Among one of the greatest, and most historic debates in the fire service is the use of smooth bore versus fog nozzles.  What’s better and/or safer etc.?  A byproduct of that debate is hose stream selection for fire attack.  The question is, do you use a wide fog pattern, a narrow fog (a.k.a. power cone) or a straight (or solid) stream for offensive interior fire attack?  Watch this video and form your own conclusions.

At a recent training burn, great video was taken of many different people making interior attacks on pretty hot room and contents fires (nice, hot, smoky and confined areas where victims like to wait for us).  Jeff Kuehn, a firefighter and free-lance photographer created the video and provided great feedback on the conditions that he experienced as a “spectator” inside a room and contents fire.

Some points to ponder:

1. During the video, pay particular attention to the knockdown time and visibility.  In the first attack, visibility never really changes and knockdown is very quick.
2. You should always check your stream shape either during charging (you have to bleed the air anyway) and/or before making entry into fire area.
3. With a straight stream, cool the ceiling first, this will cool the upper atmosphere and help to limit steam production.  Hitting the base first can “swirl” the thermal layering and push the heat to the floor (ask Jeff).

A special thanks to Jeff Kuehn for use of the video and for taking so many great pictures.

Check out more of Jeff’s stuff at www.jeffkuehn.com

FTM-PTB and Be Safe