BY BILL GUSTIN
Rural, suburban, and many big-city fire departments use preconnected attack hoselines because they are easy to use and can be deployed quickly. Preconnects hasten fire attack because they eliminate the time it takes to uncouple the hose used for the stretch to the fire from the remaining hose in the hosebed and then connect the line to a pump discharge. Preconnects lead out rapidly because most of them are relatively short, generally 200 feet. Moreover, under ideal conditions, one firefighter can pull the hose from the apparatus and stretch it.
Preconnects simplify pump operations because their length remains constant, eliminating the friction-loss calculations needed for varying lengths of hoseline. Preconnects can be charged rapidly at a predetermined pressure, requiring only an allowance for elevation. For easy reference, place a label indicating the discharge pressure for each preconnected line on the discharge valve handle, or indicate the discharge pressure on the line’s pressure gauge with a grease pencil or reflective tape.
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