… Municipal water systems in cities and towns are carefully engineered to meet the daily needs of homes, businesses and public services, as well as emergency demands. In urban areas, fires are typically localized, such as a house fire, affecting only a small part of the community. … When the urban fire is extinguished, the system pressure returns to normal and hydrants are available for the next incident. However, wildfires are far larger in scale and are driven by natural factors like lightning or by human activities, such as campfires, discarded cigarettes or arson. … Urban water systems are not designed to combat catastrophic wildfires, especially those that recently impacted Southern California, where fire hydrants alone are insufficient. In such cases, alternative water sources—such as tanker trucks and aerial firefighting resources—become critical.
–Written by David McNair, general manager of Scotts Valley Water District.