In "Every Pump Operator's Basic Equation," (Fire Engineering, October 2012, 51-65), I explained how to properly achieve the discharge pressure for fire attack lines using the equation PDP = NP + FL + APP + ELEV. The article showed how each figure is developed using trial-and-error and mathematical equations to give the pump operator specific, pencil-sharp calculations designed to give an exact answer to the formula. It is of utmost importance to understand how to calculate the formulas using precise calculations. An accomplished engineer must not only understand how to calculate the formulas but also know why the formulas are used. Knowing the thought process behind what the pump operator is calculating is as important as being able to plug numbers into the formulas to obtain an answer.

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