LDH TOOL POUCH/PULL LOOP
INNOVATIONS: HOMEGROWN
Several years ago the Plentywood, Montana Volunteer Fire Department began using 5-inch large-diameter hose. The use of LDH has dramatically simplified virtually every type of evolution used by the department and has markedly increased our water delivery capability while reducing manpower requirements in those critical first few minutes of a working fire. While the LDH has been a success, it took some time to work out the unexpected quirks that come with any new method of operation or equipment.
We needed a method of attaching necessary tools and fittings to the plugman’s end of the hose so he doesn’t leave them on the engine. First we tried the traditional “tie everything on with a rope” method but discovered many shortcomings. We always encountered a tangle of pull rope and fittings; training problems in trying to standardize knots and tie methods; either too much or too little working line to make connections, and the problems of dexterity and time consumption in untying the rope, especially in severe winter weather conditions and darkness. Also, the loosely strung-together wrenches and fittings battered the apparatus when they tumbled out of the bed as the line was pulled.
Next we tried carrying the tools and fittings in a duffle bag tied to the hose, but it still left the knot and training problems. In addition, the zipper opening of the bag was difficult to find in the dark and difficult to manipulate while wearing gloves.
We finally developed a nylon tool pouch and attachment method that solve these problems. The heart of the pouch is a paddle-style seat belt buckle and strap (obtained from 1959 Chrysler vehicles in a local salvage yard), which simultaneously attach the pouch and pull loop to the hose with a single-point release. (We found the paddle style of buckle release superior to the newer pushbutton styles, since it is easier for a firefighter wearing gloves to catch the paddle than to press a recessed button or squeeze latches. Accidental release of the paddle has not proven a problem.)
As the buckle is coupled, the strap tension holds the pouch closed, retaining the tools. A rope loop is threaded through a metal ring sewn onto the pouch and strap unit. The plugman can reach the rope loop without having to board the rear step of the apparatus and can use it to pull the hose end and tool pouch clear of the engine. The loop then is dropped over the hydrant; there is no need to wrap the hydrant or for the plugman to kneel on the hose, resulting in a quicker, less-complex operation with a higher degree of safety. Since the loop is securely strapped to the end of the hose by the seat belt webbing and buckle, while the hose is laid off the engine the pull of the hose is taken by the hydrant/rope loop/strap system. When ready to make the hydrant connections, the plugman simply flips the paddle, and the pouch is instantly released from the hose; by lifting the web loop, which is sewn into the base of the tool pouch, the hydrant and storz wrenches slide out into the plugman’s hand.
In use, the tools are placed in the bag and a 6-foot fold of slack hose is placed beneath the preconnected fitting on the end of the hose as the line is laid in the engine bed. The belt then is threaded through the fold of the hose and around the hydrant fitting, the buckle is snapped closed, and the strap drawn snug; the entire assembly is ready for use.
Recent improvements in our municipal water system resulted in replacement of all older-style hydrants that had only twin 2‘/2-inch discharges with newer types that have 4’/2-inch steamer fittings and a reliable hydrant lubrication and maintenance system. As a result, we no longer need to carry any other 5-inch storz X threaded adapters, and preconnecting the steamer fitting to the end of the LDH eliminates the need to carry that fitting separately, which saves time when making hydrant connections. Obviously, though, the pouch concept easily can be adapted to hold any required fittings.
Greg Fellon, an upholsterer and Plentywood volunteer firefighter, made the pouches using heavy nylon duck for the pouch, the nylon seat belt material with the buckles, a metal ring, and nylon webbing for the “dump” loop. The nylon duck has a high degree of puncture resistance and should provide long life, and the nylon materials in general are impervious to mildew. The pouch proved to be a simple, inexpensive, and effective solution to our problems.
