The 400' 1.75" Hoseline

I was first introduced to the 400’ 1.75” preconnected hoseline in early 2004 when the Falmouth VFD began utilizing it as their “long line”.  My company, the Stafford VFD, ran a traditional leader line consisting of 200’ 1.75” wyed off of 200’ of 2.5” as our “long line” and this “new” variation of a “long line” fascinated me.  Little did I know that I would spend countless hours working to master this hoseline, attempting to make it as efficient and effective as possible.  You see, deploying “the 400” isn’t as simple as deploying a 200’ cross lay.  The teamwork and discipline required for proper deployment of “the 400” are in a class of their own.  However after training with "the 400", when it all comes together, it’s a beautiful act of efficiency and effectiveness.  Unfortunately, not everyone feels the same about the hoseline and many folks are quick to denounce the 400’ 1.75” hoseline.  As long as folks reading this have an open mind, I think I can convince them that the 400’ 1.75” hoseline is a great tool to have in our arsenal.

The 400' 1.75" Hoseline On The Left

Many folks feel that the 400’ 1.75” hoseline is inappropriate due to it’s pump discharge pressure.  To these folks I offer the following: it’s the 21^st century, get with the times.  While that may seem a little brash, it’s the truth.  For years we’ve been living with myths or misconceptions simply because “that’s how we’ve always done it”.  Captain Dan Shaw, of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, has led the charge in Northern Virginia by challenging this mindset and disproving these myths.  Technology has evolved, as have fire hose and nozzles.  Higher flows can be achieved with lower pump discharge pressures thanks to technological advances in fire hose and nozzles.  Apparatus plumbing has also been improved to facilitate efficiency in delivering water to the discharge.  Our 400’ 1.75” hoseline has an Elkhart Fire Chief 75/150 nozzle with a 15/16” tip in the shut-off.  According to the equation used in IFSTA PADO handbook, the PDP’s should be 215 PSI and 260 PSI to achieve appropriate flows.  However, after using a calibrated flow meter, we found 215 PSI produced a flow of 185 GPM for the 75/150 nozzle and 225 PSI produced a flow of 200 GPM with the 15/16” tip.  I think it’s safe to say this proved 400’ of 1.75” hose can produce proper flow at a very reasonable PDP.

Experience and science have shown us that today’s fires grow at an exponential rate and water needs to be applied to the fire as quickly as possible.  The 400’ 1.75” hoseline affords us the opportunity to place a “long line” in service, and on the fire, in a very short amount of time.  The current economic state of the country has also left many fire departments short-staffed and operating with less than ideal amounts of members on the rigs.  The 400’ 1.75” hoseline, while ideally deployed by three members, can easily be deployed by 2 members.  The video below shows two members deploying the 400’ hoseline in one minute with water reaching the nozzle about ten seconds later.  Having deployed a leader line many times on incidents and during training, I assure you it’s quicker to place the 400’ 1.75” hoseline in service.  As stated at the top of this paragraph, the quicker you get water on the fire, the more successful you are likely to be.

Video of 400' 1.75" Hoseline Deployment

After the last paragraph I’m sure there are some folks saying that getting the proper amount of water on the fire is the key to success.  You are correct.  However, the quicker we get a line on the fire, the less water we are likely to need to get the proper amount of water on the fire.  A “one-line fire” may rapidly grow to a “two or more line fire” if the stretch isn’t as efficient as possible.  Recently a department in my area removed their 400’ 1.75” hoseline because their Fire Chief felt it was being deployed inappropriately.  Their members had stretched the 400’ hoseline on box alarms at a Wal-Mart and grocery store.  While I certainly understand the Chief’s mindset towards the required fire flows in these occupancies, I believe the solution they’ve chosen to combat this problem is inefficient and impractical.  The good news for me is that it’s not my company and I don’t have to like it.  With that said, they are still a very good fire company and I agree with many of their practices, just not this one.   According to the Chief, their solution is to stretch their “Detroit Load”(150’ of 1.75” shoulder load connected via a gated wye to a static bed of 3” hose) through these occupancies.  Since the 3” hose is a static bed, deployment of this hose is time and personnel intensive.  Sure, the gated wye provides the ability to supply another attack line.  However I’m fairly confident my company can combine two 200’ preconnects to back-up, or supplement, the first line in a very short amount of time without worrying about the problems a gated wye may present.  Anytime a gated wye is used, companies need to ensure the gate is secured open and does not accidently close at any point during the operation.  Additionally, connecting to a gated wye in limited visibility can prove to be challenging to firefighters and connecting the back-up line to the gated wye provides no redundancy as the entire operation is dependant on the 3” hose not failing.  If high volume flows are required to successfully combat a fire in a larger occupancy, consider using a larger line such as a 2 ½” line with a 1 ¼” tip pumped at 80 PSI which will deliver 400 GPM’s.  While not the norm(the NP), this can be utilized to rapidly suppress a large amount of fire.  With that said, conduct drills on extending the larger lines too, you may be surprised at what you find.

100' on the nozzle FF's shoulder
150' on the back-up FF's shoulder
150' drag load

The 400’ 1.75” has a variety of uses on the fireground including the initial line, the back-up line, or an additional line.  It can be used in a variety of occupancies and to accomplish a variety of stretches.  It is particularly useful in garden apartments as there are often significant set-backs and it allows the prime real estate to be left open for the Truck companies.  The 400’ hoseline can be very useful at townhouse fires as it can easily be stretched to the rear for suppression of basement fires or exterior fires in “2 in the front/3 in the rear” units.  Depending on your response district, you may find multi-story buildings without standpipe systems, the 400’ hoseline can often be quickly deployed to upper floors via stairwells.  Like many parts of Northern Virginia, my firehouses have “McMansions” in our box alarm areas.  The 400’ hoseline may be needed to reach fires in these homes as they are very large and complex.  There are many instances where I have utilized the 400’ 1.75” hoseline and it has certainly proved to be very efficient and very effective.

While you may not currently utilize a 400’ 1.75” hoseline, I encourage you to try it out and see if it benefits your company.  It may or it may not.  However, the only way to find out is to train with it, deploy it in real world environments, and put a flow meter on it.  With a little practice, the 400’ 1.75” hoseline can be deployed very efficiently and very effectively.  If you currently use a leader line, use a stop watch to calculate the time it takes to stretch your current line vs. the 400’ 1.75” hoseline.  As stated above, the 400’ 1.75” is pumped at a very manageable PDP and can easily be extended to take you further than 400’.  As the old adage states: “as the first line goes, so goes the fire”.  Getting the first line in service quickly will likely set the tone for the duration of the incident and may knock out the fire before any additional lines are needed to assist in suppression efforts.  Today’s heat release rates, coupled with modern building construction, necessitate that hoselines be deployed as efficiently and effectively as possible.  The 400’ 1.75” may be the tool you need to make this happen.