The Ramallah Fire Department is responsible not just for the city but also for the surrounding areas. In the summer months, the fire department often fights fires in the mountains around Ramallah due to hot weather and careless visitors.
Jameel at the Ramallah Fire Department in Palestine is the spitting image of a firefighter. While checking his equipment on a water truck, he emphasizes the skills and challenges of his profession.
"Adapting and responding quickly to a situation is essential, but there are many challenges. We ask people to evacuate the space and not hinder our trucks’ movements. Vehicles need to pull over promptly. We would love to have roads leading directly up the mountains. Potholes are also a huge problem,” he says.
Every time Jameel and his colleagues rescue a child or injured person from a fire, it stays with them. It’s the importance of their work that keeps each firefighter going despite the challenges they encounter on the job.
The Ramallah Fire Department is responsible not just for the city but also for the surrounding areas. In the summer months, the fire department often fights fires in the mountains around Ramallah due to hot weather and careless visitors.
“It pains my heart when olive trees that are hundreds of years old burn down."
Each of the department’s water trucks needs nearly 800 gallons (3,000 liters) of water to fill its tanks, but many fires need more water to put them out. “We always need access to a additional water supplies,” Jameel says. Each water truck relies on a backup truck to carry extra water. “The more hydrants that are available to us, the better we can respond.” Anera’s wastewater reservoir provides one such source of water.
A New Source of Water for Ramallah
Since May 2018, Anera has been working to install a water distribution network that includes building a reservoir to collect the treated wastewater produced by Ramallah’s main treatment facility. The reservoir saves and pumps the treated water for use in irrigation, gardens and road work and other municipal functions.
The reservoir will also be used as a filling point for local fire engines. It is located on a high point overlooking the city and firefighters have access through a direct road.
Anera’s wastewater reuse project will also improve the city’s water management and conserve scarce drinking water. The completed project will protect the water supply in Ramallah by facilitating the reuse of 63.4 million gallons (240,000 cubic meters) of treated wastewater annually.
