Turn Your Pool Into a Fire Hydrant: Watch Captain Tony Imbrenda's Pool Pump Setup
Retired LA County Fire Captain Tony Imbrenda shows how he turned his own swimming pool into a backup water supply for ember defense, using a Honda WH20 pump, fire hose and the Ace Pistol Grip nozzle.
If you have a swimming pool, you're sitting on 20,000 gallons or more of firefighting water. The problem is that most homeowners have no way to get that water out of the pool and onto an ember. A garden hose won't do it, and when the power goes out, your pool's own pump won't either.
That's why I wanted you to see this video. My friend Tony Imbrenda served 30 years as a Fire Captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, including in Topanga Canyon. He has seen what a wind-driven fire does to a neighborhood. When it came time to protect his own home, he put an Ace Fire Defense pool pump setup in his own backyard.
What You're Seeing in the Video
- A gas-powered Honda pump. It runs on gasoline, so it keeps working when the power is out and the hydrants on your street are losing pressure.
- A suction hose into the pool. The pump draws straight from the pool, so your water supply is right there in your yard.
- Fire hose and a professional nozzle. Captain Tony uses the Ace Fire Defense Pistol Grip, which goes from a wide fog to a straight stream so he can reach the roofline, the eaves and the far corners of the yard.
- Real pressure on target. Watch how far that stream reaches. That reach is what lets you knock down embers before they turn into spot fires.
Why a Pool Pump Matters in a Wildfire
In a big fire, everyone on the block is pulling water at the same time, and fire engines are spread thin. Hydrant pressure can drop, and the power can go out. A gas pump on your pool doesn't depend on either one.
The job is fighting embers. Most homes that burn in a wildfire are lit by embers landing in gutters, vents, decks and dry brush, not by a wall of flame. Don't waste your water soaking the roof or the lawn ahead of time; in an ember storm it dries out almost immediately. Keep the water for the embers and spot fires you can actually see.
The Gear Matters, and So Does the Training
The best equipment in the world doesn't help if you're figuring it out for the first time with smoke in the air. That's why every Ace Fire Defense Pool Pro Kit comes with complimentary local installation and hands-on training. We set it up at your pool, and we make sure you can start it, prime it and put water on target on your own.
What You Need to Know
- Call 911 first. Your setup is a backup for the first minutes, not a replacement for the fire department.
- If you're told to evacuate, you go. Equipment is for the time before an order, never a reason to stay.
- Practice on a calm day. Start the pump and run the hose a few times a year so it's second nature.
- Keep fresh fuel and oil on hand, and store the pump where you can reach it fast.
- Check your local laws and talk to your local fire department about your plan.
Already have hose and a nozzle? We also sell the Honda WH20 pump on its own at our cost, $899.99, with no markup, and complimentary local installation and training. Questions? Call me at 213/884-8448.
Sherwin Ross is the founder of Ace Fire Defense, based in West Hills, CA. After the 2018 Woolsey Fire, he became CERT-trained and started building wildfire defense equipment for homeowners.