Firefighter Fundamentals: Handline Deployment and Nozzle Control

Mandy George offers an overview of the fundamentals of hoseline use for structural firefighting operations.

By Mandy George

Firefighters are considered Jacks and Jills of all trades. We are expected to know EMS, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, building construction, and customer service. However, what we are expected to know the most about and be able to perform without any hesitation is fire suppression—the technical term for “putting the wet stuff on the red stuff.” Fire suppression is a simple concept—put the fire out—but it can be difficult to achieve because it needs to be performed safely. It is also important to remember that our efforts to extinguish the fire can cause significant damage to property; we need to put the wet stuff on the red stuff while salvaging, or saving, as much property as possible. At the most basic level, firefighters do this through hoseline deployment and nozzle control.

Let’s take a moment to brush up on what a task is so we are all on the same page. There are three general levels of decision-making on a fire scene: strategy, tactical, and task. The strategy will be set by the incident commander. For example, the incident commander will determine whether or not the fire attack will be offensive, defensive, or transitional. Units or companies will then be assigned as groups to perform work to put the fire out. These are tactics. “Ladder 2 and Rescue 5 to the roof for ventilation” and “E3 and E7 make entry on the Alpha side for fire attack” are examples of tactical assignments. Tasks occur at the crew and individual level and include activities such as using a roof saw to ventilate, forcing entry with an ax and a halligan bar, and using a handline to extinguish a fire. You can see from these examples that the ability of firefighters to perform at the task level quickly, safely, and effectively can affect the entire outcome of the fire.

Firefighters use hoselines with nozzles to extinguish fires. The ones that can be moved while they are full of water can be considered handlines. These are the lines firefighters take into a building, move to different sides of a structure to perform exterior operations, or even use to extinguish wildland and brush fires. The sizes of these lines vary. In general, they can be 5/8-inch all the way up to 2 ½-inches. These handlines can either be attached to a discharge on the engine—called a preconnect—or not. Some fire departments call a line that isn’t a preconnect a “dead lay.” It is vitally important to know which handlines on your apparatus are preconnected and which ones are dead lays. If you are going to be on another piece of equipment, one of the first things you should find out is which handlines are preconnected. Even if the department has a policy. Even if every engine is supposed to be set up the same way. You never know. Put your eyes on the connection between the hose and the discharge yourself, if possible. The absolute last thing you want is to pull a handline off of the truck and pull it up to a structure and find out you can’t get water because it’s not connected to the truck. It is a solvable problem, but one that takes time to fix and can be avoided.

A nozzle is the piece of equipment at the end of a handline; a firefighter is able to control the flow of water in various ways depending on the type of nozzle. A wide variety of nozzles exist for specific reasons: foam nozzles are used to deliver firefighting foam, adjustable nozzles are used to change the volume of water delivered through the nozzle, smooth bore nozzles are less likely to get clogged by debris. Sometimes firefighters need to select the type of nozzle to use on an incident scene. However, most often nozzles are already attached to a preconnected handline. Instead of learning about all the possible types of nozzles and how they could be used, spend time becoming an expert at the nozzle you will use. Learn how to widen and narrow the stream, adjust the gallonage (if your department allows), and open and close the bale. The bale is the on/off switch, so to speak. When a handline is charged, full of pressurized water, it is not always easy to flip that switch!

Extinguishing fires is fun! Isn’t that one reason why many of us got into this profession? It is exciting to control something destructive. Fire is very destructive; water is also destructive. It is very easy to use more water than necessary to extinguish a fire. This can result in significant property damage and is not good customer service. Imagine if it were your house on fire. How would you feel if there was a small kitchen fire and very enthusiastic firefighters came in and extinguished it then continued to flow hundreds of gallons of water into the unaffected parts of the kitchen and other rooms on the first floor? I am not saying “don’t check for extension” or ensure the fire is completely extinguished. Put it out. Then shut that handline off. Our priorities as firefighters are 1. Life safety 2. Incident stabilization 3. Property conservation. Fulfill priority three through nozzle control.

Fredericks: STRETCHING AND ADVANCING HANDLINES, PART 1 | Part 2

Most handlines are heavy when charged. They are difficult to move and can require a team effort to reposition. It takes physical effort to control their direction when the bale is open. There are a lot of recommended stances and positions to take when using handlines. If you went through a fire academy, you were introduced to the most common. These may work for many people. However, it is most important to know what works for you and your crew. Physical size, strength, and fitness come into play here. For example, if your crew is made up of four firefighters who vary in height from 5’4” to 6’4”, it will be important to note how the height differences impact the nozzleman’s ability to direct the stream. If the 5’4” person is on the nozzle and the 6’4” person is backing them up, the 6’4” person could be inadvertently directing the handline down because they are taller. The nozzleman would be fighting against this. The opposite is also true. The shorter firefighter could direct the nozzle up if they do not account for the height difference. Firefighters of approximately the same height would not necessarily have this issue. It is on each individual firefighter to ensure they are strong enough and fit enough to perform this type of strenuous manual labor.

Firefighters will be wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE) when using handlines during interior suppression operations. This is not the only time you will be operating handlines. They need to be hose tested; they could be used exterior with more minimal PPE use; they could be used for washing down roadways or other non-fire related activities. It is important to remember that the water flow from a charged handline can do serious damage. Always wear a helmet, gloves, and eye pro at a bare minimum when handlines are in use. Accidents can happen. The high pressure can cause the hose to rupture; the nozzleman can experience fatigue and be unable to close the bale; the handline could be dropped for some reason with the bale open. A charged handline with an open bale is a dangerous situation and it can happen at any time during a fire or in training. Be prepared for these situations and train with your crew on how to prevent and solve these firefighting problems. Know the fundamentals!

Mandy George is a retired lieutenant in the Chesapeake (VA) Fire Department. She has a master’s degree in emergency and disaster management, a master’s degree in professional writing, and an associate’s degree in emergency medical services. She is also a Nationally Registered Paramedic (NRP) and a Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services (VAOEMS) Education Coordinator.