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Posted: Apr 1, 2018

Two-Inch Hose and Fire Apparatus Considerations

By Bill Adams

I don’t advocate using or not using two-inch hose for handlines.

I’ve never handled two-inch on a fireground or during a training scenario and rely on others’ expertise who are more versed in the subject as well as published pieces by people such as “water movement guru” Paul Schapiro (http://bit.ly/2F537TR). I asked Bill Graves, regional sales manager for All American Hose, to weigh in with commentary from a hose manufacturer’s perspective.

1 This Hamlin, New York, engine has two 200-foot 1¾-inch crosslays (red and yellow) and a 200-foot two-inch crosslay (blue). This rig also has two 150-foot 1¾-inch preconnects on top of the driver’s side compartment connected to a gated wye on the pump panel. (Photos 1 and 2 by Allan Smith.)

1 This Hamlin, New York, engine has two 200-foot 1¾-inch crosslays (red and yellow) and a 200-foot two-inch crosslay (blue). This rig also has two 150-foot 1¾-inch preconnects on top of the driver’s side compartment connected to a gated wye on the pump panel. (Photos 1 and 2 by Allan Smith.)

Except for a few dyed-in-the-wool traditionalists, the fire service has accepted the fact that 1¾-inch hose has replaced 1½-inch as the standard handline for initial attack. Today, using two-inch hose for initial attack is slowly gaining popularity. According to Graves, the attack hose market for 1½-inch hose accounts for 10 percent of sales, 1¾-inch has 75 percent of the sales, and two-inch has the remaining 15 percent. Generic reasons given for changing over to two-inch are lower weight, more maneuverability, less friction loss, and increased flow. If explicit firematic goals and objectives for purchasing two-inch are not clearly defined, the generalized reasons for purchasing can become false narratives.

2 A newer engine from Hamlin has speedays with two 200-foot 1¾-inch preconnects (red and yellow) and a 200-foot two-inch preconnect (blue). All of Hamlin’s rigs have rear preconnects including 300-foot two-inch lines and preconnected portable ground monitors.

2 A newer engine from Hamlin has speedays with two 200-foot 1¾-inch preconnects (red and yellow) and a 200-foot two-inch preconnect (blue). All of Hamlin’s rigs have rear preconnects including 300-foot two-inch lines and preconnected portable ground monitors.

It is admirable when innovations and technology make firefighters’ lives easy and safer. Occasionally new concepts, designs, or changes in the fire service create skepticism and occasional ridicule. In the 1950s, firefighters ridiculed putting doors on apparatus cabs, and then they complained about going to fully enclosed four-door cabs. For years, some questioned whose idea it was to mandate using self-contained breathing apparatus. And, then it was foolish to use large-diameter hose. Adopting two-inch hose for handlines can invite similar comments from the uninformed, the uneducated, and unfortunately the ignorant.

Preplann

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Posted: Apr 1, 2018

Two-Inch Hose and Fire Apparatus Considerations

By Bill Adams

I don’t advocate using or not using two-inch hose for handlines.

I’ve never handled two-inch on a fireground or during a training scenario and rely on others’ expertise who are more versed in the subject as well as published pieces by people such as “water movement guru” Paul Schapiro (http://bit.ly/2F537TR). I asked Bill Graves, regional sales manager for All American Hose, to weigh in with commentary from a hose manufacturer’s perspective.

1 This Hamlin, New York, engine has two 200-foot 1¾-inch crosslays (red and yellow) and a 200-foot two-inch crosslay (blue). This rig also has two 150-foot 1¾-inch preconnects on top of the driver’s side compartment connected to a gated wye on the pump panel. (Photos 1 and 2 by Allan Smith.)

1 This Hamlin, New York, engine has two 200-foot 1¾-inch crosslays (red and yellow) and a 200-foot two-inch crosslay (blue). This rig also has two 150-foot 1¾-inch preconnects on top of the driver’s side compartment connected to a gated wye on the pump panel. (Photos 1 and 2 by Allan Smith.)

Except for a few dyed-in-the-wool traditionalists, the fire service has accepted the fact that 1¾-inch hose has replaced 1½-inch as the standard handline for initial attack. Today, using two-inch hose for initial attack is slowly gaining popularity. According to Graves, the attack hose market for 1½-inch hose accounts for 10 percent of sales, 1¾-inch has 75 percent of the sales, and two-inch has the remaining 15 percent. Generic reasons given for changing over to two-inch are lower weight, more maneuverability, less friction loss, and increased flow. If explicit firematic goals and objectives for purchasing two-inch are not clearly defined, the generalized reasons for purchasing can become false narratives.

2 A newer engine from Hamlin has speedays with two 200-foot 1¾-inch preconnects (red and yellow) and a 200-foot two-inch preconnect (blue). All of Hamlin’s rigs have rear preconnects including 300-foot two-inch lines and preconnected portable ground monitors.

2 A newer engine from Hamlin has speedays with two 200-foot 1¾-inch preconnects (red and yellow) and a 200-foot two-inch preconnect (blue). All of Hamlin’s rigs have rear preconnects including 300-foot two-inch lines and preconnected portable ground monitors.

It is admirable when innovations and technology make firefighters’ lives easy and safer. Occasionally new concepts, designs, or changes in the fire service create skepticism and occasional ridicule. In the 1950s, firefighters ridiculed putting doors on apparatus cabs, and then they complained about going to fully enclosed four-door cabs. For years, some questioned whose idea it was to mandate using self-contained breathing apparatus. And, then it was foolish to use large-diameter hose. Adopting two-inch hose for handlines can invite similar comments from the uninformed, the uneducated, and unfortunately the ignorant.

Preplann

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Posted: Apr 1, 2018

Fire Apparatus Electric Valves: I Don’t Like Them

Editor’s Note: Every department has its own reasons for specifying certain components on its fire apparatus, including valves on a pumper. In recent years, electric valve use for intakes and discharges has increased. However, there is still a large contingent in the fire service that prefers valves with manual linkages. This month, we asked Editorial Advisory Board members Ricky Riley (left) and Bill Adams (right) to comment on electric and manual valves.

My views on electric valves are biased and outdated and do not reflect current products or trends. Some older acquaintances still in the industry and fire service have similar sentiments—so do those uneducated on the subject. Their opinions are incorporated into my narration. To temper my predisposed views, I sought input from Jason Witmier, northeast regional sales manager for Safe Fleet (representing FRC, Elkhart Brass, ROM, and FoamPro). Witmier previously worked for KME as a product manager for 14 years.

The term electric valve is a misnomer. Most valves are the same. It’s the controller that is either manually moved or activated by air, electricity, or hydraulic power (see photo). Discounting mechanical sirens and beacon rays, I dislike most electronics on fire apparatus. Manual levers, linkages, and pull-rods appear fail-safe. And when engaged, they give assurance that something is happening. Assurance is felt, heard, and seen. It can be the resistance (pressure) against a valve, the sound of water moving, or watching pressure gauge needles moving. You don’t sense that with electric valves. Besides, you can have a broken wire, a malfunctioning switch, a stuck valve, a malfunctioning visual screen, or a burned-out indicator light.

1 In the mid 1980s, the former Young Fire Apparatus delivered custom chassied pumpers with hydraulically operated valves on pump panels remotely located from the front-mounted pump. When questioned, owner Dick Young stated, “Well, we used a hydraulically operated cylinder to control each valve. It was domestically available right off the shelf. It was a double-acting cylinder with a six-inch throw. A single one-gallon oil reservoir operated all the valves; I believe it ran about 480 pounds per square inch (psi). You could put the reservoir anyplace and just run tubing to the valves. Doing so, you could locate the pump panel wherever you wanted.” Young went on to say it was an important design feature because regardless of the valve location, any size valve could be opened or closed with minimal effort, and the speed could be regulated—no matter what size valve. They never caught on. See http://bit.ly/2Fl4eg1 for more information. (Photo by Bob Milnes.)

1 In the mid 1980s, the former Young Fire Apparatus delivered custom chassied pumpers with hydraulically operated valves on pump panels remotely located from the front-mounted pump. When questioned, owner Dick Young stated, “Well, we used a hydraulically operated cylinder to control each valve. It was domestically available right off the shelf. It was a double-acting cylinder with a six-inch throw. A single one-gallon oil reservoir operated all the valves; I believe it ran about 480 pounds per square inch (psi). You could put the reservoir anyplace and ju

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Posted: Apr 1, 2018

Fire Apparatus Electric Valves: I Don’t Like Them

Editor’s Note: Every department has its own reasons for specifying certain components on its fire apparatus, including valves on a pumper. In recent years, electric valve use for intakes and discharges has increased. However, there is still a large contingent in the fire service that prefers valves with manual linkages. This month, we asked Editorial Advisory Board members Ricky Riley (left) and Bill Adams (right) to comment on electric and manual valves.

My views on electric valves are biased and outdated and do not reflect current products or trends. Some older acquaintances still in the industry and fire service have similar sentiments—so do those uneducated on the subject. Their opinions are incorporated into my narration. To temper my predisposed views, I sought input from Jason Witmier, northeast regional sales manager for Safe Fleet (representing FRC, Elkhart Brass, ROM, and FoamPro). Witmier previously worked for KME as a product manager for 14 years.

The term electric valve is a misnomer. Most valves are the same. It’s the controller that is either manually moved or activated by air, electricity, or hydraulic power (see photo). Discounting mechanical sirens and beacon rays, I dislike most electronics on fire apparatus. Manual levers, linkages, and pull-rods appear fail-safe. And when engaged, they give assurance that something is happening. Assurance is felt, heard, and seen. It can be the resistance (pressure) against a valve, the sound of water moving, or watching pressure gauge needles moving. You don’t sense that with electric valves. Besides, you can have a broken wire, a malfunctioning switch, a stuck valve, a malfunctioning visual screen, or a burned-out indicator light.

1 In the mid 1980s, the former Young Fire Apparatus delivered custom chassied pumpers with hydraulically operated valves on pump panels remotely located from the front-mounted pump. When questioned, owner Dick Young stated, “Well, we used a hydraulically operated cylinder to control each valve. It was domestically available right off the shelf. It was a double-acting cylinder with a six-inch throw. A single one-gallon oil reservoir operated all the valves; I believe it ran about 480 pounds per square inch (psi). You could put the reservoir anyplace and just run tubing to the valves. Doing so, you could locate the pump panel wherever you wanted.” Young went on to say it was an important design feature because regardless of the valve location, any size valve could be opened or closed with minimal effort, and the speed could be regulated—no matter what size valve. They never caught on. See http://bit.ly/2Fl4eg1 for more information. (Photo by Bob Milnes.)

1 In the mid 1980s, the former Young Fire Apparatus delivered custom chassied pumpers with hydraulically operated valves on pump panels remotely located from the front-mounted pump. When questioned, owner Dick Young stated, “Well, we used a hydraulically operated cylinder to control each valve. It was domestically available right off the shelf. It was a double-acting cylinder with a six-inch throw. A single one-gallon oil reservoir operated all the valves; I believe it ran about 480 pounds per square inch (psi). You could put the reservoir anyplace and ju

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Posted: Apr 1, 2018

Manual Vs. Electric Valves for Fire Apparatus

Editor’s Note: Every department has its own reasons for specifying certain components on its fire apparatus, including valves on a pumper. In recent years, electric valve use for intakes and discharges has increased. However, there is still a large contingent in the fire service that prefers valves with manual linkages. This month, we asked Editorial Advisory Board members Ricky Riley (left) and Bill Adams (right) to comment on electric and manual valves.

 

Valves are usually not the hottest topic to discuss in an article. I cannot even remember them being a major discussion at any engineering conference. The valve does not become the topic of conversation until it malfunctions or is leaking on the apparatus floor. Departments have a brand of valve that they are used to using or that their mechanics are familiar with for repairs, thus driving the purchase of these valves on their apparatus. The brand of the valve can be important on the mechanical side for ease of repair and availability of parts and kits. But, the type of valve—whether it is manual, electric, or air—is also important for the end user and the mechanic.

2½-Inch Piping and Smaller

For basic discharge valves that are normally used for attack lines and piping 2½ inches and smaller, I am an advocate for a very simple valve with the normal push/pull handle to open. These valves’ linkages and opening devices should not be intricate or involve a number of angles and elbows to open—basically lining up the push/pull rod with the valve to offer a very simple and clean opening and closing of the valve. Taking the time to work with the manufacturer at the engineering conference and paying attention to this detail will pay off in the field. Even though I am a fan of some technology, my desire to keep a lot of things basic on apparatus has driven us to invest in the pump house. This investment is an attempt to make things more basic and functional for the pump operator and provide a reliable and somewhat maintenance-free push/pull action. The valve itself should be easy to maintain and field-serviceable. This will require taking the time when reviewing the pump house to make sure you located these valves so they are accessible to the pump operator and the mechanic. My belief and feeling on electric valves in these positions is not a strong one at all. These valves are too important to me for the firefighters operating in the immediately dangerous to life or health environment to take a chance on an electrical issue/short or need to go to a backup system.

Three-Inch and Larger Piping

With the need for slow-close valves for any discharges or intakes three inches or larger according to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, the valve discussion now always comes up when designing apparatus. These larger valves require room in the pump house and require space on the pump panel, especially if we use a hand wheel to operate the valve. Depending on a department’s operational choices on its apparatus, it can make as little as just one valve choice or be forced to look at a high number of valves—being any combination of manual, electric, or even air-operated—positioned in a number of areas of the rig. The most common large-diameter pipe that requires a slow-close type of valve is the deck gun discharge. In the vast majority of apparatus builds when NFPA 1901 went into effect, this

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