Utilisation of recycled wastewater as an alternative source of water used for fire-fighting purposes by fire brigades in the Czech Republic

Abstract

The article focuses on the possibility of using recycled wastewater for fire-fighting purposes by fire brigades. The article briefly defines the most serious hazards that may arise by using recycled wastewater in the field of fire protection. The text also contains a brief definition and comparison of critical microbiological indicators corroborating water contamination. The indicators are defined on the basis of existing national standards and legislative regulations of the Czech Republic for the field of fire protection. Furthermore, the article determines framework defining qualitative limit values of microbiological indicators for fire water sources. Based on the framework specified above, it was possible to determine that the current limit values for permissible microbiological pollution of surface water allow using recycled wastewater as an alternative source of fire water under existing national legislation.