| Fire hoses come under a lot of water pressure when used for fighting fires or during trainings. They also take a lot of abuse since they're constantly dragged off and on to the fire trucks, and get pulled over various terrains as they are put into use fighting house, brush, or vehicle fires. Over time they can fray, separate from their couplings, or can have gasket failures. These can cause major leaks, or worse yet, could be very dangerous to a firefighter if a coupling were to break away from the hose while it was in use fighting a fire. It would be a catastrophe for all if the hose lines brought in to fight a fire were to suddenly rupture and stop the water from reaching the fire.
In order to ensure that the hoses in use are at peak performance and are safe to use, the CFD tests every piece of hose on every fire truck annually. This testing took place on Friday June 27th.
The hoses are tested to meet the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards. They are pressurized with water, and all sections of hose and their couplings are inspected for leaks of damages. Any section of hose that is found to be damaged or does not meet the NFPA standard is removed from service and set aside for possible repair and/or replacement.
After the test is complete each section of hose has to be uncoupled and then drained. The hose then gets re-coupled, brushed off and then re-packed onto the truck very carefully. This is a very time consuming process, since the CFD has over 7000 total feet of hose that needs to be tested.
For the last several years the Cutchogue Fie District has employed the services of Steve Schuman and Waterway of Long Island who conducts the annual testing.
Thank You to Waterway for your friendly and professional service you have provided through the years. |
