A History Of The Fire Hose

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The most used item in fighting fires is the fire hose. Many people incorrectly assume that fire hoses are all the same, but that just isn't true. There are many different types and styles that are used for different purposes or kinds of fires. To understand the different styles, you must first understand where the fire hose started and how far it has come in the last century.

Humble Beginnings

While it is believed that the first types of fire hoses were made of ox gut in ancient Greece, the credit for first fire hose goes to Nicholas and Jan van der Heiden in 1672. Made in the Netherlands, this hose was made of leather and brass fittings, tied together with tightly sewn seams. Water buckets were used to fill and then force the water through the hose. However, the biggest problem that plagued many of the earliest hoses was leaking. By 1698, heavy sailcloth replaced the leather, and coating it with paint or cement helped to make it more sturdy and waterproof, ultimately helping to reduce leaks. To prevent the hose from collapsing, metal rings were used along the inside to help reinforce the lining.

Reducing Leaks, Improving Materials

In Philadelphia, 1808, volunteer firefighters felt like they needed to address the leaking problem even more. They added 20-30 metal rivets per foot which worked so well, they ended up patenting it almost a decade later. From there it was manufactured along with rubber-coated hoses a decade after that.

Today, hoses are manufactured in all kinds of designs, including single jacket, double jacket, rubber single jacket, and hard rubber non-collapsing types. They all have different purposes. Two primary forms of hoses are referred to as an attack hose. The main difference between the two is the size of their diameter, which is measured on the inside of the hose.

The first attack hose is 1 ¾" and the primary hose for house and vehicle fires. Its double jacket helps hold the water as it passes through at 275 psi maximum operating pressure. It is capable of delivering 140-200 gallons per minute, depending on the nozzle type. Because it is smaller, it only requires two or three firefighters to operate it.

The second attack hose is bigger at 2 ½" diameter. It is most commonly used for putting out fires in commercial buildings and in exterior fires because of its difficulty in fitting in tight spaces. While it also is double jacketed and capable of 275 psi maximum operating pressure, it requires at least three or four firefighters to operate it, but sometimes more. This hose delivers a much higher volume of water at 200 to 300 gallons per minute.

The next time you see a group of firefighters extinguishing a fire, realize there is so much more to fighting that fire than just pointing and shooting. They had to learn all about different hoses and how to operate them to effectively put out fires before they spread. 

23 May 2015