Chapter 15 Fire Hose Firefighter I Terms 1. Fire Hose A flexible, portable tube manufactured from water tight materials in 50 to 100 foot (15 to 30 m) lengths that is used to transport water from a source or pump to the point it is discharged to extinguish fire. 2. Supply Hose Hose that is designed for the purpose of moving water between a water source and a pump that is supplying attack hoselines or fire suppression systems. 3. Attack Hose Hose that is used by trained firefighters to combat fires. 4. Fire Department Connection (FDC) Point at which the fire department can connect into a sprinkler or standpipe system to boost the water flow in the system. 5. Soft Sleeve Hose Large-diameter, collapsible piece of hose used to connect a fire pump to a pressurized water supply source; sometimes incorrectly referred to as soft suction hose. 6. Suction Hose Intake hose that connects pumping apparatus or portable pump to a water source. 7. Hard-Suction Hose Rigid, noncollapsible hose that operates under vacuum conditions without collapsing, allowing a pumping apparatus or portable pump to draft water from static or nonpressurized sources (lakes, rivers, wells, etc.) that are below the level of the fire pump, usually available in 10-foot (3 m) sections. 8. Threaded Coupling Male or female coupling with a spiral thread. 9. Nonthreaded Coupling Coupling with no distinct male or female components. Also called Storz Coupling or sexless coupling. 10. Shank Portion of a coupling that serves as a point of attachment to the hose. 11. Higbee Cut Special cut at the beginning of the thread on a hose coupling that provides positive identification of the first thread to eliminate cross-threading. 12. Higbee Indicators Notches or grooves cut into coupling lugs to identify by touch or sight the exact location of the Higbee Cut. 13. Spanner Wrench Small tool primarily used to tighten or loosen hose couplings; can also be used as a prying tool or a gas key. 14. Quarter-Turn Coupling Nonthreaded (sexless) coupling with two hook-like lugs that slip over a ring on the opposite coupling and then rotate 90 degrees clockwise to lock. 15. Storz Coupling Nonthreaded (sexless) coupling commonly found on large-diameter hose. Nonthreaded fire hose couplings have been used in the North American fire and emergency services since the early 1900s. With this type of coupling, the mating of two couplings is achieved with locks or cams without the use of screw threads. 16. Wye Hose appliance with one female inlet and multiple male outlets, usually smaller than the inlet. Outlets are also usually gated. 17. Siamese Hose appliance used to combine two or more hoselines into one. The Siamese has multiple female inlets and a single male outlet. An example of a Siamese is a fire department connection. 18. Water Thief Any of a variety of hose appliances with one female inlet for 2½ -inch (65 mm) or larger hose and with three gated outlets, usually two 1½-inch (38 mm) outlets and one 2½-inch (65 mm) outlet. 19. Adapter Device for connecting hose couplings with dissimilar threads but with the same inside diameter. 20. Fitting Device that facilitates the connection of hoselines to provide an uninterrupted flow of extinguishing agent. 1
21. Reducer Fitting used to attach a smaller hose to a larger hose. The female end has the larger threads, while the male end has the smaller threads. 22. Hydrant Wrench Specially designed tool used to open or close a hydrant and to remove hydrant caps. 23. Hose Bed Main hose-carrying area of a pumper or other apparatus designed for carrying hose. 24. Finish Arrangement of hose usually placed on top of a hose load and connected to the end of the load. 25. Flat Load Arrangement of fire hose in a hose bed or compartment in which the hose lies flat with successive layers one upon the other. 26. Accordion Load Arrangement of fire hose in a hose bed or compartment in which the hose lies on edge with the folds adjacent to each other. 27. Horseshoe Load Arrangement of fire hose in a hose bed or compartment in which the hose lies on edge in the form of a horseshoe. 28. Dutchman Extra fold placed along the length of a section of hose as it is loaded so that its coupling rests in proper position. 29. Preconnect Attack hose connected to a discharge when the hose is loaded; this shortens the time it takes to deploy the hose for fire fighting. 30. Booster Hoseline Noncollapsible rubber-covered, rubber-lined hose usually wound on a reel and mounted somewhere on the apparatus and used for extinguishment of incipient and smoldering fires. This hose is most commonly found in ½-, ¾-, and 1-inch (13 mm, 19 mm, and 25 mm) diameters and is used for extinguishing lowintensity fires and overhaul operations. 31. Four-Way Hydrant Valve Hose appliance that is attached to the hydrant to permit additional supply hoses to be attached without interrupting the flow of water. 32. Open Butt The end of a charged hoseline that is flowing water without a nozzle or valve to control the flow. True/False 1. True. 2. False. The traditional length of a section of fire hose in North America is 50 feet (15 m). 3. True. 4. True. 5. False. Hard-rubber booster hose only requires rinsing with clear water. 6. False. Hard intake hose may be placed back on the apparatus while wet. 7. True. 8. True. 9. False. Preconnected hose loads for attack lines are placed in an area other than the main hose bed. 10. True. 11. False. Making a hard intake connection is more difficult than connecting soft intake hose. 12. True. 13. False. When advancing hoseline up and down a stairway, hose should be uncharged when conditions allow. 14. True. 15. True. 2
Identification Hose Rolls 1. Donut Roll 2. Self-Locking Twin Donut Roll 3. Straight Roll 4. Twin Donut Roll Hose Loads 1. Accordion Load 2. Combination Load 3. Flat Load 4. Horseshoe Load Matching Causes of Fire Hose Damage Types of Valves Hose Tools 1. D 1. A 1. E 6. H 2. F 2. D 2. D 7. B 3. E 3. B 3. C 8. A 4. B 4. C 4. I 9. F 5. C 5. G 6. A Multiple Choice 1. C 2. B 3. A 4. A 5. D 6. A 7. C 8. B 9. D 10. B 11. B 12. B 13. A 14. D 15. B 16. D 17. B 18. A 19. B 20. C Short Answer 1. Single-jacket Double-jacket Rubber single-jacket Hard-rubber or plastic noncollapsible 2. Melt ice with steam-generating device Chop hose loose with axes Leave hose until weather warms enough to melt ice 3
3. Evidence of dirt or debris on hose jacket or couplings Damage to hose jacket Coupling loosened from hose Damage to male and female threads Obstructed operation of swivel Absence of well-fitting gasket in swivel 4. Avoid dropping and/or dragging Do not permit vehicles to drive over Inspect when hose is washed and dried Remove gasket and twist swivel in warm, soapy water Clean threads to remove tar, dirt, gravel, and oil Inspect gasket and replace if cracked or creased 5. Answers may vary; students should include at least three of the following: Check gaskets and swivel before connecting any coupling Keep flat sides of hose in same plane when two sections of hose are connected Tighten couplings hand tight Remove kinks and twists from hose when bent to form loop in hose bed Make short fold or reverse bend (called a Dutchman) in hose during loading process so that couplings are not too close to front or rear of hose bed and will not flip over when pulled out of bed Load large-diameter hose [3½ inch (90 mm) or larger] with all couplings near front of bed Do not pack hose too tightly 6. Do not ride in standing position when apparatus is moving Drive no faster than 10 mph (16 km/h) slower speed allows couplings to clear tailboard as hose leaves bed Deploy hose to one side of roadway so that other apparatus are not forced to drive over it 7. Answers may vary; students should include at least four of the following: Check for and remove kinks and bends from hoselines as advanced Bleed air from hoseline as it is being charged and before entering building or fire area Position nozzle operator and all members of hose team on same side of hoseline Check for heat using back of gloved hand before opening door Stay low and avoid blocking ventilation openings Chock self-closing doors to prevent door from closing and pinching hoseline 4
Crossword Across 4. Quarter-turn coupling 5. Hard suction hose 7. Booster hoseline 9. Soft sleeve hose 12. Reducer 14. Dutchman 15. Preconnect 16. Wye Down 1. Fire hose 2. Adapter 3. Finish 5. Higbee cut 6. Nonthreaded coupling 8. Attack hose 10. Storz coupling 11. Supply hose 13. Fitting 5