Larry Anderson
Deputy Chief
Dallas (TX) Fire Department
Response: The Dallas Fire Department uses 134-inch hose on all preconnected hoselines. Each engine company carries three preconnects (two crosslays and one rear-deployed) for initial fire attack. Each of these preconnects is 250 feet long. Automatic nozzles are used on all preconnects. This configuration has been used since the early 1980s and has served us well. In addition to the preconnects, each engine company carries a sled, mounted in the hosebed, that contains a wye connected to 400 feet of three-inch hose. On each side of the wye are 150 feet of 134-inch hose and an automatic nozzle. This setup is known in our department as “spaghetti.”
Each engine company carries 1,200 feet of five-inch supply line as well as 400 feet of three-inch hose. An engine company supplied by a five-inch line connected to a good hydrant can deploy five 134-inch attack lines. Additionally, each engine is equipped with a preplumbed deck gun tipped with an automatic nozzle. Given adequate personnel (we have constant staffing of four firefighters per engine), one engine can provide an impressive amount of firefighting power.
The Dallas Fire Department uses no 112- or 212-inch hose at the present time. We are, however, evaluating some high working pressure 212-inch hose for supplying standpipes and sprinkler systems in extremely tall high-rise buildings with the aid of series pumping. Using 134-inch hose instead of 112-inch hose has greatly increased the available gallons per minute for initial deployment and our ability to do the job.
