Regardless of how often we train or how well we pre-plan, we often times find ourselves having to adapt on the fly in order to achieve our objective. Companies with high-rise buildings and standpipes may find themselves in situations like this when it comes to the distance the hose stretch will reach.
The standpipe stretch is man power intensive and one that requires a certain level of coordination. Once the hose team makes the stretch from a standpipe, they are committed to that stretch. If the hose team comes up short or the fire advances to other areas on the floor, they may have to extend the hose line to reach the seat of the fire.
Engine companies that utilize a 2 ½” hose load and shutoff style smooth bore nozzle standpipe kits can prepare themselves to extend the stretch.
Engine companies must be prepared to effectively make the stretch during standpipe operations. Setting up your standpipe kits to be effective and versatile can make or break the fire attack.
Try extending the stretch during your next standpipe drill. For added difficulty, members can attempt to make the connections is low visibility.
This technique is based on the Denver High-Rise load. The Denver load utilizes three 50’ lengths of lightweight 2 ½” hose and a shutoff style nozzle with a 1 ⅜” waterway and 1 ⅛” tip. For more information on the Denver load see “Firefighting Operations in High-Rise and Standpipe-Equipped Buildings” by David McGrail, published by Fire Engineering.
