By Alan M. Petrillo

Proper storage and care of fire hose are necessities in prolonging the life of the hose and making sure that it is serviceable when firefighter and civilian lives are counting on it to perform as designed.

Hose storage and cleaning vary at fire departments around the country, but there are many similarities in how hose should be stored and how it should be cared for.

Washing and Care

Mark Lighthill, Southeast regional manager for Key Fire Hose, says that storage of fire hose falls into two distinct categories: new hose and hose off of a piece of apparatus, which includes spare hose at the station to replace apparatus hose. “The hose made today is based on its filament, which can be polyester, rayon, a nylon mix, or pure nylon,” Lighthill says. “You’ll also see cotton filament used, but mostly we find it being fielded in forestry and wildland situations as well as PVC nitrile hose (rubber hose).”

1 Superior Fire Hose recommends keeping fire hose coiled for storage after it has been inspected, cleaned, and dried. (Photo courtesy of Superior Fire Hose.)

Polyester and nylon filament hoses don’t mildew or mold, Lighthill points out, but once used, cotton filament jacketed hose and rayon filament hose can get material embedded in its filaments that can cause mold. “With cotton jacket hose, it has to be dry before it is put away in storage,” Lighthill notes. “Once cotton jacket hose is dirty, it needs to be inspected to be sure there are no burns or tears in it, washed with a mild detergent, dried, and then put on a rack for storage. And with PVC nitrile hose, it still has to be cleaned if it has been dragged through something dirty or abrasive.”

Lighthill observes, “We don’t want to see hose drying on hot asphalt out on the fire station apron, because the heat will bake the hose and cause it to dry on only one side because of the overexposure to heat.” Lighthill recommends drying hose on a rack, table, hanging facility, or hose tower. “There are pull-up racks and flat layout racks that allow air to get underneath the hose and dry it out better,” he says.

2 Various types of fire hose made by Superior Fire Hose include double-jacket polyester rubber-lined hose as well as synthetic nitrile rubber hose that is resistant to fuels, chemicals, oils, heat, cold, and environmental pollutants. (Photo courtesy of Superior Fire Hose.)

Richard Bergeron, president and general manager of Superior Fire Hose, says that the first recommendation he makes to fire departments about fire hose is to follow National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1862, Standard for the Care, Use, Inspection, Service Testing, and Replacement of Fire Hose, Couplings, Nozzles, and Fire Hose Appliances, to the letter. “Unfortunately, some departments don’t always have the staffing or time to follow the recommendations as they should,” Bergeron says. However, he points out, applying common sense to the c

By JASON CRUSE

Lafayette, Louisiana-based Burner Fire Control has been manufacturing industrial self-contained fire suppression systems for more than 40 years. Since 1973, the organization has grown from a handful of technicians to a specialty team with a global reach for its preengineered firefighting equipment.

The company not only manufactures these systems, but repairs, recertifies, and refurbishes their as well as other manufacturers’ units.

Burner’s firefighting equipment portfolio consists of skid-mounted dry chemical units, twin-agent, aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), and compressed-air foam systems (CAFS). Each of these systems includes various capabilities tailored to client applications and can be customized per project to meet performance and compliance criteria. All dry chemical and foam equipment is fabricated and assembled with components that can be customized to meet requirements for enhanced fire protection arrangements and customized OEM apparatus installations. Equipment is designed and commissioned to meet compliance standards and recommended practices from various third-party organizations, such as Underwriters Laboratories, American Bureau of Shipping, and Det Norske Veritas, and can be certified respectively per customer request.

Dry Chemical Systems

Specific to dry chemical systems, Burner provides internal technology unique from other systems on the market. A patented expulsion system allows each hose reel to obtain the chemical through independent discharge tubes, affording a constant discharge rate on demand. With a plurality of discharge tubes individually controlled, many optional installations with isolated discharges are possible. With individual manual control discharge valves to each hose reel on the skid unit, either hose reel can be actuated without charging the hose reel not in use. Either hose reel located in a remote location can be actuated independently from the other remote reel and the remaining reels on the skid.

AFFF Systems

Engineered AFFF premixed mobile skid systems are designed for Class B fire protection. The units are totally self-contained and require no outside water, foam pumps, or proportioners. Capacities range from 150 to 500 gallons, and custom capacity code tanks can be fabricated in-house to customer specifications. Units are offered with loss-of-pressure (LOP) actuation systems and can be configured for manual or automatic discharge. These systems address variables experienced with traditional foam proportioners, around-the-pump systems, foam monitors, applicators, and foam concentrate storage tanks. Variables with these other types of systems include inlet pressure, backpressure restrictions, nozzle restrictions, variable flow rates, and mobility.

1 The BURNER CAFS 60-M is a 60-gallon semi-portable CAFS with hose reel. It is mounted on a skid and offers a 75-foot discharge range. (Photo courtesy of Burner Fire Control.)

TWIN-AGENT SYSTEMS

The dual-agent application of twin-agent units is an effective combined tool for mitigating extreme risk areas with multiple hazards, flammable liquids, gas, and hydrocarbons. These units have been designed and built from the ground up for extreme hazard areas and suited to multiple applications including offshore and land facilities, specifically including airport rapid response with the FAA 139-c

By JASON CRUSE

Lafayette, Louisiana-based Burner Fire Control has been manufacturing industrial self-contained fire suppression systems for more than 40 years. Since 1973, the organization has grown from a handful of technicians to a specialty team with a global reach for its preengineered firefighting equipment.

The company not only manufactures these systems, but repairs, recertifies, and refurbishes their as well as other manufacturers’ units.

Burner’s firefighting equipment portfolio consists of skid-mounted dry chemical units, twin-agent, aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), and compressed-air foam systems (CAFS). Each of these systems includes various capabilities tailored to client applications and can be customized per project to meet performance and compliance criteria. All dry chemical and foam equipment is fabricated and assembled with components that can be customized to meet requirements for enhanced fire protection arrangements and customized OEM apparatus installations. Equipment is designed and commissioned to meet compliance standards and recommended practices from various third-party organizations, such as Underwriters Laboratories, American Bureau of Shipping, and Det Norske Veritas, and can be certified respectively per customer request.

Dry Chemical Systems

Specific to dry chemical systems, Burner provides internal technology unique from other systems on the market. A patented expulsion system allows each hose reel to obtain the chemical through independent discharge tubes, affording a constant discharge rate on demand. With a plurality of discharge tubes individually controlled, many optional installations with isolated discharges are possible. With individual manual control discharge valves to each hose reel on the skid unit, either hose reel can be actuated without charging the hose reel not in use. Either hose reel located in a remote location can be actuated independently from the other remote reel and the remaining reels on the skid.

AFFF Systems

Engineered AFFF premixed mobile skid systems are designed for Class B fire protection. The units are totally self-contained and require no outside water, foam pumps, or proportioners. Capacities range from 150 to 500 gallons, and custom capacity code tanks can be fabricated in-house to customer specifications. Units are offered with loss-of-pressure (LOP) actuation systems and can be configured for manual or automatic discharge. These systems address variables experienced with traditional foam proportioners, around-the-pump systems, foam monitors, applicators, and foam concentrate storage tanks. Variables with these other types of systems include inlet pressure, backpressure restrictions, nozzle restrictions, variable flow rates, and mobility.

1 The BURNER CAFS 60-M is a 60-gallon semi-portable CAFS with hose reel. It is mounted on a skid and offers a 75-foot discharge range. (Photo courtesy of Burner Fire Control.)

TWIN-AGENT SYSTEMS

The dual-agent application of twin-agent units is an effective combined tool for mitigating extreme risk areas with multiple hazards, flammable liquids, gas, and hydrocarbons. These units have been designed and built from the ground up for extreme hazard areas and suited to multiple applications including offshore and land facilities, specifically including airport rapid response with the FAA 139-c

By JASON CRUSE

Lafayette, Louisiana-based Burner Fire Control has been manufacturing industrial self-contained fire suppression systems for more than 40 years. Since 1973, the organization has grown from a handful of technicians to a specialty team with a global reach for its preengineered firefighting equipment.

The company not only manufactures these systems, but repairs, recertifies, and refurbishes their as well as other manufacturers’ units.

Burner’s firefighting equipment portfolio consists of skid-mounted dry chemical units, twin-agent, aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), and compressed-air foam systems (CAFS). Each of these systems includes various capabilities tailored to client applications and can be customized per project to meet performance and compliance criteria. All dry chemical and foam equipment is fabricated and assembled with components that can be customized to meet requirements for enhanced fire protection arrangements and customized OEM apparatus installations. Equipment is designed and commissioned to meet compliance standards and recommended practices from various third-party organizations, such as Underwriters Laboratories, American Bureau of Shipping, and Det Norske Veritas, and can be certified respectively per customer request.

Dry Chemical Systems

Specific to dry chemical systems, Burner provides internal technology unique from other systems on the market. A patented expulsion system allows each hose reel to obtain the chemical through independent discharge tubes, affording a constant discharge rate on demand. With a plurality of discharge tubes individually controlled, many optional installations with isolated discharges are possible. With individual manual control discharge valves to each hose reel on the skid unit, either hose reel can be actuated without charging the hose reel not in use. Either hose reel located in a remote location can be actuated independently from the other remote reel and the remaining reels on the skid.

AFFF Systems

Engineered AFFF premixed mobile skid systems are designed for Class B fire protection. The units are totally self-contained and require no outside water, foam pumps, or proportioners. Capacities range from 150 to 500 gallons, and custom capacity code tanks can be fabricated in-house to customer specifications. Units are offered with loss-of-pressure (LOP) actuation systems and can be configured for manual or automatic discharge. These systems address variables experienced with traditional foam proportioners, around-the-pump systems, foam monitors, applicators, and foam concentrate storage tanks. Variables with these other types of systems include inlet pressure, backpressure restrictions, nozzle restrictions, variable flow rates, and mobility.

1 The BURNER CAFS 60-M is a 60-gallon semi-portable CAFS with hose reel. It is mounted on a skid and offers a 75-foot discharge range. (Photo courtesy of Burner Fire Control.)

TWIN-AGENT SYSTEMS

The dual-agent application of twin-agent units is an effective combined tool for mitigating extreme risk areas with multiple hazards, flammable liquids, gas, and hydrocarbons. These units have been designed and built from the ground up for extreme hazard areas and suited to multiple applications including offshore and land facilities, specifically including airport rapid response with the FAA 139-c

By Jim Peterson

For most of my time as chief, our county had been on the same dated computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system.

And while it wasn’t the most advanced technology, it worked. It was good enough. So, why did we recently decide to overhaul our operations and move to a next-generation CAD system? Because I knew we could do better. Because when it comes to the safety of our community and the firefighters risking their jobs every day, “good enough” isn’t good enough.

Saginaw County is one of the busier dispatch centers in Michigan. We have 22 fire departments in the county, which spans 825 square miles. Every year, the county receives more than 350,000 911 calls with seven dispatchers.

Previously, firefighters made many of their response decisions on their arrival at the incident scene. Beyond the address, additional information on the building layout, its owners, its business, or even the surrounding area was simply not available to them prior to arrival.

Now when a citizen calls 911 for emergency assistance, reporting a fire in a multiple-level building downtown, our personnel are alerted faster with more information provided as they head to the scene. In addition to details provided by the caller, they see the location of the nearest fire hydrants, building blueprints of each floor, and even video from on scene.

Saginaw’s new PremierOne CAD system, from Motorola Solutions, brings together mapping, records information, media content, and land mobile radio functionality into our command centers. Since implementation, we’ve seen an improvement in our response efforts-reduced time to respond to incidents, better situational awareness heading to incidents, and increased safety of citizens and firefighters.

The following are five benefits our department has seen over the past year.

More Informed Decision Making

From the moment firefighters are dispatched to when they arrive on scene, dispatch can update them with critical information directly to their mobile data terminals (MDTs). Beyond the address of the incident, firefighters have access to a wealth of information, including the following:

• Ownership and history of the building: Does the owner have a hostile history or have certain needs? Has ownership recently changed? Is the building a residence or a business? If it’s a business, what type of business? This critical information provides firefighters with line of sight and the ability to evaluate how to approach the scene before they arrive. For instance, with residences, being aware of whether the resident has a past record of violence toward public safety officials alerts our team to approach with increased caution. Or, knowing the home is occupied by an elderly couple will inform firefighters that the couple may not be as mobile and could require additional assistance once on scene. The businesses located in Saginaw County span a wide range of industries, each requiring specific responses. For example, firefighters responding to a fire at a business that contains highly flammable contents, such as an art store with pallets of paper, paints, and oils, would need to exercise increased caution in their response.
• Building layouts: What is the structure’s layout, and what are the best entry and exit points? Do recent building permits indicate the building is undergoing renovations? We took the time in advance of our new system implementation to input blueprints and layouts of several buildings and businesses. Having this background is incredibly important for firefighters who need to enter a burning building for a rescue effort. The ability to view a building’s layout w