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when to charge the line
So we had a very in depth discussion about this at a drill last night.
When is the best time to charge the line?
Some people say charge it at the front door, some say outside the door to the fire room, still others say once the pump operator can't see the hose team, they should charge the line.
What's everyone else's take on this?
When is the best time to charge the line?
Some people say charge it at the front door, some say outside the door to the fire room, still others say once the pump operator can't see the hose team, they should charge the line.
What's everyone else's take on this?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dave Reed on
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Charging the line to soon has disadvatages
1 it slows the advancing hose team by adding weight of the water in the line
Humping a charged line up stairs or thru a building adds fatique to those who have to pull the line to the seat of the fire
2. By having to fight with the line uses up much needed air from your pack
3 the potential for the line to open to early is now increased
4 its faster & easier to flake out the line(Stretch) a dry line when its dry
This practice needs to be a common sense aproach. Once the Team has successfuly strectched the line to the fire they will then call for water.
Thats not to say you should press in beyond a safe margin when fire could be behind or above your head.
I give the exsample of team that has reached what they thinkis the general area of the fire and is faced with a closed door
It would be then when you should charge the line and hopefully free it of kinks before you advance into the fire room .
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Permalink Reply by Jenny Holderby on
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The answer will be different for each situation or each department. Using ONE pumper/engine & ONE attack line, we usually charge the line as soon as the hose hits the ground and is off the truck IF we SEE fire. If it lays there a couple of minutes before it needs to be used that is ok. It's better than having to wait for the line to be charged when you needed it 5 seconds ago. If you are seeing smoke & LOOKING for fire, charge it when the officer says to charge the line. Pull the line, engage the pump. If the line doesn't need charged at that moment, circulate water through the pump until the crew is ready to attack. Any time the line is charged but not being used, recirculate the water throught the pump. Safe is much better than sorry however you look at it.
Someone asked about a supply line & when to open the hydrant. We don't all have radios either but there are 2 in each apparatus. The person @ the hydrant should have one of them OR at least someone relaying signals between the hydrant & the truck. But again, a line being charged doesn't mean it has to be used. If we are laying THAT MUCH LDH we better need it. One night the OIC decided to hit a hydrant with LDH for a structure fire. There are 500ft of 5 in. on top of the engine. When it comes off, it comes off period. The truck didn't get 500 ft. from the hydrant, so the LDH was kinked. The fire was put out with about a 1/4 of a tank of water. It took longer to get the hose back on the truck than to extinguish the fire.
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Permalink Reply by Jdeangelis2452 on
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what happens if your inside just waiting and the room flashes over.. Just think by the time you arive and then add the 3 mins of wait time your in prime time for a flashover
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Permalink Reply by Kristy Oxholm on
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I'm guessing that was supposed to be 'stream' not 'steam'
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Permalink Reply by Will2745 on
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HAVE QANSWERS FOR THIS,,,
!. I WANT MY LINE CHARGED WHEN I ENTER THE BUILDING
@IF LAYING A LINE FROM HYDRANT TO SCENE, FIRST CLAMP OFF HOSE, THEN PULL MORE HOSE, TO NEXT COUPLING,,,THE NEXT ENGINE, ETC IN DRESSES HYDRANT AND CHARGES THE LINE..WITH HOSE CLAMPED WE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH A BED FULL OF WET HOSE,,AND GIVES OPERATOR A LITTLE EXTRA TIME TO DO ALL HE HAS TO DO,,,
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Permalink Reply by Matthew Brough on
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As far as LDH goes. We drop the hose and advance to the fire. The driver sets the truck up, gets everything going and hoses pulled out while a crew packs up. Usually we only have 5 or 6 guys tops at a fire. Normally we hook to the truck, then run to the hydrant charge it, then run back and open the bleeder valve on the truck to rid the air, then open the line to the truck.
If there is a passenger at the station to ride, they bale at the hydrant and stay there until I blow the airhorn 2 short blasts.
11/2 charge it at the door if it's single story or basement fire. if it's a 2 story or attic fire, wait for the call from inside.
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Permalink Reply by Jeff on
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Charge the line before entry...If something goes wrong before I make it to the fire I want to know I have water when I need it.
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Permalink Reply by CJ Knapp on
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We call for water once we have found the fire room... I find it's much easier to get to where we gotta go w/ a dry line then a charged one...
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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Like many threads on here, there is never a right answer because the author does not provide enough specifics. Like I asked on page one, Where are we taking this line? Where is the fire?
So in essence, 5 pages later of great and honest replies and we still have NO fathomable concensus.
I would refer back to my response on page 2 and state unless we have an update from the author, we will continue to blow hot air up eachothers butts with what we would do on whatever type of fire we as "the reader" can dream up, imagine or have lived through in the past...
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Permalink Reply by axeman on
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The hose team should make the call to the pump operator when THEY want it charged. It's much easier to hump a dry hose then a charged one. The hose team are the ones who will know when it's time for them to have water.
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Permalink Reply by Allen on
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Why would anyone go in with out a Radio? This to me has BAD written all over it. At out dept, there is no way anyone goes in with out a radio and they leave their accountibility tag with IC.
But that is just my dept. Every department has their own way of doing things, but if its my butt going in, you bet i will have a radio.
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