Editor's Note: The pump curves referenced in this article could not be reproduced online. Please see the print edition for this information.
Positive displacement pumps have been used in fire protection for many years. In fact, they were the first pump type to be utilized for mobile fire truck applications, long before centrifugal pump designs were used for pumping fire water. Rotary gear pumps were employed because of their ability to pump water via long hose or piping lengths. Positive displacement pumps, by nature, are capable of high discharge pressures, something the fire service requires for many types of fire fighting.