The Nozzle Firefighter

When I joined the fire service, I wanted to “run the line” every time we went out the door on the Engine Company.  We did not utilize riding assignments and if the officer didn’t give out assignments en route to the incident, whoever made it to the line the fastest was the nozzle firefighter.  This was hardly an efficient way of doing business and thankfully we eventually recognized that.  In a previous post I discussed the benefits of utilizing riding assignments and how your company could become more efficient and effective through the use of riding assignments.  This post will focus on the nozzle firefighter riding assignment and skills that will assist one with becoming proficient in the nozzle firefighter riding assignment.

Once the nozzle firefighter has assumed duty, the firefighter should check all of the hoselines and nozzles on the Engine Company.  The hoselines should be checked to ensure they are packed neatly and properly.  The nozzles should be checked to ensure the bales are free of damage, the proper pattern is selected on combination nozzles, the proper flow is selected on adjustable nozzles, and the tips are correct and free of obstructions on smooth bore nozzles.  If any deficiencies are found with the hoselines or nozzles, corrections should be made immediately.

The nozzle firefighter should be intimately familiar with the hoselines and nozzles on their rig.  The nozzle firefighter should know how far the hoselines on their rig will get them and how to get further, if need be.  The ability to accurately judge distance is a very important trait of a proficient nozzle firefighter as this directly correlates to their ability to select a hoseline of appropriate length.  The nozzle firefighter should know the flows for the various nozzles on their rig as this will also directly correlate to proper hoseline selection.  Experience and training will enable proper hoseline selection based on fire conditions and until you’ve been to a few real fires, you don’t fully understand the abilities of your hoselines.

Upon receipt of an alarm, the nozzle firefighter should listen to the dispatched address.  Through area familiarization, the nozzle firefighter should begin to think about the characteristics of the dispatched address that will influence how their job is performed.  Some of these characteristics may include: setbacks, multiple points of access, parked cars, height, depth, standpipes, stairs, fire loading, and exposures.  Processing this information en route to the incident will allow the nozzle firefighter to start formulating action plans to utilize or overcome the above mentioned characteristics.

A proficient nozzle firefighter understands the placement and purpose of handlines in specific fire situations.   Unfortunately, your hoseline may not always be the hoseline that extinguishes the fire.  However, this doesn’t mean the hoseline you stretched is any less important than the one that extinguishes the fire.  Your hoseline may be protecting a company performing searches, confining a fire, or protecting a means of egress.  Also, certain fire situations may dictate that your hoseline be stretched to a location other than the front door.  A proficient nozzle firefighter is able to understand these concepts and deploy appropriate hoselines based on the fire confronting them.

When I started in the fire service, it was severely frowned upon for the nozzle firefighter to open the nozzle and flow water on smoke.  However, through advances in fire modeling, science, and actual case studies, the fire service has embraced the concept that smoke is fuel.  With that said, if experiencing significant heat, the nozzle firefighter may need to open the nozzle on smoke to cool the atmosphere and prevent rapid fire progression.  The idea is to delay the rapid fire progression event so that the hoseline can continue to move forward to make the seat of the fire and extinguish the fire.  Opening the line overhead in a zero visibility environment can provide the nozzle firefighter with clues about what’s going on above them.  If water doesn’t come back down on the nozzle firefighter, the atmosphere above them is extremely hot and needs to be cooled immediately.  The nozzle firefighter should make it common practice to sweep the floor in front of them to cool the floor, clear debris, and give indication that a floor is present. 

In some instances the nozzle firefighter also needs to exhibit discipline and refrain from immediately applying water to the fire.  Any Truck or Rescue Company firefighter can attest to the fact that it is often easier to see and perform a search in the area of the fire before the nozzle has been opened on the fire.  As soon as water is applied to the fire, all visibility is lost and everything becomes a “white out” from the steam generation.  The steam generation may also be detrimental to any victims in adjacent areas as we are well aware of the expansion properties of water when exposed to high temperatures.  Also, a proficient nozzle firefighter will allow the Truck or Rescue Company to pull sufficient ceiling or duck into an adjacent room before opening the nozzle.  We do not like it when we get “power washed”!  However, I can confirm that a “Milwaukee Style” chin strap will break away and launch your helmet when a slightly overzealous nozzle firefighter opens the nozzle on an officer operating ahead of the hoseline.  Yes, I did have to wait for the smoke to clear before I found my helmet which had become lodged behind a cabinet!

A proficient nozzle firefighter understands the methods of applying water to a fire and is able to utilize proper body mechanics to operate the nozzle effectively.  Different situations dictate different fire streams and application methods.  A proficient nozzle firefighter is able to identify these situations and properly apply an effective fire stream.  Ventilation, compartmentalization, and the material burning are all things the nozzle firefighter needs to be considering when choosing a fire stream and application method.  Failure to do so may lead to disruption of thermal layering, steam burns, or vapor expansion.  Staffing levels will dictate how much work the nozzle firefighter has to do while operating the nozzle.  In an ideal situation, the nozzle firefighter will simply operate the bale, select the fire stream, and direct the fire stream while the back-up firefighter manages the hoseline and absorbs the nozzle reaction.  However, that isn’t always the case and nozzle firefighters must learn to effectively apply water while managing nozzle reaction.

While many of the topics discussed in this post are dependant upon the Engine Company officer’s orders, a proactive and proficient nozzle firefighter can greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of an Engine Company.  Stealing a phrase from a coworker, the Engine Company officer is the quarterback.  With that said, a proficient nozzle firefighter is equivalent to the wide receiver and is able to run the right routes as the quarterback calls them.  This level of proficiency and trust amongst the Engine Company is gained through training and proper fireground performance.  While I’m more of a special service firefighter, it starts and ends with the nozzle firefighter.  If the nozzle firefighter doesn’t do their job and put the fire out, everything else on the fireground becomes null and void.  I firmly believe that all firefighters should spend the early part of their career becoming a good nozzle firefighter.  The nozzle firefighter gets up close and personal with the fire and learns how it behaves and they become appreciative of the other fireground tasks that make the nozzle firefighter’s job easier.