Fluid filled barriers are commonly used in controlling flooding, although they may also be used for other purposes as well. Examples of other fluid filled barriers include U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,564 (Miller et al.) entitled “Fluid-Fillable Barrier”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,065 (Doolaege) entitled “Apparatus and a method for joining fluid structure sections or the like”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,928 (Doolaege) entitled “Flexible hydraulic structure and system for replacing a damaged portion thereof”.
A known type of fluid filled barrier, generally indicated by reference numeral 100, is shown in FIG. 1, made up of bladders 102. Generally, fluid filled barriers 100 may be between 2-20 feet, but may be more or less than this, depending on the available resources and the demands of each situation. Fluid filled barrier 100 is made up of elongated fluid filled bladders 102 placed end to end, with at least one end 104 open to receive fluid. As shown, end 104 has been gathered to make it easier to fill. In order to keep bladders 102 full, it is necessary to elevate the open end(s) of bladders 102. Once the barrier is being erected, this is done by using adjacent bladders 102 to keep ends 104 elevated. However, this cannot be done for the first bladder 102, such that an elevated structure 106, such as a natural or artificial rise, is used as the starting point for fluid filled barrier 100.