BY LISA A. HERB AND ADAM ST. JOHN
Interior attack hoselines have been failing more frequently from exposure to heat during fire suppression. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP) has observed this alarming trend.
The tragic Boston Back Bay fire on March 26, 2014, brought thermal hoseline failure to the forefront. Lieutenant Edward J. Walsh and Firefighter Michael Kennedy of the Boston (MA) Fire Department lost their lives as they advanced their hoseline down the stairs into the burning basement of a Boston brownstone. An open rear basement door caused a rapid increase in temperature in the basement, in the stairwell, and on the first floor. Strong winds exacerbated this ventilation flow path. Two hoselines inside the structure - a charged 1¾-inch hoseline and a dry 2½-inch hoseline - were burned through, preventing water flow at the nozzle. A trapped firefighter transmitted several Mayday messages over the radio following the hoseline rupture.
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