Quick Drop of Hose in Crosslay Beds
Preconnected 1 ½ and 1 3/4-inch lines have proven themselves effective for quick attack and knockdown when their How is sufficient for the size of the fire.
But what of those times when the fire upon arrival is of such magnitude to warrant master streams or 2 1/2-inch lines and your 1 ¼ or 1 3/4 -inch lines for overhaul are a block away on an engine hooked to a hydrant?
The procedure in Fast Chicago, Ind., a reverse lay department, calls for pulling additional or 1 ‘ 4-inch lines at the fire scene for extension of wyed lines or for use during overhaul when laying out 24 or 3-inch lines. The crosslays seemed to be the logical bed to pull since they are accessible from either side of the apparatus and carry ample 200 feet of line for this purpose.
Two problems existed. First, when pulling all 200 feet from the crosslay, the pumper engineer spent considerable time reaching between the dividers to uncouple the line from the swivel connector at the bottom of the hose bed. If only 150 feet of line was pulled from the crosslay, the coupling had to be located, then broken, and the remaining 50 feet hastily thrown back into the crosslay compartment. Often this 50-foot section was the one extra length needed at the fire scene.
What was our solution to the problem?
A short length of 1 ½ or 1 ¾ -inch line, about 4 ½ feet long, was made and used as the bottom section of hose in the crosslays of two or our pumpers. Now when large lines are laid from the fire to a water supply, the additional 1 ½ or t -inch lines are pulled from thecrossla.ys at the fire and easily and quickly broken on either side of the apparatus. This gives us the full 200-foot capacity of the hose bed without disturbing the loading arrangement of the crosslay.
Another advantage is that packing the crosslay is easier because the first full length of hose can be connected to the 4 ½-foot length without reaching between the dividers, since the short line normally is not disconnected from the swivel.
