The Importance of Your Pool’s Water Levels.
Fire Readiness Starts Here:
As wild- and home- fire risks continue to escalate, homeowners across the nation—especially in fire-prone and dry regions—are seeking innovative and quick ways to safeguard their homes, properties, and loved ones. One of the most overlooked yet powerful fortes (assets) during fire emergencies is something many homeowners already have sitting in their backyards: their swimming pool!
With the right tools, equipment and fire readiness plan in place, your pool can serve as a first line of defense and help you make a jumpstart on combating fires.
But what happens when the water level in your pool drops below the skimmer line? And how can this affect your firefighting preparedness?
We are now going to explore the critical steps that every homeowner should be taking to maintain pool functionality and operations, ensure emergency access to water sources, and stay generally prepared for fires year round. Because when a fire strikes, sitting idly by and waiting for governmental intervention may not always be the wisest or safest option.
Photos by: Nursyazana I.R. & Laika S.
Why Your Pool Might Be Your Saving Grace?
During emergencies, traditional fire fighting and suppression tools such as garden hoses, buckets or fire blankets just simply won’t do the trick. Fire moves fast, and professional fire crews—while highly trained—may be delayed to arrive on scene due to distance, road access, or multiple incidents happening. Having immediate access to thousands of gallons of ready-to-use water in your pool, along with a tool like the FireFighter1 adaptive aqua systems, gives homeowners the ability to act decisively and promptly in the first crucial moments of a fire - thus taking an extra step in protecting your property and family.
However, if your pool water level drops below the skimmer line, your pool’s circulation system could become compromised and hazardous, preventing you from fully utilizing that water effectively in the event of a fire emergency.
Here's how to ensure you’re not caught off guard.
1. Switch Off Skimmer & Use Main Drain:
Most modern pools are equipped with a main drain located at the bottom, which can be utilized as an auxiliary source of water if the skimmer gets malfunctioned and can no longer draw water due to low levels.
To activate this feature:
- Read your pool’s instructions.
- Locate the skimmer diverter valve on your pool’s pump system.
- Turn off the skimmer valve and redirect flow to the main drain at the bottom.
- Mark and label this valve clearly (if not already labeled), for familiarity, easy reference and usage by anyone in the household during an emergency.
By pulling water from the main drain, your fire suppression system will continue to function even if water dips below the skimmer line—a key and crucial step in keeping your FireFighter1 system operational and available when you need it most.
2. Ensure Installation of a Float Valve:
A float valve is a small but very important tool located underneath your skimmer basket. Its main purpose is to automatically trigger the redirection of water flow to the bottom of your pool if the water level becomes too low.
The float valve prevents air from entering your pool pump system, which can cause costly damage and overall shutdowns.
It ensures your pump continues drawing in water, preserving your ability to use tools like FireFighter1 without interruption and delay.
If you don’t already have a float valve, install one as part of your spring cleaning and fire preparedness emergency plan.
3. Addition of Drain Plug:
Another safeguard and preventative measure is to add a dedicated drain plug under the skimmer basket of your pool. This particular plug enables your system to pull water from the bottom of the pool when the water level falls below the skimmer line.
This simple addition can:
- Maintain the general circulation through the pool pump.
- Extend the window of usability for fire suppression purposes.
- Grant you and your family some peace of mind that your pool is always ready to support during an emergency use.
Some Alternate Options:
If skimmer line or drain configuration adjustment is not feasible, consider the following emergency adaptations:
Plug a Suction Hose: Insert a suction hose directly into the inlet return line port below the skimmer basket, ensuring its positioning reaches the lowest point in the pool - look out for new releases on this by FF1 (more details coming soon).
Use the Vacuum Line: Switch on the diverter valve that controls your pool vacuum, then switch off the return lines. This reroutes and diverts water through the vacuum line, which typically reaches the bottom of the pool.
PS: Some systems have two return lines; one that returns water directly to the pool and another back to the skimmer.
These workarounds may not all be part of your pool installation setup, but they could be your saving grace during a crisis and emergency. Practicing these adjustments and installations in advance ensures you're not scrambling under pressure at the last minute.
Fire Preparedness and Pool Care Go Hand in Hand:
Maintaining proper and adequate pool water levels isn’t just about aesthetics or functionality—it’s a vital and critical part of your home’s fire preparedness plan under the first line of defense. During warmer months, evaporation and increased pool usage are very likely, and can cause rapid water loss, which, if left unaddressed, can result in your home being vulnerable to natural and unintended dangers.
Make it a habit to:
- Check your pool’s water level weekly.
- Monitor for leaks or excessive water evaporation.
- Top off and cover your pool when needed to maintain ideal skimmer functionality.
Why Waiting Isn’t Always an Option:
During wildfires, readiness and response time are everything. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) emphasizes the fact that embers can travel more than a mile ahead of a wildfire. By the time firefighting crews arrive, it may already be too late to salvage your home and property. Empowering homeowners—especially those in fire-prone areas—to act fast with accessible water sources already available can drastically reduce losses and save lives.
FireFighter1 systems were designed with this in mind. Our systems allow you to connect a fire hose directly to your pool pump, enabling you to instantly soak and drench your property, with thousands of gallons of water readily available in your backyard, and thus suppress embers before they ignite your home. But the effectiveness of the system relies on your pool being ready and regular maintenance rounds—especially when the pool water levels are low.
Weekly Fact-Drop:
Did you know that according to the Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code, it’s recommended as a general rule of thumb to keep the pool’s water level one third to one half of the way up the pool skimmer’s opening.
It’s worthy to note that FireFighter1 suggests filling water level slightly above half-way during the summer and hot months to ensure adequate water is always available while the temperatures are higher than usual.
Data: RubyHome, Swimming Pool Statistics (2025).
Regularly Maintain Your Pool and Stay Ready.
Spring and summer offer more than sunshine and outdoor activities—they bring heightened fire dangers. By understanding how your pool works and functions and implementing easy and simple modifications like redirecting the flow to the main drain or installing a float valve, you ensure your pool is always prepared to serve and act as a first-response tool.
When disaster strikes, hesitation is not an option. Equip your home and property with the FireFighter1 system, regularly check your water levels, and get familiar with your pool’s plumbing layout and installation instructions.
Because fire doesn’t wait—and neither should your preparation.
Protect what matters most. Be proactive. Be pool-prepared.
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Be on the lookout for new FF1 product releases on this topic.