BY RAY McCORMACK
Firefighting tools have changed and evolved over the years. Some of the tools we use today did not even exist a generation ago. When you ask firefighters what tools in the past two decades or so have had a major impact on improving operations, their responses vary—from portable radios to power saws to self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), and everything in between. Nozzles, however, don’t necessarily make the list. The first reason is that nozzles are not a new tool. The second reason is that nozzles don’t necessarily improve our operations. How can I say that? you may ask.
The fact is that nozzles are the very foundation of our operations! Properly positioned and operated, the nozzle is the best lifesaving tool we have. There is only one tool that we use at every fire that must work every time, and that is the nozzle.
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| (1) Properly maintaining your nozzle will help to ensure that it operates at peak efficiency at a fire. (Photo by Curt Isakson.) |
Nozzle design has changed over the years, but nozzle function remains unchanged. Nozzles deliver water in a pattern to extinguish the fire. Firefighters often make two incorrect assumptions regarding nozzles: that they will always operate correctly and effectively and that they need no maintenance.
Some engine companies or shifts don’t check their nozzles as part of their daily routine. Some even choose not to examine their nozzles. “What’s the big deal?” and “How can I check the nozzle without water?” are some of the excuses firefighters give for failing to check their nozzles.
Nozzle failure can occur for a variety of reasons. Bails can become loose, break, shatter, and freeze in position. Objects can become stuck in the nozzle, clogs can occur, and barrels can stick and skip positions. Internal threads can strip; gaskets can be missing and become unseated. Nozzle tips may be damaged or the wrong size.
Once in awhile, attach the nozzle to a discharge outlet or a length of hose and run some water through it so you can reassure others that it really is not that difficult to test. This should eliminate those excuses you often hear. Maybe you can’t test a nozzle as thoroughly as you can when water is running through it, but that is not a valid reason for not checking it.
Inspecting your nozzles ensures that you will not go into a fire with a defective tool. Could your nozzle fail during a fire? Of course it could. However, by checking it at the fire station, you will be able to uncover and correct the vast majority of problems before they could occur on the fireground.
Depending on which nozzle problem occurs at a fire, you run the risk of injury or death to you and those around you. If you do not check your nozzle when your shift begins, then you are rolling the safety dice. Do you get angry when people place items in standpipes and hydrants and those items make their way to the nozzle, causing a partial or total loss of water and potential firefighter injury? Failure to inspect your nozzles can have the same effect. Do not put yourself and others at risk because of laziness.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Inspecting your nozzles takes only a few minutes, and it is just as important as checking your SCBA. Just follow these simple steps:
- Climb up to the top of the hosebed, and check to see that there is a nozzle attached to the attack line.
- Remove the nozzle from the hoseline.
- Visually inspect the nozzle for cracks inside and out.
- Check for the presence of the washer.
- If equipped with a pistol grip, make sure it is attached tightly, and unscrew any tips.
- Check for out of round, burrs, and dents on removable solid tips.
- Work the bail back and forth, and rotate the barrel through all the nozzle settings.
- Inspect the internal waterway, if possible.
- Wash and flush the nozzle, removing any debris, while operating the bail and barrel.
- Reassemble the nozzle and return it to the proper hoseline.
To lower the risk of nozzle failure, make sure you check your nozzles as often as you check any other piece of equipment. Also, make sure you take one of your own nozzles with you when you stretch a hoseline from another apparatus. Why? Because you’re familiar with your own nozzle; you know its delivery style; and, most importantly, you know it works. You checked it earlier.
The nozzle is like a trophy to be held high in honor of your extinguishment. By routinely checking your nozzle, you will have more opportunities to hold it high.
RAY McCORMACK is a 28-year veteran of the Fire Department of New York and a lieutenant with Ladder 28 in Harlem. He has written numerous articles for Fire Engineering and its Web site and is also a contributor to WNYF. He is featured in Training Minutes on engine company operations on www.FireEngineering.com. He is the founder of liveburntraining.com, which provides firefighter training and benefit seminars. He lectures frequently on the role of the company officer and engine and ladder company tactical operations and has lectured at FDIC.
