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Injured during hose testing
Seen this news report on the internet:
Friday, September 11, 2009 - Two Franklin Township firefighters were hurt during a hose testing exercise Thursday morning. A 50 foot section of fire hose broke when the water pressure reached 300 pounds per square inch. The metal coupling from that section of hose hit 29-year-old firefighter Sean Schembra in the head. Another firefighter, Justin Goff, suffered a knee injury.
Hose testing is dangerous, and I have seen hose failures in the past. My question is does anyone have additional information on the events that lead to these injuries from a catastrophic coupling failure?
Was the hose new? initial test? How many lengths? Were they testing hose from a fire apparatus pump source or using a commercial hose tester? Was the hose age or date of manufacturing misread and tested at a greater pressure than what the NFPA or the manufacturer designed?
Announcing an injury without additional information, important information to reduce the chances of this happening again is terrible.
Friday, September 11, 2009 - Two Franklin Township firefighters were hurt during a hose testing exercise Thursday morning. A 50 foot section of fire hose broke when the water pressure reached 300 pounds per square inch. The metal coupling from that section of hose hit 29-year-old firefighter Sean Schembra in the head. Another firefighter, Justin Goff, suffered a knee injury.
Hose testing is dangerous, and I have seen hose failures in the past. My question is does anyone have additional information on the events that lead to these injuries from a catastrophic coupling failure?
Was the hose new? initial test? How many lengths? Were they testing hose from a fire apparatus pump source or using a commercial hose tester? Was the hose age or date of manufacturing misread and tested at a greater pressure than what the NFPA or the manufacturer designed?
Announcing an injury without additional information, important information to reduce the chances of this happening again is terrible.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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Keri,
The time it takes to fill the LDH is usually a big complaint of users. We test (if possible) near a hydrant to speed up fill time. Once the line has been bled of air, the pressure builds fairly fast.
Comm Testers definately reduce pump wear and maintenance. When testing with the pump, you are essentially hammering the pump to achieve your desired pressure without moving any water. If people think the test is short enough to not be a concern, then why do we preach heavily to pump operators, when lines are shut down at a fire to assure re-circulation? Packings are taking a quick hit of heat build-up, repetitive tests are not the best for your equipment.
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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Hose testing on our department is done with a machine.
We take it very seriously.
If it starts to get too playful, a burst section of 3" will usually get everyone's attention.
Testing is done every year.
Yes; every year.
And marked.
Yes; marked.
And catalogged.
Yes; catalogged.
TCSS.
Art
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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We also use a machine, require helmets for everyone in the area, and limit the lengths to the NFPA recommendations. We mark it and document it in a database.
Incidents like the above are a good reason to avoid 600-foot 1-1/2 inch preconnects that require 285 PSI pump discharge pressures at fires, too.
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