PHOTOS: The Visalia Fire Department will have a step up in training thanks in partnership with California Water Service.
Cal Water awarded VFD a grant worth $102,000, which allowed for the purchase of a 10-foot mobile pump pod for the fire agency.
According to Cal Water administration analyst Chrissy Balderama, the new water-saving device is a self-contained unit that recirculates water that is used during firefighter training and pump testing.
Water officials say it will save the fire department 4.5 million gallons of water per year.
Firefighters demonstrated the new water-saving device, called the Direct Recirculation Apparatus Firefighter Training & Sustainability (D.R.A.F.T.S.) Unit, on Tuesday at Station 55 in northwest Visalia.
"This unit is really an integral part of conservation," Cal Water district manager Steve Johnson said. "They can fill this thing up to 1,700 gallons a minute, put it into this D.R.A.F.T.S. unit with minimal water waste."