At a time when the number of personnel responding on first-alarm assignments is decreasing in many departments, the use of monitors is actually increasing. For firefighters who use monitors regularly, that doesn't come as any surprise. Based on their experiences, monitors allow them to make faster, safer and more effective attacks with a minimum number of people.

To understand why this is important, you only have to look at the changes in fireground tactics over the years. Gone are the days when five-person engine companies and six-person truck companies rolled up to the scene of a fire, the chief shouted a few orders, and firefighters jumped off the rigs and rushed off to do their jobs. No one took the time to don breathing apparatus before going into action or waited until a rapid intervention team could be assembled. And no one ever considered whether it was safe, or even smart, to go into the building or onto the roof. Fighting the fire was the most important thing, and the hazards were just part of the job. Similar tactics were used on car fires, grass fires and trash fires; “get in there and get it out” was the cry.

In many ways, it's a good thing that most departments don't use those tactics anymore. Risking firefighters' health and jeopardizing their lives to save a burning building, automobile, field or dumpster is not a good trade-off. Current fire service standards and procedures include a greater concern for firefighter safety, as well as a recognition of the fact that most departments now have to operate with fewer personnel. The problem is that doing things the new way requires more time. Putting on breathing apparatus takes time. Gathering enough firefighters to meet the two-in/two-out rule takes time. So does putting an aerial device in operation to provide a safe working position for ventilation operations on lightweight-truss roofs. And any smart company officer knows to take a minute to spot hazards and size up the fire before starting an attack.

The result often can be lost time in getting water on the fire — and the longer a fire burns, the bigger it grows. That's where monitors can make a big difference. In many cases, using a monitor can buy back that time as well as provide a more-effective method of attack with fewer firefighters.

It used to be that departments only used monitors when they needed big water for big fires. That's still a good application, but many departments have discovered other uses.

Residential fires

The fire doesn't have to be blowing out every window of a house for departments to use monitors. Garage fires, roof fires and front room-and-contents fires can be knocked down from the street with a short blast from a monitor using water from the tank. This is an especially good technique for garage fires, where exploding vehicle fuel tanks and fumes from stored household and pool chemicals can make it dangerous to approach with a handline. With a pre-plumbed monitor on the apparatus, the pump operator can put a master stream in action while the rest of the crew is pulling a handline. Remote controls help a lot. A blitz line with a preconnected portable monitor works equally well and allows a single firefighter to position the monitor away from the apparatus for more effective stream placement.

Rural outbuilding fires

Fighting a barn fire with handlines can be a lesson in futility. The high fuel load and open volume of many rural outbuildings demand high water flows. Monitors often are the best way to deliver it. Some departments equip their first-due water tenders/tankers with pumps and pre-plumbed monitors to let the driver make an effective initial attack while the engine company lays a supply line. Others hit the fire with a monitor on the engine or on a pre-connected blitz line while the water tender/tanker feeds the engine pump. Either way, an initial high-volume monitor attack can slow the fire's spread and intensity to buy time as well as reduce the radiant heat to surrounding buildings.

Storefront fires

Strip mall and downtown storefront fires present tough firefighting situations. There usually aren't any side doors or windows in these buildings, and the rear doors often are secured heavily or blocked with stored merchandise. In most cases, the only viable entrance is through the front. Rather than have crews battle its way inside with a handline, many departments direct an engine-mounted monitor stream through the front windows to knock down the flames and reduce interior temperatures first. Others lower the tip of an aerial-mounted monitor near the ground to deliver a master stream into the building — some even extend the aerial through a door or window to make an interior attack into a room or down a hallway. A few departments use monitors for storefront fires so often that they have incorporated these techniques into their standard operating procedures.

Warehouse fires

Warehouses usually don't catch fire; their contents do. That creates an interesting problem for firefighters. It's sort of like fighting a fire in a house where the rooms are four stories high and all the furniture is stacked to the ceilings. The traditional tactic of directing monitor streams through windows, or eventually through the roof, is safer for firefighters and delivers a high flow of water, but it has only limited effect because the water doesn't reach the seat of the fire. The other tactic of making an interior attack with handlines allows better stream placement, but is more dangerous for firefighters and also has only limited effect because the water flow is too low. Although every large fire is different, some departments have had good results by setting up monitors inside the building to attack the fire with a higher flow and more accurate stream placement. Monitors also can remain in operation unattended if changing fire conditions force firefighters to retreat.

Attic fires

Older structures with common attics or poorly designed fire walls can let the fire move above the ceilings from one end of a building to the other. If firefighters aren't aware of the construction in a particular structure, the fire can pop up on top of them or drop down behind them. It can happen in apartments, schools, motels, strip malls and multi-occupancy industrial structures. Trying to stop the fire's extension by pulling the ceiling and hitting it with handlines can be time-consuming. Thermal imagers help, but in some cases it might be more effective to cut an access hole in the end of a peaked roof and hit the fire with the stream from a aerial-mounted monitor directed down the length of the roof line. Using a remote-control aerial monitor with a piercing nozzle also works well and allows firefighters to penetrate the roof in several places quickly and make the attack from the ground.

Exposure protection

What's worse than having to fight a structure fire? It's having to fight a second fire in one of the adjacent structures. Protecting exposures is a concern with any fire and it's another place where monitors can really help. Engine-mounted, aerial-mounted and portable monitors all work well in this role and can be left in operation with little or no adjustments. Departments also can use engine-mounted monitors to knock down spot roof fires caused by blowing embers quickly. When large areas have to be protected, monitors with automatic sweeps are useful.

Wildland fires

Using a monitor instead of pulling a handline can help firefighters get the upper hand during wildland fires. Remote-control monitors with controls in the cab let the crew conduct rapid pump-and-roll attacks on vegetation fires or douse roof fires as the rig pulls up to structures. This is especially important during extended operations where exhausted crews have to move repeatedly from one threatened area to another. When used to deliver compressed-air foam or fire-retardant gel, monitors quickly can coat threatened structures before the fire arrives, giving the crew time to move to a protected location for an extra margin of safety.

Car fires

The fact is, there are very few simple car fires anymore. In addition to concerns with exploding fuel tanks, firefighters now have to watch out for accidental air bag activation, exploding bumper struts, leaking acid from battery packs on hybrid vehicles and toxic smoke from burning plastics. The safest approach is sometimes not to approach at all — stay away and let a monitor stream do the work. With a remote-control monitor and in-cab controls, firefighters can have a stream flowing as the apparatus rolls up to the scene.

Trash fires

Fires in metal trash containers are the bane of many municipal departments. The problem is that, unlike other types of fires, departments really don't know what's burning. Is it paper, or paint thinner? Plastic bags or oily rags? And what else is in there? Hitting the fire from a safe distance with a stream from a monitor can knock down the flames and keep them from extending to adjacent structures. When the fire is under control, properly protected firefighters can approach and overhaul with pike poles and a handline.

Hazmat decontamination

Eventually, most departments have to deal with hazmat releases that potentially could contaminate people and property. Fortunately, many of these releases can be contained, controlled, diluted and removed with the timely application of high-volume water sprays. Knowing when to use water sprays and when not to use them is important. When they are called for, monitors are the best way to deliver the streams.

Part of the reason monitors are being used more often is that there are more monitors to use. Large and small and even tall, monitors now come in many shapes and sizes for many applications.

Portable

Possibly one of the most significant new developments in monitor design is the latest generation of lightweight, high-capacity portable monitors. These mighty mites are capable of being carried and positioned by one person and can deliver 500 to 1,000 gpm from a single hoseline. They fold compactly for easy storage and can be secured in a bracket on the running board or tucked into a compartment. The idea behind them is to give firefighters a safe, effective means of putting a master stream into operation in the least time with the fewest personnel. Portable monitors can be used for direct attack or exposure protection and can be secured for unattended operation. They even can be carried inside structures to deliver high flows for quick knockdowns. Some small departments that can't afford a larger monitor, specify a lower-cost portable to give them master-stream capability and potentially gain points on their Insurance Services Office ratings.

Engine-mounted

The traditional engine deck gun now comes in a variety of configurations. Newer designs include monitors with rotating elbows to raise the nozzle above the apparatus cab and body for a better range of horizontal and vertical motion. Other designs incorporate telescoping sections in the base to raise the entire monitor. One apparatus manufacturer recently introduced a monitor that can be extended more than 10 feet above the mounting base on a telescoping pipe. Another offers an elevated boom that raises the nozzle to an even greater height. Manually operated monitors are especially useful on pumpers with top-mount pump panels where the operator can easily aim and adjust the stream from an elevated position. Electric remote-control monitors give greater flexibility in positioning the both the operator and the monitor. Some departments specify the monitor directly above the midship pump panel with controls on the panel. Others place the monitor at the rear of the apparatus where wind-whipped spray from the nozzle will not affect the pump operator — a much-appreciated feature on a cold, winter night. Smaller quick-attack and brush pumpers often are equipped with remote-control nozzle on the front bumper to allow direct visual control of the stream from inside the cab. Even water tenders/tankers are equipped with remote-control monitors to make direct attacks on wildland and structure fires. For really big fires, radio remote-controls give larger monitors even more flexibility and allow the operator to direct the stream from a location up to several hundred feet away for a better vantage.

Aerial-mounted

Most departments have replaced the old manually operated ladder pipe with fixed monitors with electric or radio remote controls and preplumbed waterways These are still the big guns of the department, but their use goes beyond traditional applications. Almost all provide a certain range of horizontal, side-to-side travel for added flexibility in stream placement. Some new designs also provide an extended range of vertical movement to allow the monitor to be aimed above the tip of the aerial to reach upper floors, or to deliver a level stream into ground floors when the aerial is operated below horizontal. All aerials have flow, load and angle limits when operating a master stream in an elevated position. Departments need to be aware of these limits to avoid potentially dangerous situations — in many cases, you can't start an elevated master stream attack with a full load of personnel on the aerial.

Nozzles

No matter what type of monitor you use, the proper choice of nozzles is important. Some departments prefer the smooth, solid stream produced by a set of stacked tips. The limitation is that the operator has to ensure the proper tip is installed before the monitor is put in operation to achieve the desired flow and reach. Once in operation, the stream has to be shut down to change tips, if needed. Other departments prefer the variable pattern and flow of a combination fog nozzle. Many master-stream fog nozzles may be specified with electric or radio remote controls to allow adjustments without shutting down the stream. Departments that use monitors to deliver compressed air foam often specify a single, tapered smooth-bore nozzle to deliver an optimum foam stream at the maximum distance.

If your department doesn't currently use monitors, or thinks that monitors are only good to deliver big water for big fires, maybe you should take a new look at the current designs and applications for these versatile firefighting tools. Hitting a fire, threatened exposure or hazmat release quickly, from a distance and with a sufficient volume of water often can bring the incident under control with fewer personnel and with significantly reduced damage and danger.