It Begins With The Engine “I’m not pulling that 2½-inch…. You know how hard it is to pull that off the rig…. Pull that 1¾-inch preconnect off!” “I don’t want to rebed that 2½-inch hose…. It’ll take forever!” Engine company operations have been broken down by authors in the fire service, covering topics such as nozzles, fire streams, hose, hose advancements, and etc. These articles have been written for years. All of the subjects mentioned are important, but we have to get the proper hose off the engine correctly in order to do our job. Hose beds, equipment placement, and training are essential to be proficient. Hose beds are sometimes sacrificed when bid specifications are drawn up for new fire engines. The hose bed height is higher and less fireman friendly to gain more cabinets and space. Besides the hose-bed height, the width of the hose bed may suffer too. You will end up having more hose than available space. A priority must be made in bid specifications in such a way that the firemen can easily access the equipment.
Hose is to be bedded loosely so there is no mildew build up. Every fire department has its way to bed hose which works for it. The idea is to also keep it simple. There is no reason to try to fit a winter coat into a shoe box. There are some fire departments that have to forcefully keep pressure on hose while bedding it. Hose loads should be easy to deploy and easy to rebed. Fire service professionals from the chief down to the candidate/probie should be held accountable on the procedures of leading out/deploying hose which pertain to their department whether it is paid-on-call/ volunteer or paid. Sure, we can sit back and say that we know how to lead out. Do you know how to rebed the hose? When the firefighter grabs the hose when leading out, he keeps switching his hands trying to figure out which line to grab first to properly lead off the hose bed. Hose should be deployed with minimal effort and to be accessed easily so there is no intimidation to the firefighter.
The next
two photos are of horseshoes which are easily accessible.
(Photos by author)
You can also keep your supply line easily accessible. (See below. Photo by author)
Training doesn’t mean you have to take the firefighters out every shift, pulling hose and rebedding it, to be proficient. It can be as simple as checking out how the hose is bedded at the start of your tour. Rotating the hose every month is another opportunity to pull and rebed hose, which, in turn, will also change the bends in the hose. Changing hose after a fire is another time to make sure the hose is bedded correctly. There are a lot of ways to train without making it punitive. If it’s your 7 a.m. start or 2 a.m. after your fire, ensure the hose is bedded correctly. Don’t wait to see if the hose plays out, and don't have the mentality that you’ll make it work if it’s wrong at your next fire. If you are proficient, the corrections will take a couple of minutes. Take company pride in keeping your equipment in ready condition. Most importantly, instilling these good habits will make you a better fireman. You are learning a trade. Take a walk around your engine and see if the hose loads look right. Recognize potential problems you may encounter with your hose loads and your hose beds. The brothers should be able to walk up and pull the hose on a lead out without hesitation. Company pride will shine when you are able to properly deploy the hose in a lead out, charge the line, make a successful fire attack in a timely manner, and quickly rebed the hose to get back in service for the next fire. © Copyright Firenuggets.com 2006 • Click here for Terms and Conditions of Use
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