WELL-HOLE STRETCHES are entirely dependent on stairway design. If there is sufficient room between the stair risers that can accommodate the width of the hoseline, the well-hole stretch is a viable candidate. However, this selection requires another step: to physically go to the base of the stairs and look up to make sure the well hole exists beyond the first floor. If these two structural elements exist, then a well-hole stretch is a viable option.
- Hose Stretches
- Know Your Hose Stretches
- Preplanning: Include the Hose Stretch
- Making the Obstructed Stretch
The vertical element of a well-hole stretch requires us to estimate how much hose is needed to reach the fire floor. Stage the hose lengths that travel vertically within the well hole adjacent to the base of the stairs before beginning the stretch. Do not walk up the stairs without staging the hose you need to complete the stretch. You must also decide how much hose is needed once it exits the well hole. The amount of hose required includes enough to cover the additional travel distance between the exit point and the size of the fire area.
Two Ways to Perform a Well-Hole Stretch
- Grip the nozzle and travel up the stairs holding the nozzle inside the well hole. Use this method if the nozzle operator isn’t bringing along any additional hose fold or pack. Take the nozzle and move upstairs. If there are vertical obstructions extending above the handrail that can interfere with carrying a hose loop or pack, carrying by the nozzle is easier and faster. When you have a hoseline already hanging within the well hole, the recommended method is to take the nozzle and bypass the hose at every turn so the two hoselines remain free from each other.
- When taking only the nozzle up the well hole, confirm how much hose you will need to pull up over the rail to reach and cover the fire area. It’s possible that you may need to modify your original estimate, depending on where you exit the well hole, along with additional factors once you arrive upstairs. A standard measurement is at least one length (50 feet) of hose for five vertical floors and at least one length for the fire area. If the area is known to be larger or contains numerous turns, add additional hose to cover the fire area. If the vertical distance between floors is higher than normal, you may need more than a single length to cover the five-floor example. This tactic is easy to handle with prior building knowledge and allows for additional hose at the staging area at the base of the well hole. You must estimate the distance from the well hole exit point to the fire area entrance as well as any additional stairway distances, such as taking the line out of the well on the floor below the fire instead of exiting on the fire floor. You will have to pull this hose over the railing of the chosen landing. This is where only taking the nozzle up can be a poor choice.
When you pull the line over the rail, place the nozzle several feet back, ensuring it is in line with the pull point. Then, step on it, keeping it in place as you pull up the required hose to complete the stretch. By placing the nozzle a few feet back from where you end up piling the hose, there is no risk of the hose being on top of the nozzle and looping around, which would result in a knot in the line. This tangle can easily happen if you are not careful and place the nozzle below the hose pile.
Once you have pulled up the amount of hose, you will need one length for the fire area and one length to cover the distance from the stairway to the fire area entrance. This tactic is simply a guideline; your stretch could be longer or shorter. If you know your building, you should know the exceptions and plan accordingly. Having a bit extra doesn’t hurt you but being short can.
If you carry a nozzle length and a hose bundle of any type as you climb up, you will reduce or eliminate the need to pull additional hose up the well hole. Don’t hold that hose in the well hole. Keep it on the stairway side of your body as you go up; the last thing you want to do is drop the hose into the well hole. Use your free hand to guide the hose into the well or have the backup firefighter do so. You must lift the hose at turns where ornamental finials rise above the handrails.
Two Hose Stagings on a Well-Hole Stretch
At the Base of the Stairway
Prior to starting the stretch, you need to take into the building and stage the hose you are planning to use vertically up the well hole. You must also have the hose you need for the fire floor in place. If the vertical piece of hose is still outside of the building and you start to climb the stairs, you will be pulling the hose from outside and you won’t be able to climb the stairs very far. Confirming all the hose is at the base before you start will ensure you can start and complete the stretch. The time you spend doing this will save you time overall-spend time to save time. When you stage the hose, make sure that the first piece to go vertically is not below any other pieces of hose to ensure it plays out smoothly.
You must decide precisely the amount of hose you need for a fire attack; otherwise, you will have to pull additional hose up into the well. If you discover you have estimated incorrectly after charging the line, correcting the mistake is a lot of work. Other options include adding one additional length into the stretch, done at the nozzle. Adding one length at the nozzle will require a second nozzle to be available if you don’t want to shut the line down. A solid hose estimate avoids potential issues. Remember that you should not use the attack length to get you to the fire area off the stairs; doing so can result in a short stretch. The fire area must have at least one length of hose. If it doesn’t, you are laying out your hoseline incorrectly. It doesn’t matter if you don’t end up using all the hose. Following the guideline of keeping the nozzle length just for the fire area will help you in any hose stretch (photos 1 and 2).
At the Landing Point of the Stretch
Tie off the hoseline to the stair railing system whenever possible. Bring the line over the handrail at a level that is even with the floor landing, which on most stairways will be at the midpoint or below, on the last banister rail before the fire floor. Tying will keep the line from having to make a 180° bend when it comes over the top rail at the stair landing; hoselines often kink when they are tied off at that location. Along the handrail, the angle is reduced, and typically the hoseline will not suffer that type of kink. Tie off the hose so that neither gravity nor the cycling of the bail will cause it to fall into the well hole. Use a short piece of webbing and carabiner or hose strap to prevent hose loss.
Second Line Up the Well
Taking a second hoseline up the well hole negates taking the hose up in bundles; you must take the hose up by holding just the nozzle. This strategy ensures that the second hoseline passes around the first so they don’t intertwine. You need to keep each line separate from the other; not only does this separation assist with any potential future vertical movement of the line, it facilitates it. If the lines are intertwined, any future action will affect both lines. This intertwining is often called the “barber pole” effect. When you climb the stairs with the second line, you must hold it by the nozzle so that you can easily move it around the first hoseline and keep them free of each other.
To eliminate pulling two lengths of hose up the well hole-one for attack, the other for the distance to the fire area-you could carry one length up the well and attach a hose bundle or pack to it, reducing the pile of hose at the landing area. Be sure to have a nozzle on either the hose pack or the vertical piece of hose you pulled up the well hole. Flake out the hose bundle near the fire area. Using a hose pack can make deployment easier and faster than trying to stretch out from a pile of hose (photo 3).
Overcoming Structural Challenges
When you go to a large dwelling and lines have already been stretched on the stairway into the building, the well hole provides options. It allows for at least twice the amount of hose in a stairway and saves on the amount of hose needed to reach a high floor. Not only does it reduce the clogging effect of additional lines on a stairway, it also saves on stretching time.
If you know that two lengths will be needed on the fire floor, and you carry hose packs or bundles, let the backup firefighter control the well-hole stretch by having the hose behind the pack hang in the well hole. The nozzle firefighter can walk up free of the well hole while the backup firefighter ensures the line stays in the well. On arrival at the fire floor, both lengths can be flaked out and positioned with the end tied off to the handrail. The nozzle firefighter doesn’t have to do anything but walk up the stairs.
The engine officer must look for the presence of a well hole in taller buildings and determine if it should be used. Just because a building has a well hole doesn’t mean it will be used. The use of a well hole requires great consideration. As it travels upward, you must evaluate the space required for the hose to spin along with any items that protrude into the well, such as bent ironwork or spindles. Use your gloved fist as a measuring tool to provide the best fit for a standard handline. You can use even a tight well hole if you learn the spacing and improve your judgment (photo 4).
Dropping a rope down the well hole is a waste of time. Rope stretches are best used for other tactics. If the bag sways onto the stairs above the first floor, you have wasted a lot of time. Someone would have to run up the stairs to drop the rope when you could have just started the stretch. Using the well-hole feature requires a bit of practice to understand the most efficient and beneficial techniques. That’s why drilling is an opportunity to better improve on skills and methods you will use in the future. For the best results, keep your stretching options open.
RAY McCORMACK retired as a lieutenant after 39 years in the Fire Department of New York. He was the lead author for FDNY’s Engine Company Operations Manual and developed and taught Back to Basics Standpipe for all FDNY firefighters. He was the cofounder and editor of Urban Firefighter magazine. He was the 2009 FDIC keynote speaker. He has a bachelor’s degree from the New York Institute of Technology. He is a member of the FDIC/Fire Engineering editorial advisory boards. He was a panel member for the Underwriters Laboratories studies “Impact of Fire Attack Utilizing Interior & Exterior Streams on Firefighter Safety” and “Occupant Survival Study and Study of Coordinated Fire Attack Utilizing Acquired Structures.”
