9 responding on the fire ground. 9 knowledge objectives (1 of 3) describe securing a water source...

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Responding on the Fire

Ground

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Knowledge Objectives (1 of 3)

• Describe securing a water source after arriving on scene.

• Describe the driver/operator’s responsibility with proper hose layouts.

• Describe cab procedures when positioning the fire apparatus at the fire ground.

• Describe the driver/operator’s responsibilities prior to exiting the cab of the fire apparatus.

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• Describe the driver/operator’s responsibilities after exiting the fire apparatus.

• Describe the driver/operator’s responsibility to make connections to a fire department sprinkler and/or standpipe connection.

• Describe the driver/operator’s role in troubleshooting problems on scene with the fire apparatus or its equipment.

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• Describe the driver/operator’s role in the safe operation of the pump.

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Skills Objectives (1 of 2)

• Assemble a hose line from a hydrant to a pump.

• Inspect a solid-stream nozzle.• Inspect a fog nozzle.• Engage the fire pump.• Hand-lay a supply line.• Connect a hose to a fire department

connection (FDC).

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Skills Objectives (2 of 2)

• Perform a changeover operation.

• Operate an auxiliary cooling system.

• Disengage the fire pump.

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Fire Hose, Appliances, and Nozzles Overview (1 of 3)

• Functions of fire hose – Supply hose (supply line) delivers water from

static source or hydrant to attack pumper– Attack hose (attack line) discharges water

from attack pumper onto fire

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Sizes of Hose (1 of 4)

• Hose diameter ranges: 1”–6” (25–152 mm)– Nominal hose size– Smaller-diameter hose used as attack lines– Larger-diameter hose used as supply lines– Medium-diameter hose used as attack or

supply lines

• Small-diameter hose (SDH) diameter ranges: 1”–2” (25–51 mm)

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© Samuel Acosta/ShutterStock, Inc.

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• Hose used most often to attack interior residential structure fires is 1½” (38 mm) or 1¾” (45 mm)

• Medium-diameter hose (MDH) has diameter of 2½” (64 mm) or 3” (76 mm)

• Large-diameter hose (LDH) has diameter of 3½+” (89+ mm)

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Attack Hose (1 of 2)

• Designed for fire suppression

• Most departments use two sizes as attack lines for fire suppression.

• 1½” (38 mm) and 1¾” (45 mm) attack hose– Primary attack lines for most fires– Amount of water through hose is the primary

difference

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Attack Hose (2 of 2)

• 2½” (64 mm) attack hose– Used as attack line for fires too large to be

controlled by 1½” (38 mm) and 1¾” (45 mm) line

– Higher flows achieved with higher pressures and larger nozzles

• Booster hose– Carried on a reel– Limited flow

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Supply Hose (1 of 4)

• Delivers water to attack pumper from pressurized source– Hydrant or other engine in relay operation

• Engines are loaded with at least one hose that can be a supply line.

• 2½” (64 mm) hose used as supply line comprises the same hose type used for attack lines.

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• Large-diameter supply lines are more efficient than 2½” (64 mm) hose for moving larger volumes of water over longer distances.

• Soft suction hose connects the pumper directly to a large streamer outlet on the hydrant.

• Hard suction hose drafts water from a static source.

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Fire Hose Appliances (1 of 7)

• Devices used with fire hose for delivering water

• Driver/operator should understand the purpose of each and be able to use each correctly.– Wyes split one hose stream into two.

– Water thief is similar to a gated wye with additional 2½” (64 mm) outlet.

– Siamese connection combines two lines into one.

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Courtesy of Akron Brass Company

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• Adapters connect hose couplings with the same diameter but dissimilar threads.

• Reducers attach SDH to LDH.• Hose jacket is placed over a section of hose

to stop a leak.• Hose clamp temporarily stops water flow in a

hose line.• Valves control water flow in a pipe or hose

line.

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© 2003, Berta A. Daniels

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Courtesy of Akron Brass CompanyCourtesy of Akron Brass Company

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Nozzles (1 of 6)

• Nozzles attach to the discharge end of attack lines to give fire streams shape and direction.– Low-volume nozzles flow 40 GPM (150 L/min) or

less. – Handline nozzles used on hose lines are 1½”–

2½” (38–64 mm) in diameter– Master stream nozzles are used on deck guns,

portable monitors, and ladder pipes that flow. – 350+ GPM (1325+ L/min)

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Nozzles (2 of 6)

• Low-volume and handline nozzles incorporate a shut-off valve to control water flow.

• Nozzle shut-offs enable fire fighters at the nozzle to start or stop water flow.

• Smooth-bore nozzles– Simplest has a shut-off valve and smooth-

bore tip that decreases stream diameter to smaller than hose diameter

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Nozzles (3 of 6)

• Smooth-bore nozzle advantages– Longer reach– Capable of deeper penetration – Operation at lower pressures– Extinguishes fire with less air movement

• Disadvantages– Streams do not absorb heat as readily– Fire fighter cannot change the setting

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Nozzles (4 of 6)

• Fog-stream nozzles produce fine droplets of water.– Straight streams have center openings.

• Advantages over smooth-bore nozzles– Can produce a variety of stream patterns– Effectively absorb heat– Move large volumes of air with water– Can push fire into unaffected areas

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Nozzles (5 of 6)

• Piercing nozzles make holes in sheet metal, aircraft, and building walls or ceilings to extinguish fires behind surfaces.

• Cellar nozzles and Bresnan distributor nozzles fight fires in cellars and other inaccessible places.

• Water curtain nozzles deliver a flat screen of water that forms a protective curtain on the surface of an exposed building.

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Nozzles (6 of 6)

• Nozzle maintenance and inspection– Inspect nozzles regularly, with all

equipment on every vehicle. – Check nozzles after each use before

placing them back on the apparatus.– Keep nozzles clean and clear of

debris.– Inspect fingers on the face of fog

nozzles.

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Fire Hose Evolutions (1 of 6)

• Driver/operator’s responsibility is to secure a water source upon arrival on scene. – Fire hose evolutions are critical to

driver/operator’s success. – Most departments set up equipment and

conduct regular training so fire fighters are prepared to perform standard hose evolutions.

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• Driver/operator should know where pressure lines should be supplied at.– Ensure they are properly flaked out before being

charged with water pressure. – Driver/operator needs to know how to deploy hose

lines and which size, length, and nozzle configurations are required.

– Driver/operator needs all the information to supply the attack line with the correct water flow for fire extinguishment.

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• Hose evolutions are divided into supply and attack line operations. – Supply line operations involve laying hose

lines and making connections between the water supply source and the attack pumper.

– Attack line operations involve advancing hose lines from the attack pumper to apply water onto the fire.

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• Supply line evolutions– To deliver water from a

hydrant or an alternative source to the attack pumper

• Forward hose lay– Most often used by the first-

arriving engine company at the fire scene

– The hydrant closest to the fire may supply a sufficient amount of water by itself.

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• Four-way hydrant valve– Water flows from the

hydrant through the valve to a supply line which delivers water to the attack pumper.

• Reverse hose lay– Hose is laid out from the

fire to the hydrant.– Opposite direction to

water flow

Courtesy of Jim Hylton

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• Split hose lay– Performed by two engine

companies, hose must be laid in two different directions

– Coordination by two-way radio

• When an engine is located at a hydrant, the supply hose must deliver water from the hydrant to the engine.

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Cab Procedures (1 of 5)

• Driver/operator should position the apparatus according to department policies and procedures and turn the front wheels toward the curb on a 45-degree angle. – If the apparatus moves, it will move toward the

curb and stop, making the scene safer.

– If there is no curb, same position for wheels so apparatus is not pushed ahead or into the other side of the street

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• All unnecessary emergency lighting should be off except what is needed for the protection of personnel working in and around the apparatus on scene.

• Leaving all lighting on can drain the apparatus’s electrical system. – Newer apparatus automatically change lighting to “on

scene” modes. – Older apparatus require driver/operator to choose

which lights are used.

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• Once on scene and before exiting the cab– Exiting prematurely can waste valuable time and

cause driver/operator to overlook important function – Place the transmission into neutral or park, based on

the apparatus. – Apply the parking brake.– Place the apparatus transmission from “road” to

“pump” position. – Place the apparatus transmission into drive, letting

the motor power pump instead of the drivetrain.

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• Exiting the cab– Once the pump is engaged, the first task upon exiting

the cab is to chock the apparatus wheels. – Circulate water into the pump. – Remove air inside the centrifugal pump for proper

operation.– Once there is no air inside the pump, open the “Tank

Refill” valve to let the water flow from the pump back into the onboard tank.

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Securing a Water Source (1 of 3)

• One of the driver/operator’s primary responsibility– Before leaving the fire station to respond,

have the knowledge of water sources at or near the scene.

– Use a map with hydrant locations on it.– Be familiar with water sources within the

response area.

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• On arrival, the fire officer determines if the driver/operator will lay the supply line to the incident. – If the fire officer calls for a supply line, follow

your department’s SOPs. – If the engine company is the first on scene,

the fire officer may forgo the supply line and go straight into the scene.

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• Sometimes the hydrant is located near the building that is on fire. – Position the apparatus to use the hose to

connect to the hydrant instead of using a forward lay.

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Hand Lays (1 of 3)

• Considerations– How far is the apparatus from the hydrant?– What is the best hose to make the connection?– How long will this take to complete?

• To determine how far the apparatus is from the closest hydrant, use a reference map in the apparatus or estimate the distance from the pump intake to the hydrant.

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Hand Lays (2 of 3)

• Some departments carry reduced-length 3” (76 mm) or 2½” (64 mm) hose for refilling the onboard tank from the hydrant.

• If the hydrant is 60’ (18 m) feet away, shorter LDH lines are not an option.

• To determine how long a hand lay will take:– Distance from apparatus to hydrant– Hose choice– Obstacles to deploy the hose

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Hand Lays (3 of 3)

• Consider double-tapping the hydrant when obtaining a water source.

• Practice helps the driver/operator build confidence and become more proficient in securing a water source.

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Standpipe/Sprinkler Connecting (1 of 4)

• Connecting supply hose lines to standpipe and sprinkler systems – Standpipe systems provide water supply for

attack lines that will be operated inside the building

– Types of standpipe systems• Dry system• Wet system

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• Pressure requirements for standpipe systems depend on the height of water use in the building.

• Private fire protection systems in the building are due to building characteristics within the response area, height, and construction materials used in the building.

• FDC can be free standing or wall mounted.

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• Each female connection should have a clapper valve inside the Siamese connection that swings closed on any connection not in use.

• If the exterior FDC connection is damaged so that a connection cannot be made, hook it up to the standpipe on the building’s first floor.

• Connect the engine to the sprinkler/standpipe; your SOPs may specify when to supply the standpipe.

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Performing a Changeover (1 of 6)

• When arriving at a scene, the driver/operator may need to supply attack lines from an onboard tank, then have a supply line laid to the pump from another apparatus or a hand-laid supply line. – Supplying attack lines from an onboard tank is

limited by the water in the tank. – Tank water lasts only so long; supply line is

needed to sustain a fire attack for longer time.

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• During changeover, driver/operator switches from onboard tank to external source – Goal: to make changeover before running out

of water in tank, with least pressure fluctuation for crew on nozzle

– Over-pressurizing the attack line causes fire fighters to lose control, causing an unsafe situation.

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• Driver/operator needs to supply attack lines with correct pressure constantly to ensure safe operation– Pressure relief valve,

pressure governor– Transfer valve is needed

with multistage pump

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• Factors to consider before changeover– How much water is currently

in the tank? – What flow rate (GPM) and

pressure (psi) are used by the crew on the attack line?

– What is the incoming pressure from the supply line?

– What is the setting of the pressure control device?

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• When beginning changeover, watch the attack crew’s pressure gauge. – Fluctuation should not exceed 10 psi (69 kPa). – Slowly open the valve from the external water source,

introducing water into the pump. – Once the valve is fully open, close the tank-to-pump

valve. – If the pressure-relieving device is set for lower than

the incoming supply pressure, increase the setting on the valve above the incoming pressure from the supply line.

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• Once changeover is accomplished, recheck all gauges for proper settings. – If no additional lines are needed, refill the

onboard tank. – Open the tank fill valve just enough to let

water into the tank, but not enough to permit pressure fluctuations for the attack lines.

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Duties on Scene

• Driver/operator has duties and responsibilities on scene other than pumping water or foam. – Once pumping operation is underway, monitor

gauges on the pump panel. – During pumping operations, if engine temperature

increases, take steps to reduce it.

• Driver/operator’s final duty on the fire ground is to disengage the fire pump.

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Summary

• Fire hoses are used for two purposes: supply and attack.

• Hose appliances• Nozzles are attached to the discharge end of

attack lines to give fire streams shape and direction.

• Driver/operator’s responsibility is to secure the water source upon arrival on scene.

• Fire hose evolutions is critical to the success of a firefighting operation.

9 responding on the fire ground. 9 knowledge objectives (1 of 3) describe securing a water source...

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