Let's take a look at both the flat and accordian loads  I'm not a fan of the accordian load and will explain why...

Update: Thanks to Eng Co 4, this photo shows the accordion fold. Scroll down this post to see more specific information regarding this apparatus and the hose inventory. 

Accordian Load:

• Originally used decades ago as a standard hose lay but was replaced over time by most fire departments who now use the flat load.
• Visually, a 'prettier' / 'neater' hose load.
• Great for recessed hose wells like the front bumper line or running board freeway line.
• Labor intensive to load hose using the Accordian Fold.
• Not considered a 'good' hose storage method due to the increased stress put on the folds.
• If not loaded correctly with the hose being packed too tight, there is a risk of the hose binding up in the hose bed when being deployed on hose lays.
• Not considered an appropriate hose load for busy working engine companies that have to rack and re-rack hose several times per day.

Flat Load:

• Easy to load and deploy.
• Great for supply lines due to the ease of the hose 'flaking' out the rear hose bed for forward and reverse hose lays.
• Not labor intensive, requiring only 1-2 people to re-rack the hosebed.
• Less stress on the hose by there being less 'bending' of the hose.
• Less time consuming, post-fire, to re-rack the hose which in my case is synthetic so you can put it away wet.
• Compresses the hose better due to the weight of the hose layers.
• Takes up less room and stores more hose.

Addtionally, I should mention that we have used both the triple fold and flat load for our crosslays. Years ago, we switched over from using the triple fold to the flat load for the crosslays. LA County would be another example of a large working department that adopted the flat load to facilitate getting engines in back in service asap to respond to additional alarms.

TCSS,
CBz