OBSERVATIONS ON THE ENGINE COMPANY Click here to enlarge image This fire on the top floor of a five-story multiple dwelling in the Bronx, New York, required five lengths of hose within the fire building. Success in performing a “vertical” handline stretch depends on an accurate estimate of the hose needed to reach and cover the fire area, a hose load designed for the vertical stretch, and adequate training in stretching handlines in buildings with various stair configurations. (Photo by Matt Daly.) ANDREW A. FREDERICKS is an 18-year veteran of the fire service; a firefighter with the City of New York (NY) Fire Department, assigned to Engine Company 48 in the Bronx; and an engine company chauffeur. He is a New York State-certified fire instructor at the Rockland County Fire Training Center in Pomona, New York, and an adjunct instructor at the New York State Academy of Fire Science. He…
