Rick Lasky
Chief
Coeur d`Alene (ID) Fire Department
Response: Our department uses combination nozzles on all attack lines. However, we are evaluating a variety of nozzles. There is a strong likelihood that we will switch to smooth-bore nozzles. Our department is not unlike many others across the country. We organized in 1889; adopted high-pressure fog nozzles (pre-SCBA) early; and then went to booster lines, to 112-inch attack lines equipped with combination nozzles, and, ultimately, to our present system of 1 3/4- and 2 1/2-inch attack lines equipped with combination nozzles.
In our present nozzle-evaluation process, we are looking for devices that will help us achieve the following objectives:
Give us the capability to apply as much water as is needed to knock down the fire quickly in every fire situation.
Disrupt as little as possible the thermal layering in a room on the initial attack, thereby avoiding a large push of steam throughout the room and improving visibility and a victim`s chance for survival.
Easy maneuverability in and around a building, with current staffing conditions and fatigue in mind.
Compatibility of the nozzles on our high-rise packs with our current standpipe systems. We want to ensure that we are actually getting the flow we`re supposed to be getting during these operations.
In addition to smooth-bore nozzles, we are also considering combination nozzles that can split the difference between 50 psi and 100 psi with 75 psi, providing a flow of 175 gpm for a 134-inch line and 300 gpm for a 212-inch line.
We equip our personnel with the latest in protective clothing including SCBA, which, depending on the amount of fire, allows us to enter a structure and attack the fire as safely as possible. With the type of contents burning in a building today, it is more critical than ever to be able to apply adequate gpm on the fire as soon as possible. With some fires burning hotter than in the past and flashover occurring sooner, we need to be able to apply the water needed so it reaches the seat of the fire and turns the fight in our favor.
