While responding Code 3 to a medical emergency, the engine company enters an intersection and is signaled to stop by an opposing motorist flashing his head lights. The company officer observes through his rear-view mirror a connected attack line with its threaded nozzle resting on the ground behind the engine. The 150-foot hose line had fallen from the engine's transverse hose compartment and had been dragged for an unknown distance before the engine company was alerted.

In the wake of the nozzle's destructive path were seven vehicles. The combined hose and nozzle were pulled across vehicle trunks, roofs and hoods, resulting in scratched paint and the removal of a side mirror. One of the vehicle's windows was shattered and flying glass cut the neck of a 10-year-old passenger. The powerful force of several pounds of brass were whipped along at 40mph. Fortunately, it resulted in only a single minor injury and property damage.

In another high profile incident, two young girls were not so fortunate. The Aug. 20 Pittsburg Post-Gazette reported that within a Pennsylvania community two 10-year-old girls playing outside had been severely injured by a hose line that had become loose and apparently fallen from a responding apparatus. Both girls sustained head injuries as the result of an errant hose line; one was seriously injured, the other died as the result of being struck by a nozzle being dragged behind an engine.

A witness recounted the damage caused by the hose and its 6-pound nozzle. She stated that the hose line became caught “underneath a parked car, lifting it slightly, striking some bushes and a birdbath before it passed by, barely missing her.” She said she heard screams and then saw the two injured children on the ground.

The volunteer fire companies operating the engine were responding to a structure fire and were unaware of the injuries or damage caused by the hose and nozzle. The hose and nozzle were stored in an open box along the side of the apparatus. It was not reported how the hose line had become loose.

WIDESPREAD PROBLEM

Unsecured hose lines have resulted in injuries to and deaths of the very people who depend on us to protect them, not to mention the damage to public property, department apparatus and equipment. While most equipment stored on fire apparatus is secured by mounting brackets or stored within compartments, hose lines are often the exception.

“Unusual” circumstances such as these are occurring with some frequency across the United States. On Sept. 28, a number of parked cars were damaged in a New Hampshire city when a loose hose fell from a responding apparatus. This time it resulted in a broken window and damage to a rear spoiler and radio antenna. The hose reportedly fell after the apparatus made a turn. The company officer observed the hose and nozzle being dragged, and the engine immediately stopped to check for injuries and damage. These were only parked cars. Can you imagine driving your vehicle and watching a wild hose line and nozzle scathingly rake across your vehicle? What a terrifying experience. Never mind the fear of being injured.

The assumption that a hose line laying flat is stable may be the reason tie downs were not originally considered. However, rough road surfaces, sharp turns and evasive traffic maneuvers leave these items vulnerable to sliding or bouncing out of their bed. Large appliances such as four-way valves pre-connected to supply lines can easily bounce from the rear hose bed onto a street or the hood of a vehicle and bring the entire hose load down with it.

WHY NOW

Changes in apparatus design in recent years may be a contributing factor to the increased occurrence of hose load loss. The bottoms of the hose beds are no longer made of wood, and the hose is no longer made with a cotton jacket. Presently, the hose beds have a very slick aluminum or stainless-steel bottom, and the jacket of the hose is constructed of various synthetic materials. These synthetic jackets by themselves slide much more smoothly over other objects. Certainly these design changes have improved our equipment. Now we just need to change the way we stow it.

The National Fire Protection Association's Fire Department Automotive Fire Apparatus Standards Committee has worked to prevent equipment from falling off apparatus. However, the majority of this work has been in the area of compartments and mounted equipment. Items such as lights and warning buzzers that indicate when a compartment door is open or ajar are examples of some of those improvements brought about through new standards. The same concern has not been directed toward hose storage or pre-connected hose lines. It is anticipated that the apparatus committee will be addressing this issue at their next scheduled meeting in 2005.

Municipal fire apparatus often do not have covers or protective straps to prevent hose and appliances from falling or sliding off of the vehicle. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has been a leader in securing hose lines to its wildland fire apparatus. In addition to normal highway operations, CDF apparatus are required to travel off road a majority of the time to suppress wildland fires. The uneven terrain associated with wildfires provides a traveling surface that might easily eject hose lines and equipment prior to arriving at the incident. To prevent this, CDF requires covers and tie-downs for their hose and equipment.

Nylon straps, quick-release buckles and canvas covers are inexpensive holding devices that provide and maintain closure for hose compartments. These simple systems make it extremely easy and inexpensive to retrofit existing apparatus. If installed correctly, equipment tie-downs do not interfere with a firefighter's ability to perform his or her job. Don't we owe this much to the citizens and communities that we serve?

Gordon Gholson is a fleet manager for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. He manages the Southern Region fleet and has been with CDF for more than 24 years. Gholson is been actively involved in fire apparatus safety and is a member of the National Fire Protection Association fire department apparatus committee. Gholson may be contacted regarding apparatus equipment tie-downs or other apparatus safety issues at gordon.gholson@fire.ca.gov

Kim Bolan is a battalion chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. He is currently assigned as the health and safety chief for the California Southern Region and is based in Riverside, Calif. Bolan can be contacted at kim.bolan@fire.ca.gov