WildRelay — the project

A tool for planning water supply

WildRelay is an application for designing water supply lines for wildland firefighting. It brings together pump relay-chain calculations, terrain analysis and management of the required equipment.

It is aimed at wildland firefighting operators, crew leaders, incident commanders, technical offices and trainers. It can be used to prepare operations and exercises, compare configurations and document sizing decisions.

Technical foundations

The hydraulic model draws on Italian wildland-firefighting training: materials from the Scuola Provinciale Antincendi in Trento, the Veneto Region and COAIB Lombardia, together with manuals from the Corpo Nazionale dei Vigili del Fuoco. This foundation is supplemented by scientific literature, international technical documentation and manufacturers’ data.

WildRelay provides two calculation methods. The rapid method applies the simplified relationships and tables used in training. The engineering method describes friction losses, pump curves and the effects of operating conditions in greater detail. Comparing them helps identify when simplifications affect the result.

Traceable sources and verifiable results

The library’s technical data and the relationships used in calculations are linked to their respective sources. Equipment added by users retains its provenance, distinguishing published data from data entered or independently derived by the user.

The engine undergoes automated checks against documented cases: Italian sizing examples, NWCG and USFS tables, German references on relay pumping, and published measurements of losses in hoses. Comparisons take account of the approximations and tolerances inherent in each reference.

These checks verify the correctness of the calculations in the cases examined; they do not constitute field validation of every possible configuration.

What the results mean

A line is feasible when it meets the hydraulic constraints checked by the model, under the conditions set. This result does not certify the overall safety of the operation.

Mapped elevations, water availability, accessibility and equipment condition all require checks on site. Estimates of fire behaviour and water demand also have specific limitations: in particular, fire intensity alone does not describe all the factors that determine the water required.

WildRelay makes results, assumptions and warnings available to support decisions. It does not replace operational procedures, training or the judgement of those responsible for the operation.

Who develops WildRelay

Tecnica - Formazione - Sicurezza s.r.l. (TFS) develops, publishes and operates WildRelay.

ICE & FIRE S.r.l. contributes to the project’s joint design and provides technical consultancy.