Frank C. Schaper
Deputy Chief
St. Louis (MO) Fire Department
Response: The St. Louis Fire Department presently uses 134-inch and 212-inch hoses for our primary interior fire attack lines. These lines are carried as preconnected hoselines and in our high-rise packs. Deployment of these lines is dictated by the situation or by our standard operating procedures (SOPs). This is based on the amount of fire in the structure, the structure`s floor area involved in fire, and the number of firefighters available for the fire attack operation. For example, the 212-inch handline could be pulled to protect an exposure building or to fight a heavily involved store front or wooden garage. The 212-inch handline can also be used inside houses to knock down heavy fire. The 212-inch is the second line off in a high-rise fire per our SOP and the third line off at structure fires.
I am surprised by the number of fire departments that do not carry 212-inch handlines and nozzles. To think that a smaller line pumped to the maximum can equal the 212-inch line is wrong. This becomes very apparent on the fireground when a 134-inch handline fails to budge a fire. Ease of maneuverability of the line should not be the criterion for selecting a line when pitting personnel against a fire. If we want ease of maneuverability, we should take a garden hose. We are not watering grass here. What we are doing can get us injured or killed.
That is the reason fire departments that experience structure fires on a daily basis not only carry 212-inch hose–they use it!
