By Bill Adams

* Most pumpers carry 100-foot lengths of large-diameter hose (LDH) in the main hosebed and usually a couple of short 25- and 50-foot curb jumpers in compartments the EMS-oriented people desperately want to use for more band aids, splints, and stuff. Why don’t they use more 50-foot lengths? If hydrants are spaced closely and the average lay is, say, only a few hundred feet, wouldn’t it be easier and more versatile to have the first 400 or 500 feet of LDH coming off the bed in 50-foot lengths? Then, just carry one or two 25-foot curb jumpers. A 50-foot length of five-inch LDH is kind of heavy for white hairs to pick up. Don’t whine about space in the hosebed and the room couplings take up. Spec the bed bigger. Is the bed too full on existing rigs? Buy a couple over “over-height” hosebed dividers. The objective is to be more efficient on the fireground.

* Speaking of LDH, how come LDH discharges and suctions are not at the back of the bus? That’s where you keep the hose and is where you break it after you lay it. I haven’t seen too much LDH supply line packed in crosslays. “Oh, it’s too expensive to pipe them way back there. It might take up precious compartment space.” Agreed. You certainly don’t want to make life too easy for the troops or you might get more people to join or even stay in the fire department.

* Talking about compartment space, why do fire departments mount a booster reel or a generator or something else that never comes off the rig—in the lowest, largest, and easiest accessible compartment on the rig?

* Have you ever weighed your new fire truck with and without water in the booster tank? Aren’t you curious to see if the tank really holds what you were told it does? Not important? Well, how come some people require a short pump test upon delivery?

* Why are there always two discharges on each side of a midship pump house? It’s not an NFPA 1901 requirement. It might work if all your non-preconnected hose is carried in crosslays. Good grief—what a stupid idea it is to pipe hose connections to where the hose is kept.

* NFPA 1901 requires downturn elbows on discharges located more than 42 inches from ground level, but not on inlets located that high. Maybe water only kinks hose on the way out and not on the way in. Supposedly the concern was or is about the friction loss in the device as well as inhibiting drafting out of portable ponds or over guard rails or something like that. If that’s so darn important how come NFPA 1901 says you can carry either hard suction or soft suction? I guess drafting isn’t that important—all the time. Besides, if you are going to draft and, for example, you have a piston intake relief valve on your steamer, what difference is it if you have to remove a blind cap off the steamer or remove the valve off the steamer?

* How come fire departments demand truss-style ground ladders for ladder trucks yet purchase solid-beam ladders for pumpers? At the minimum, pumper roof ladders should be truss construction. They’re easier to handle on a pitched roof especially in inclement weather. Maybe pumper crews have longer fingers and more dexterous hands than the truckers.

* How come many of today’s Read more

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