Bill Gustin

Most engine companies are fairly proficient at stretching and advancing preconnected hoselines.

Engine and command officers have to decide whether to hoist a hoseline directly to the fire floor or to the floor below the fire and then advance up the interior stairs.

Buildings with interior public hallways can make the first step in stretching a hoseline—locating the fire—difficult and sometimes dangerous.

Stretching a hoseline to an upper floor of an apartment building should be a fairly basic task for any fire department.

Part 1, "Locations, Loads, and 'Lead Outs,' " was published in the April 2002 issue. Part 2, "Hose Loads," was published in the May 2002 issue.

The location of preconnects on a pumper is not the only factor that determines their overall effectiveness. It is just as important to select the preconnect hoseload that works best with your staffing, structures, and street conditions.

Rural, suburban, and many big-city fire departments use preconnected attack hoselines because they are easy to use and can be deployed quickly. Preconnects hasten fire attack because they eliminate the time it takes to uncouple the hose used for the stretch to the fire from the remaining hose in the hosebed and then connect the line to a pump discharge.

One of the first objectives of an engine company is to secure a continuous and adequate water supply. Yet, fire departments technically violate this rule every time they begin firefighting operations with just the water carried in their apparatus booster tanks.

Protecting exposures is second only to rescue in firefighting priorities

There's nothing like a rekindle to ruin a fire officer's day. It's more than the damaged pride or embarrassment. There can be liability implications as well. The officer who makes the final determination that a fire is completely extinguished and allows a family to reoccupy its home bears an enormous responsibility for that family's safety.