{"id":7935,"date":"2020-09-08T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-08T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.idro-elettrica.it\/esperto-risponde\/a-swimming-pool-as-a-fire-water-supply-is-it-allowed\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T09:46:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T07:46:30","slug":"a-swimming-pool-as-a-fire-water-supply-is-it-allowed","status":"publish","type":"esperto-risponde","link":"https:\/\/www.idro-elettrica.it\/en\/esperto-risponde\/a-swimming-pool-as-a-fire-water-supply-is-it-allowed\/","title":{"rendered":"A Swimming Pool as a Fire Water Supply: Is It Allowed?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Swimming pools as fire water reserves<\/em>: this is a very common question in practice and during technical discussions. In this response, we list the relevant references and present the practical conclusion.* <\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#perche-la-domanda-torna-spesso\">Why is this question asked so often?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#un-tema-discusso-tra-professionisti-antincendio\">A topic discussed among fire safety professionals<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#il-contesto-linteresse-di-alcune-attivita-nel-contenimento-costi\">The Context: The Interest of Certain Businesses in Cost Containment<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#cosa-dice-uni-10779-sullutilizzo-dellacqua-di-piscina\">What Does UNI 10779 Say About the Use of Pool Water?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#la-nota-del-ministero-dell-interno-14-luglio-2014-n-9102\">The Memorandum from the Ministry of the Interior (July 14, 2014, No. 9102)<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#cosa-significa-non-compresa-tra-le-alimentazioni-idriche-previste\">What does \u201cnot included among the planned water supplies\u201d mean?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#conclusione-operativa-si-puo-usare-la-piscina-come-riserva-idrica-antincendio\">Operational conclusion: Can a swimming pool be used as a fire-fighting water supply?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#cosa-fare-in-pratica-senza-forzare-interpretazioni\">What to Do in Practice (Without Forcing Interpretations)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<h2 id=\"perche-la-domanda-torna-spesso\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why is this question asked so often?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The use of <strong>a swimming pool as a fire-fighting water supply<\/strong> is one of the most frequently asked questions during training sessions and refresher courses. The reason is simple: in many real-world situations, a volume of water is already available (the swimming pool), and this gives rise to the idea of \u201cputting it to use\u201d for the fire suppression system as well. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over time, this issue has become a classic practical case: intuitive to raise, but tricky to handle if the goal is to remain fully compliant with the requirements for fire hydrant networks.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"un-tema-discusso-tra-professionisti-antincendio\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A topic discussed among fire safety professionals<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among fire safety professionals, there has always been a heated debate on this topic. This is an important point: we\u2019re not talking about a theoretical curiosity, but rather an issue that sparks debate and differing interpretations, especially when it comes to deciding \u201cwhat can be done\u201d and \u201cwhat is recognized as a water supply\u201d in the context of fire hydrant systems. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In these situations, clarifying the scope of what the rules cover (and what they do not cover) becomes crucial.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"il-contesto-linteresse-di-alcune-attivita-nel-contenimento-costi\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Context: The Interest of Certain Businesses in Cost Containment<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The idea of using <strong>a swimming pool as a fire-fighting water reserve<\/strong> is often advocated by hotel owners, with the aim of keeping fire-fighting system costs down. This contextual factor helps explain why the question comes up so often: people are looking for a solution that appears to be \u201calready available\u201d and potentially advantageous. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Precisely because an economic interest is at stake, it is even more important to verify what is actually provided for and acceptable according to the references cited.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"cosa-dice-uni-10779-sullutilizzo-dellacqua-di-piscina\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Does UNI 10779 Say About the Use of Pool Water?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On this point, in 2014, the relevant UNI committee, when consulted, issued a clear opinion. In summary: the <strong>UNI 10779<\/strong> standard <strong>(Fire Extinguishing Systems\u2014Hydrant Networks\u2014Design, Installation, and Operation)<\/strong> <strong>does not provide for the use of water from a swimming pool for firefighting purposes<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same passage also specifies that any such use must comply with the technical and legal requirements for safety and reliability. This clearly frames the issue: it is not an automatic \u201cloophole,\u201d nor is it a solution already included among those provided for in the water supply rules. <\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"la-nota-del-ministero-dell-interno-14-luglio-2014-n-9102\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Memorandum from the Ministry of the Interior (July 14, 2014, No. 9102)<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The opinion referred to was subsequently cited in a note from <strong>the Ministry of the Interior, Central Directorate for Prevention and Technical Safety<\/strong>, dated  <strong>July 14, 2014, No. 9102<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the overall line of reasoning, this passage is significant because it links the technical discussion (the UNI committee\u2019s opinion) to a formal reference that has been adopted at the institutional level. For those responsible for making operational decisions regarding fire hydrant networks, consistency with these references is key. <\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"cosa-significa-non-compresa-tra-le-alimentazioni-idriche-previste\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does \u201cnot included among the planned water supplies\u201d mean?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As shown in the table, swimming pools are <strong>not included among the water sources specified by the rules<\/strong>. In practice, when discussing water sources for fire hydrant systems, it is not enough for water to simply \u201cbe there\u201d; what matters is that the water source is among those specified, recognized, and managed in accordance with the guidelines. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For this reason, the idea of using <strong>a swimming pool as a fire-fighting water supply<\/strong> runs up against a regulatory limitation: it is not one of the water sources specified in the referenced rule.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"conclusione-operativa-si-puo-usare-la-piscina-come-riserva-idrica-antincendio\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Operational conclusion: Can a swimming pool be used as a fire-fighting water supply?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Based on the information provided, the conclusion is clear: swimming pools <strong>cannot be used as a fire-fighting water supply<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This answer is particularly useful when considering whether to supply a fire hydrant network using an \u201cexisting\u201d water source: the issue is not the availability of water itself, but whether it complies with established and recognized standards.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"cosa-fare-in-pratica-senza-forzare-interpretazioni\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to Do in Practice (Without Forcing Interpretations)<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether the client requirements stem from a desire to reduce costs or simplify the system, the first step is to avoid \u201cprincipled\u201d assumptions (i.e., \u201cthere\u2019s a pool, so let\u2019s use it\u201d) and keep the assessment within the scope of the references cited.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If there are any doubts regarding implementation, it is advisable to conduct a targeted technical inspection of the fire hydrant system and its water supply to avoid making decisions that may later prove inconsistent with the guidelines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Swimming Pools as Fire Water Reserves: Is it possible to supply fire hydrant networks using water from a swimming pool? There is an ongoing debate on this topic. Let\u2019s see what UNI 10779 and the Ministry of the Interior\u2019s note say: this solution is not provided for.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7936,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_angie_page":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"tags":[668,658,565,669,608,671,670,568],"class_list":["post-7935","esperto-risponde","type-esperto-risponde","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-fire-hydrant-networks","tag-fire-prevention","tag-fire-protection-systems","tag-fire-protection-water-supply-2","tag-fire-protection-water-supply","tag-hotel-operations","tag-swimming-pool","tag-uni-10779"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idro-elettrica.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/esperto-risponde\/7935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idro-elettrica.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/esperto-risponde"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idro-elettrica.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/esperto-risponde"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.idro-elettrica.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/esperto-risponde\/7935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idro-elettrica.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idro-elettrica.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idro-elettrica.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}