 gives a method for the minimum water supply for rural structural firefighting, based on building volume, construction type and use.
How
- Use the fire water calculator in this module to get a first estimate with the NFPA 1142 method, then confirm the figure with your local fire service, which may have its own rules.
- US example: NFPA 1142 never allows less than 2,000 US gal (about 7,600 L) for a building with no exposure hazards, or 3,000 US gal (about 11,400 L) with one, and the local fire authority can raise these figures.
- Keep the fire reserve separate from drinking water, or set the house draw-off above the fire reserve level so daily use cannot drain it.
- Fit the outlet the local fire service uses. Ask them which coupling type and size they need, and place it beside a hard standing area their vehicle can reach.
- If you add your own fire pump, power it so it works when the main power is down (a petrol or diesel engine pump, or a protected battery circuit), and site it outside the defensible zone hazards.
- Keep a garden hose long enough to reach every side of the house, as US guidance suggests.
- Label the reserve and mark it on the map you give emergency services.
Safety: Cover and lock tank access hatches so children and animals cannot fall in.
Do these first
Sources
- Guidelines for Calculating NFPA 1142 Minimum Water Supply. Fresno County Fire Protection District, accessed 2026-11
- Defensible Space: Protection Against Wildfires. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Building America Solution Center (US DOE), accessed 2026-11
- Cisterns for Fire Suppression. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Building America Solution Center (US DOE), accessed 2026-11