By KEITH NIEMANN
When thinking back to my earliest memories of “organized” firefighter training, I remember learning about all the different hoseloads. There were horseshoes and flatlays, but the apparatus that most of us work with aren’t conducive to any of those types of loads. Although my department is starting to implement static loads off the rear of some engine companies, the rigs I currently work on have only crosslays. I’m not wild about it; working for a paid-full time department, I feel a static load from the rear would offer more flexibility, but that is not the world I live in. There are many different loads out there, from the minuteman to the triple layer, but none seemed to work well for our 200-foot preconnected crosslays with an enclosed top. Like any solution, our hoseload was born of necessity and gradually evolved. My department played with quite a few different configurations and found some good methods, and my crew made some final touches. This tandem load may not work perfectly for your rig, but it’s a starting point. Although apparatus vary from department to department, the purpose of the hoseload remains the same, and our tandem load should be easy to use in your department as well.
GOOD HOSELOADS
For a good hoseload, the hose must deploy equally well from either side of the apparatus. The method used should permit personnel to lay out the line quickly and correctly with a sufficient length of working hoseline. The working line must be just as easy to deploy to the front door as to the less common alternate entry points (e.g., rear/side door, deep setbacks). There must be a method to quickly play out the extra line not used. Finally, there should be a single uniform technique for deploying small- and large-diameter hoselines (1¾-and 2½-inch).
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| (1) At the start of the load, the first two rows are used in a “flat load,” and all tails are kept short. With a 200-foot preconnect, the “driver’s loop” goes after the first coupling (50 feet), and it’s the same on both sides of the crosslay. (Photos by author unless otherwise noted.) |
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| (2) Because of the crosslay’s restricted height at this point, approximately halfway through the third length (125 feet), the line is dropped into the third row. It will be kept short until the working line, the last 50 feet, is reached. |
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| (3) The last 50 feet, the working line, is left long on both sides. This load gives you easy indicators of what to grab. The nozzleman can see the large group of long tails, indicating his working line; the chauffeur can see his loop to clear the crosslay quickly and be ready when water is called for. |
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| (4) The same load in a four-row crosslay (this line has 200 feet of preconnected 1¾-inch line). |
In my district, 50 feet of working line is our gold standard because it’s enough to cover most occupancies and is easy to manipulate. Our goal is to deploy the nozzle and first coupling (a 50-foot section) within eight feet of the door’s nonhinged side for an inward-swinging door. This gives us enough room for the door crew to perform forcible entry, and we still have 50 feet of working line. Going to the nonhinged side helps with moving the line through the doorway, decreasing the likelihood of hanging it up on the door.
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| (5) The nozzleman grabs his 50 feet of working line to shoulder and heads to the entry point designated by the officer. |
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| (6) The nozzleman has his working line shouldered, and the chauffeur has grabbed his loop to clear the crosslay. |
One problem we found was the actual layout of this first 50 feet. It seems quicker to flake the line back and forth perpendicular to the opening since the 1¾-inch is light and easy to maneuver into the door from this configuration.
However, this layout has two problems. First, it has an increased chance of kinks, which can be very detrimental, especially with the preferred smooth bore nozzle. Second, this configuration is not practical for 2½-inch hose because of the increased water weight. We found it to be VERY important to deploy the 1¾- and 2½-inch lines similarly. The “muscle memory” resulting from the similar deployment means that the training with one enhances that of the other. If you deploy your 1¾-inch line smoothly (a common event), then your 2½-inch line deployment (a less common event) should be just as smooth.
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| (7) The chauffeur walks until he runs out of line while the nozzleman continues to the fire. In this case, the house is a good distance, which leaves room for the truck. If the setback is short or the engine is closer, then the chauffeur can walk his loop in the opposite direction. Once he’s out of hose, the crosslay is empty and the hoseline should be ready to charge. |
The aforementioned points led us to conclude that a large U shape in the 50-foot section of working line is preferable. This shape is quick to lay out and deploys into the structure equally well for both large- and small-diameter lines.
One question with a preconnect is what to do with the remaining line after you have made up for the setback. The excess line needs to be laid out quickly so it can be accessed to cover residences requiring more than 50 feet of working line and so it is NOT balled up at the pump panel like spaghetti.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
One of the first things we can do is mark our hoses. Although not totally necessary, it can speed up laying out the line. My crew marks each 50-foot section at the halfway point using spray paint, but paint markers and duct tape also work well. Now, we can load the hose; what we want to do is isolate the last 50 feet of line (at the nozzle) and then find the point halfway between the 50-foot section of working line and the attachment to the engine. My department uses 200-foot preconnected lines, and our crosslay allows for a three-row configuration of the 1¾-inch line. We start by using a flat load, two rows wide, leaving all the ends flush with the hosebed. After the first 50 feet (the first coupling), we leave one big loop on each side. This loop in our case marks the halfway point between the working line and the engine. We then go back to flatloading the two stacks until we get to the point that the nozzle can still pull through from either side. At that point, we drop to the third, empty row. The hose is loaded in the third row still flush with the hosebed until the last 50-foot length is reached. The last 50 feet is loaded on the third row, all with big loops, which allows us to visualize and isolate the working line.
PULLING THE LOAD
The engine pulls up on scene and is spotted properly. The nozzleman gets off the back and grabs the section of “big loops.” He now has his working line on his shoulder and can take it to any opening to which the officer directs him. If necessary, he can grab the remaining loop (which my crew calls the “driver’s loop”) and take it with him. However, we found that it’s better that the driver deal with this loop, if possible. As the nozzleman continues to his entry point, the driver can grab the remaining “driver’s loop” and start removing the remaining hose. This loop can be taken in any direction, depending on the layout of the street/yard. If the setback is deep, he can pull his section in line with the residence. If it is narrow, he may have to walk it perpendicular to the residence down the street. The beauty of this load is that, once he has cleared the crosslay, the pump operator is halfway between the engine and the nozzleman. The pump operator can now go back to the panel and prepare to charge the line when water is called for. The nozzleman will arrive at the door of entry and lay down his working line within eight feet of the door’s nonhinged side. The nozzle and first coupling should be in position; if the halfway point has been marked, then the nozzleman simply grabs the mark and walks straight back until he runs out of line, and he is done.
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| (8) The nozzleman has dropped his bundle eight feet from the nonhinged side of the door, grabbed his mark, and walked it back. The coupling and nozzle are in position, and the working line is ready to advance into the house. |
The line is now laid out just as we wanted. It can be charged, bled, and fed into the fire quickly and efficiently. The entire deployment should be completed in seconds and can be accomplished with both the 1¾- and 2½-inch lines in exactly the same manner.
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| (9) If the line needs to be extended, the nozzleman can take his working line and grab the loop and clear the crosslay on his way to the fire. When the bed is clear, the chauffeur can break the line, allowing the nozzleman to proceed. A three-inch supply line can be taken to the end and connected with a reducer or gated wye. |
This load also allows you to extend line easily to reach long setbacks, yet another problem you don’t see with static loads. In the case of a long setback, the nozzleman simply throws his section over his shoulder, as usual, then grabs the driver’s loop and heads to the entry point designated by the officer. As he walks away, clearing the hosebed, the driver will break the coupling connecting to the hosebed; the layout position would grab the line used for extending and usually a three-inch static loaded supply line. The layout can walk the static line to meet the coupling of the attack line and hook it in, with the driver breaking the static from the bed and connecting to the outlet. Extending line definitely adds challenges, along with the need for a reducer or gated wye, but can be accomplished quickly with some practice.
VARIATIONS
Some of the variations include a crosslay that allows for only two stacks, which is accomplished in the same manner with one stack made flush with the “driver’s loop” in the same position, halfway between the working section and the engine. The line would still drop down when the “head space” gets to the point where the nozzle can be deployed from both sides. The second stack will continue flush until the working section is reached; then all loops will be made long.
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| (10) You can mark the halfway point in a variety of ways: (left to right) fluorescent paint (green double stripe), felt tip marker (red double stripe), fluorescent duct tape (orange), and reflective duct tape (gray). [Photo by Lt. Chad Cox, Wichita (KS) Fire Department.] |
Another variation would be for first-due companies with larger working line needs. In those cases, the long loops would be started at the 75- or 100-foot marks or couplings, giving you the required working line.
The last variation would be not marking the halfway point. This does not change the load; it only makes the job of laying out the working line a bit harder. The nozzleman will need to guess the halfway point when he lays his section down and compensate as he walks it back to get the desired U shape while keeping the coupling and nozzle at the door.
The crew and officers are responsible to ensure your engine company can deploy your line correctly and rapidly every time. If your department uses preconnected crosslays, then use this method as a template, make the changes needed to meet the components of a good hoseload, and train on it until it’s second nature.
Author’s note: Thanks to Firefighters Gerald Johnson, Ryan Armstrong, and Josh Forbes of Wichita Firehouse 10/C for their help with this article.
KEITH NIEMANN is a lieutenant with the Wichita (KS) Fire Department, with which he has served for 10 years. He is a member of the department’s Hazardous Materials Response Team and an adjunct instructor for the department.
