Hoseline Selection When you think before you do� William K. Nelms III (Trey)- Pres.-Mid. Tenn. FOOLS Have you ever sat back and thought about hoseline selection? Now that you are (maybe for the first time), think about your department, company, and yes, the look in the mirror at yourself. Are you and your crew thinking about�firemen that make decisions for practical reasons or do you fall back on what we've always done? Many members in today's fire service are in a routine that could prove ineffective or even dangerous on the fireground. It is fair to say that the majority of our fires can be handled by the 1-3/4 handline. This is what we are familiar or used to deploying for fire attack. This repetitious action has place many firefighters in the mindset that the 1-3/4 line is appropriate for ALL fire attacks. This could not be farther from the truth. You should have several options on the rig to select from when you roll up on a job. As a thinking fireman, you will should actually be able to make a decision on what line to pull based on the situation you are presented with. Too often the 1-3/4 (the line of compromise) is advanced. We pull it because it is preconnected, it is convenient, it is easy to pull, advance, and load, its what we've always done, and it prevents us from having to think. You hate to think about, but some firefighters (and I use that term extremely loosely) pull the 1-3/4 because they are just lazy. At times the 1-3/4 is successful, while other times it is not. Like any other tool, it is an option that is appropriate for particular situations. At my career department, I see this quite often. As a Firefighter on a Truck Company, I do not have the opportunity to select and advance the initial attack line. It is however extremely important to me (since I am often working away from the line) to know its positions, limitations, etc. This affects the way I go about my business. The Engine Co. in quarters with me has some aggressive guys that usually think before acting. We have all worked together for years in an area that was known for its fires, which is a definite benefit. This combination is not very common and the results can be catastrophic at times. The department is in a residential state of mind, which means the 1-3/4 line is not only stretched for house fires, but the first off at working fires in apartments and commercial buildings. Our rate of success SUCKS to be blunt, and the citizen is left to suffer due to poor training, sub-standard leadership, and inappropriate actions. In 2007, a whole apartment complex was lost. Not a building, I said the complex! We joke to B shift that it bankrupts the Red Cross, but it truly left 100 families homeless with nothing. A fast moving working fire, high winds, a tired first due company, and you guessed it, an 1-3/4 line that wasn't in the right place to begin with set the stage for another performance that seems to be occurring more and more in the American Fire Service. The change is up to you! Many firemen have the Fire Rolodex in their head gathered from years of previous experience. When they roll up on something, they mentally flip through the card file, pull the appropriate card that presented a previous situation that was similar, and executed the actions that made the incident successful in the past. This works great, but as the incident of fire declines and the Senior Members retire where do you pull your decisions from. You must train to stay on top of your game. Can you perform a quick, effective size up? Are you familiar with needed fire flow formulas? Do you know the capabilities of the attack lines on your rig? I'm not asking you to break out the dry erase board in the street while the house is burning, but it is your job, and it is what you do! Career, Volunteer, or Combination, someone is depending on YOU and your company to change his or her bad day through your knowledge, skill, and ability. Like I said earlier, the 1-3/4 is a great tool and normally our bread and butter line. It is usually very effective in most residential fires. It is routinely considered a 150 GPM line (rule of thumb), but with different hoses, nozzles, etc. can far exceed that flow. The 2-1/2 is usually considered a 250 GPM line (rule of thumb) with the same variable scenarios as mentioned with the 1-3/4. The question for you is what is YOUR company going to get out of that line? What is YOUR crew's effectiveness with what you pull? Given the situation you encounter, a choice will have to be made. The residence of tomorrow is not that of today. Many homes are the size of commercial buildings with thousands of square feet, vaulted ceilings, large open areas, etc. This and MANY other thoughts must be gathered and quickly processed in your size-up. You will then make several decisions in the first minute on scene that will lay the foundation for success or failure at this particular incident. No Pressure! Since we are all very familiar with the 1-3/4, lets focus on "Old Faithful", the 2-1/2 handline. I've listened to stories from when my Father was on the job (1969-2002) and the only choice you had was the 2-1/2 or a Booster. What a difference in those two lines! There are a couple of good memorization tools in regard to the deuce and a half, when it comes to fire attack. The first as we have all heard before, "Big Fire-Big Water". This is a no brainer, but you still see this simple concept slip through the cracks regularly. The next is the acronym A.D.U.L.T.S. I learned this several years ago from a Seasoned Fire Officer and it still holds true today. These steps are easy to remember and very effective. A- Advanced Fire upon Arrival D- Defensive Operations U- Unknown location or extent of fire L- Large, uncompartmented area T- Tons of Water to extinguish S- Standpipe Operations Deploying this resource and operating it is a completely different subject, but it can be done even if you have a staffing issue. Training you personnel, knowing your system, and practicing are the key to success. I hope this article has raised awareness of a growing fire service problem. If you are reading this, you are a part of the solution. We all know the "Loads"� are not reading anything to do with our profession or its advancement. The intent here was to make you think outside the box or "routine". We all have choices as fire service professionals. It is up to us to prepare ourselves (and sometimes others) for when we have to make the call on what happens when we are first due. Selection, safety, and success are in your hands. Stay safe, low, and let it blow.

Here are some good truths for those of us that are company officers in our fire service. Remember, what the bottom line always is: EVERYONE GOES HOME 10 Inescapable Truths for Company Officers 1. From the subtleties and nuances of conversation and behavior in the firehouse to the shape of flames and color of smoke, the company officer must be aware of a vast array of sensory input. 2. Fire Companies are expected to bring a safe and civilized conclusion to events that overwhelm ordinary citizens. Creating order from turmoil requires leadership of the highest order. 3. A proud and physically powerful group (the fire company) depends on a fragile and complex set of unspoken do’s and don’ts (the culture) to maintain harmony. 4. Mastering the cultural environment of a fire company requires the successful company officer to employ mature judgment at all times in his or her relationship with company members. 5. The firefighting, rescue, and emergency medical skills and abilities of a fire company depend greatly on the verbal skills of the company officer. 6. The need for native good judgment cuts across the full range of a fire company officer’s responsibilities. 7. In many fire departments, there are powerful incentives to defer matters of judgment to a higher authority or a written set of regulations and guidelines. 8. Ethical conduct is a matter of character. 9. Character is a product of values and molding. It is not something a person can cloak themselves with in preparation for an appointment or promotion. 10. The fire company officer is the only person with the ability to control and develop a department’s emergency response personnel.