Innovations: Homegrown
THE E-Z HIGH-RISE BAG
JOSEPH ZAVARDINO
Firefighting is a labor-intensive occupation; fighting a fire in a high-rise reinforces this fact. Firefighters have a keen ability to deal with the universal problem of reduced personnel with which most departments must operate.
One example of this ability is the E-Z bag system conceived by Lieutenant Robert D`Antonio of North Hudson (NJ) Fire Rescue (formerly the North Bergen Fire Department) and his engine company to get equipment to the fire floor of a high-rise building for the initial fire attack line with the minimum of time, effort, and personnel.
THE E-Z BAG SYSTEM
The E-Z bag is actually a golf club bag that costs about $50. It is equipped with wheels and a slide back to facilitate handling by one firefighter on initial assignment. A top and bottom handle make it easy for two firefighters to carry the bag up the stairs. A large zipper in the middle makes it easy to pack and un-pack hose and equip-ment. There are two side pockets for miscellaneous items.
Instead of carrying the minimum equipment needed for a successful initial high-rise fire attack in two cumbersome packs, it is now carried in one streamlined, durable, wheeled bag. Before the E-Z bag, two firefighters were needed–one to carry 150 feet of two-inch hose on his shoulder and one to carry the bag containing a nozzle, wrenches, a wye, and so on. This approach was inefficient, and firefighters had to be careful to remove the hose pack from the top of the apparatus safely. The second firefighter, usually the company officer, had to go to the rear compartment and retrieve the equipment bag. Lugging this equipment, hose, and hardware was a labor-intensive ordeal.
The E-Z high-rise bag carries the following:
150 feet of two-inch hose;
a gated wye connected to a pony length;
an adjustable-flow to straight-tip nozzle;
a standpipe valve wheel;
a 212-inch to 112-inch reducer; and
vise grips, spanner wrenches, wedges, and so on.
As with any change, there was some resistance to this bag at first. When D`Antonio first suggested his crew`s idea, I, as the engine house captain, was somewhat apprehensive–as were some other department members. Some concerns were the durability of the bag under severe conditions, the ease of removing and repacking hose and equipment, and the reception the bag would receive from members of the other shifts.
However, this bag has been in service for about eight months and has taken its fair share of fire service abuse, including exposure to the elements, and has performed beyond expectations. It has been accepted as the engine company`s high-rise pack.
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(1) The old high-rise pack consisted of two packs, one for hose and one for nozzles, wrenches, and other equipment. (Photos by Michael Dannarumma.)
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(2) Under the old system, one firefighter would have to step up on the apparatus, place the hose on his shoulder, and
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(3) then step down carefully. Another firefighter had to go to the compartment to get the nozzle bag.
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(4) The E-Z bag and its contents.
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(5) Note the slide back and wheels that make it possible for one firefighter to take the bag up a flight of stairs unassisted, if necessary.
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(6) The E-Z bag can be removed from the apparatus with ease.
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(7) Once off the apparatus, the E-Z bag can be handled easily by one firefighter.
JOSEPH ZAVARDINO, a 19-year veteran of the fire service, is a captain with North Hudson (NJ) Regional Fire Rescue. He has a bachelor`s degree in fire service administration and is a New Jersey certified Fire Service Instructor II and Fire Official. He is licensed as a Fire Subcode Official High Hazard Specialist.
