Keep it Simple and Effective, Design it Right!
Dennis LeGear, LeGear Engineering F.D. Consulting.
Our goal at LeGear Engineering F.D. Consulting is to provide the knowledge necessary to initiate in-house change for issues specific to your agency, including but not limited to; water supply infrastructure, engine apparatus design, hose and nozzle packages, hose bed layout/configuration and associated standard operating policies (SOP/SOGs).
Cover photo by Oren Bersagel-Briese (Castle Rock FD, CO)
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A hose with low kink, low nozzle whip, appropriate weight, proper friction loss vs. water velocity for flow. A robust construction to combat thermal and mechanical insult on the fire ground and attain a service life of 10 years with no elongation or delamination issues. The diameter on the hose will actually be the internal diameter of the hose. While this alone will not be, and there is no, silver bullet, this is a step in the right direction. This is “True Hose”
Still trying to "expand" my knowledge.. My thoughts today on both Air Entrainment and Steam your mileage may vary.
I do not know who said it first, but "I like to have a long distance relationship with fire". They understood the best way to achieve this was with a high application rate and low nozzle reaction (straight or solid stream).
Lets take a moment to talk about how to protect yourself from thermal failure of hose issues regardless of spec. Hose line burn through is potentially a significant factor in some LODDs. Neglect of basic hose line handling and maintenance along with improper hose spec are the major contributing factors to burn through.
Consider the following:
I am commonly asked to help departments with spec and purchase of hose. Hose is a fleet of equipment. It must work together with relatively similar characteristics, including, durability, friction loss, dry weight and charged hose weight. All departments should develop a hose spec that meets their needs, not only today but into the service life of their hose fleet.
The following initial discussion regarding the specification for a “True Hose”. True Hose is one which is produced to meet the demands of the fire environment, not the bottom line. The hose shall be durable, and shall bear a marking that reflects the internal diameter of the waterway.
The concept of the Fire Stream Triangle Is that your agency needs all three sides to develop Gold Standard Fire Streams from Master Streams to Handline Streams.