fire stream and line selection firefighter ii. copyright © texas education agency 2011. all rights...

Fire Stream and Line Selection Firefighter II

2Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2011. All rights reserved.Images and other multimedia content used with permission.

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Fire Stream Sizes• Low-volume streams

– Discharge less than 40 gallons per minute (gpm)

– Commonly supplied by ¾-, 1-, or 1½-inch hoselines

• Handlines– Commonly supplied by a 1½- to 3-inch hose– Discharge 40 to 350 gpm

• Master streams– Discharge greater than 350 gpm– Commonly supplied by a 2 ½-inch, 3-inch, or

larger diameter hose– Master streams are large volume streams

Master stream used from an aerial ladder.


Fire Stream Types

Solid streams– Product of a fixed orifice, smooth

bore nozzle– Compact stream (little spray)– Further reach than other stream types– The reach is affected by

• Gravity• Air and wind friction

– Solid handline streams operate at 50 pounds per square inch (psi)

– Solid master streams operate at 80 psi


Fire Stream Types (continued)

Fog streams– Have three settings

• Straight stream – resembles a solid stream, but is a product of a fog nozzle, and is not as compact as a solid stream

• Narrow fog – 15° to 45° pattern• Wide fog – 45° to 80° pattern

– Commonly operate at 100 psi– Reach is affected by

• Pattern selection • Gravity• Water velocity• Friction with air• Wind

– Have less reach than solid or straight streams


Fire Stream Types (continued)

Broken streams– A fire stream broken into

coarse drops (the droplets in a fog stream are much more finely divided)

– Created by cellar nozzles


Nozzle Types and Characteristics

Manually adjustable– Discharge rate changed by using a

selector ring on a manually adjustable fog nozzle to specific volumes (gpm)

– Handline flow rates can be adjusted from 10 – 250 gpm

– Master stream line flow rates from 300 – 2500 gpm

– The flush setting is used to clean debris away from the nozzle


Nozzle Types and Characteristics (continued)

Automatic (constant pressure) nozzles

– Allows the nozzle operator to vary the flow while maintaining a working nozzle pressure

– Low flows for handlines range from 10 – 125 gpm

– Medium flows are from 70 – 200 gpm

– Master stream flows are between 250 – 1000 gpm


Nozzle Types and Characteristics (continued)

Combination nozzles – Designed to operate at different

pressures– The most common pressure is 100 psi– Some combination nozzles operate at

pressures ranging from 45 to 75 psi• These nozzles have less nozzle reaction,

the droplet size is larger (the density of the fog pattern is less), and the stream has less velocity


Hose Care and Maintenance (Washing and Drying)

Methods of washing hoses– Hard rubber booster hose, hard intake/suction, and

rubber jacketed hose can usually be cleaned with water and a mild soap if necessary


Hose Care and Maintenance (Washing and Drying) (continued)

Methods of washing hoses (continued)

– Woven jacket hose can have dirt brushed or swept off of it, but it can be washed and scrubbed with water and a stiff brush if necessary



Methods of washing hoses (continued)– Hoses exposed to oil should be washed with

pressurized water from a garden hose and a mild soap detergent using a stiff brush



Methods of washing hoses (continued)

– Hose washing machines can also be used to clean hoses

• Common machines wash hoses up to 3 inches in diameter

• Cabinet type machines wash, rinse, and drain fire hoses, and are designed to be used in-station by one person. It is self-propelled and can be used with or without detergent



Methods of drying hoses (once washed, hoses should be dried before being stored)

– Woven jacket hose must be completely dry before being put back on the fire units

• The best way to dry the hose after it is cleaned is to hang it in a hose tower or storage rack designed for drying hoses, until it is completely dry. It is best not to dry hoses in direct sunlight

• Failure to dry a hose can cause mold and mildew damage to the hose, and is a particular problem with woven jacket hoses made of cotton or other natural fibers



Methods of drying hoses (continued)– Hard-rubber booster hose, hard intake/suction

hose, and synthetic or rubber jacketed hose can be placed back on fire units wet


Nozzle, Hose Tool and Appliance Use

Hose tools are different from hose appliances because water does not flow through a hose tool

– Hose roller (hose hoist)• Placed over edges or roofs where

potential damage is possible• The hose is pulled over the roller

to prevent damage• Used to protect a rope from

damage when hoisting tools and equipment


Nozzle, Hose Tool and Appliance Use

Hose tools (continued)– Hose jacket

• A two-piece hinged cylinder, lined with rubber that can temporarily seal a hose rupture or leak

• The device is locked over the leak so the hose can continue to be used

• Two sizes: 2½-inch and 3-inch• Used to connect a hose with mismatched couplings or

damaged couplings


Nozzle, Hose Tool and Appliance Use (continued)

Hose tools (continued)– Hose clamp – used to stop water flow in hoselines

• 3 types: press down, hydraulic press, and screw down• Used in the following situations

– To keep from charging a hose bed– To allow placement of a burst section of hose– To extend a hoseline– To advance a charged hoseline up stairs



Hose tools (continued)– Hose bridge (ramp) – allows traffic to drive over

the hose without damaging the hose



Hose tools (continued)– Spanners, hydrant wrenches, and

rubber mallets• Are all used to help tighten or loosen

hose couplings• Hydrant wrenches have a built in

spanner• Are used to remove hydrant caps and

open hydrant valvesHydrant wrench used to open a hydrant



Hose appliances – water flows through hose appliances

– Valves – control the flow of water in appliances, hoselines, fire apparatus, and water systems

• Ball valves – used in fire apparatus discharges and gated wyes. They are open when the handle is in line with the hose, and closed when not

• Gate valves – are used to control the flow from fire hydrants. The gate moves up and down as the handle and screw assembly is rotated

Hydrant gate valve assembly.



Hose appliances (continued)– Valves (continued)

• Butterfly valves – are found on large pump intakes. They have a baffle or plate that turns 90 degrees. When the baffle is in the center of the waterway and aligned with the flow of water, it is fully open. Most are operated by a ¼-turn handle, but some are operated by an electric motor

• Clapper valves – are commonly found in Siamese appliances, and allow the flow of water in one direction only. The clapper valve incorporates a small disc that is hinged to swing in one direction

Butterfly Valve



Valve devices allow firefighters to increase or decrease the amount of hose lines at a fire or an emergency scene

– Wye appliances • Have a single female inlet and two

male outlets (1 into 2)• Those wyes with valve-controlled

outlets are referred to as “gated wyes”

• A ball valve is the type of valve commonly used



Valve devices (continued)– Siamese appliances

• Usually have two female inlets and one male outlet (2 into 1)

• If they have three female inlets, they are often referred to as a triamese appliance or a manifold

Siamese hose connection to a sprinkler (FDC) Fire Department Connection.



Valve devices (continued)– Water thief appliances

• Are similar to wye appliances• Are most often used in wildland firefighting

operations• Used in wildland firefighting they usually have a

1½-inch female inlet, a 1½-inch male outlet, and one valve-controlled, 1-inch male outlet

– Large diameter hose appliances• One kind is the large water thief appliance• Have an large diameter hose (LDH) inlet and

outlet, and two or more 2½-inch, valve-controlled male outlets



Valve devices (continued)– Hydrant valves

• Are used when making forward lays from a low pressure hydrant

• Allow the original supply line to be connected to the hydrant and charged before the arrival of an additional pumper

• This is when additional lines are connected and the pressure is boosted without having to interrupt the original supply line flow



Valve devices (continued)– Fittings allow firefighters to

connect hoses of different sizes and thread types

• Adaptors can connect fittings of dissimilar threads with the same diameter (double male or double female)

• Reducers are used to connect smaller hoselines to larger hoselines



Valve devices (continued)– Fittings (continued)

• Fittings include– Elbows that provide support

for a discharge or an intake hose at the apparatus

– Hose caps that protect the threads on the male discharge outlets

– Hose plugs that protect the threads on the female inlets found on the Fire Department Connections (FDC)

Hose cap over a large diameter intake.



Valve devices (continued)– Intake devices are attached to the suction end of a

hard intake to protect the pump from debris. They are commonly referred to as Intake Strainers


Resources

• 0135151112, Essentials of Firefighting (5th Edition), International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA)

• Photographs used with permission from IFSTA (Slides 4–10, 12, 13, 15–19, 22, 23, 25–27, 29)

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