LOADING DEVICE FOR LARGE-DIAMETER HOSE
When our department switched to a five-inch line (from a four-inch line), we found that the excess weight of the hose made it difficult to load it into the apparatus hose bed. The solution, developed by Chief of Operations Ronald DeClerck and the training instructor, was a loading device that incorporates a frame assembly that extends outward and which is mounted to the underside of the rear running board. The hose is placed on a pair of rollers, and a firefighter steadies and unrolls the hose by moving the hose roll on the rollers as the hose is loaded into the hose bed. The device was fabricated and mounted by mechanics in the city’s Department of Public Works.
Photos by James Poterek.
