BY RAKSHA VARMA

According to ComScore, an Internet analytics company, we now spend more time connecting to the Internet from our mobile phones than our computers.

That's a significant shift in digital habits in a short period of time. Consumers are keen on taking care of everyday tasks from their mobile phones vs. their computers because it's easier, faster, and more convenient. Mobile apps, in particular, make it possible for consumers to take care of everyday business, such as ordering transportation or reserving a table at a restaurant with a few taps and clicks from their mobile devices. This shift has permeated far beyond the consumer. Now companies and groups, such as fire departments, are taking advantage of the ease of use, speed, and convenience that mobile apps have to offer.

Fire stations across the nation are embracing mobile apps to better organize their departments and improve their teams' efficiency. Take Charles Kniffen, firefighter and treasurer of Troy (MI) Fire Department Station 5, for example. The station has about 30 active volunteer firefighters, and he is responsible for running the station, providing station training, and managing the budget. Kniffen recently took some time to answer questions about how his department is embracing mobile apps.

1 The TeamSnap mobile app allows the Troy (MI) Fire Department personnel to stay in touch and communicate about everything. The department uses the availability, scheduling, messaging features, and event calendar to automatically send e-mail reminders for training and other events. Recipients can change their availability status for each event, helping the department to better plan and prepare for them. (Photo courtesy of TeamSnap.)

What are the organizational challenges you face?

Kniffen: It's very difficult to keep track of multiple firefighters, not to mention our alumni, retirees, and widowed spouses. We need to keep track of everyone so we can do our duty and respond when our community needs help. But, it goes far beyond that. It's not easy to stay coordinated with all of the activities, training, and general schedules. In fact, these were some of our specific challenges:

• Training-some of which is mandatory-is held at our station every Monday. As you can imagine, it's hard to keep firefighters informed about mandatory training dates, locations, and start times.
• Figuring out how many members will show up for the training, which obviously has an impact on the type and effectiveness of the training.
• Figuring out how many members will show up for dinner meetings. This can affect our meal planning and budget.
• Keeping our extended community, including retirees and widows, in the know about upcoming events and news.

Staying organized is half the battle. There's also the larger issue of communication. How do you inform so many people on your squad of a change? Imagine the chaos tha

BY PAUL SHAPIRO

By now, I think we all know the benefits of large-diameter hose (LDH).

Besides moving more water than the 2½- and three-inch hose used in the past, in a sense it's easier to pick up because less hose has to be used. However, there is no getting around the weight of this hose-especially five-inch. Let's not forget that the hose is picked up after the fire, when firefighters are exhausted, making the task even more difficult.

Clint Baker, fire engineer with the Temple (TX) Fire Department and CEO of Baker Fabrication, has developed a machine that has made packing LDH in the hosebed easier and safe. It's called the Hose Mule. Throughout Baker's career, before the coming of the Hose Mule, he realized the advantages of LDH as well as the disadvantages, the main one being the repacking of the hose into the hosebed.

1 The Hose Mule is mounted on top of the apparatus either in front of or to the rear of the hosebed.

The Device

The Hose Mule is a motorized set of rollers designed to take the place of firefighters manually pulling the hose into the hosebed. Its operation allows the hose to pass through the set of powered ringers back into the hosebed. The Hose Mule is mounted on top of the apparatus either in front of or to the rear of the hosebed. The process involves three firefighters plus the driver as well as one firefighter to perform the duties of the safety officer watching the operation. One firefighter operates the Hose Mule while two firefighters pack the hose in the bed, which mainly involves creating the folds. It is helpful to predrain the hose before the pickup operation starts, but it's not critical that all the water be evacuated.

The operational process for packing hose with the Hose Mule involves the apparatus moving forward alongside the hose at a speed of less than five miles per hour. The crew in the hosebed should safely kneel down in the bed while reloading the hose to maintain their stability and avoid a mishap. The Hose Mule begins to pull the hose up to the hosebed while the apparatus is moving, and the remaining water can easily be drained out. When a coupling reaches the Hose Mule, the operator opens the ringers by lifting a handle mounted to the top portion of the machine, and a platform mounted at the bottom of the machine lifts up at the same time, lifting the couplings to the level of the rollers. At this point, the firefighters simply pull the couplings past the roller, and the rollers are lowered back against the hose, continuing the pulling operation. The average amount of hose that can be picked up is between 50 and 80 feet per minute.

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The Hose Mule is a motorized set of rollers designed to take the place of firefighters having to manually pull the hose into the hosebed. (Photos courtesy of Clint Baker.)