Permalink Reply by Doug on September 8, 2010 at 12:57am
My department has two, one each carried on the engine and ladder, they are the type that attaches to the Navy Nozzle. I can't ever remember using them though, aside from in training. I've posted pictures of them before in another thread on here, somewhere.
I think the biggest thing with all of the piercing nozzles I've seen, they don't have shut offs so guys don't bother with it! Take an 1 1/2 nozzle that has a removable tip from the shut off valve, remove the tip and attach it to the piercing nozzle, works great but you do have to be more careful when hitting it! The other thing I've seem is a short length of hose and a gated "Y" for a valve.
You can purchase piercing nozzles with a bail and a ball valve attached, or you can purchase a stand-alone bail/ball valve attachment and either mate it to the piercing nozzle's female intake or use a short pony section of 1-1/2 or 1-3/4 to mate the two.
The five footer I mentioned has a bail and ball valve. We really don't use it much but in moblie homes and metal sheds, like was already talked about Ben Waller.
He is right there great for that.
If I used a dry chem on our car fires,I'd be BANKRUPT(too many car fires). We've got a piercing nozzle,don't use it often but it has it's place. If you have a piercing nozzle,you'll find some novel ways to use it.
Hay bale fires are NO laughing matter. VERY dangerous when tons of hay start shifting or you step in a void created by them. Plus they can be a source of a very fast moving,very intense fire.