You are driving the engine today and have been rung out for a reported apartment fire. Blocks away you have heavy black smoke showing and as you pull up the third floor is fully involved. Your crew is gearing up and the officer is radioing in as you switch from road to pump, hearing that tell-tale change in the motor as the PTO kicks into pump. A hydrant is right out front and you parked right at the tires, so your pony supply line will reach perfectly.The officer calls for the 200 foot pre-connect and he and the firefighter advance the line into the front door, leading it into the lobby and up the interior stairwell.
You secure the door open and return to connect to your hydrant when you hear the officer over the radio call for the line to be charged, they have encountered heavy fire on the stairwell from floor 2 to floor 3. As you pull the valve lever towards you and out of the panel, there is a sudden give and the lever comes out. The cotter pin is missing and your crew is calling for water.
What to do? You Make the Call.
Comments
They'll be cussing you when they come out and patting you on the back when they see the lever.
Dave0
My department has short 10 foot lengths on the pump end of all of our preconnects. This leaves a coupling right at the operaror's feet and making it easy to change discharges in a pinch. I'd like to say we did it for this reason, but in reality it's to make repacking the loads easier.
In the absense of shorts, you have to attach another length to a good discharge, then go up the dead line 45 feet or so to the first available coupling, break it and hook in. Not easy; not quick; not impossible.
I'd radio the attack team only if I couldn't make the changeover asap. It shouldn't take more than 20 secs to break the coupling and re-connect it. If I ran into trouble doing it I'd have them back out until I got it.
DaveO
The panel might not be that easy to open on everyone's rig. We have large intake valves that would prevent that course of action. Like some of the previous posters, we have short lengths on each preconnect for easy repacking/disconnects, and also have 2 1/2 to 1 1/2 reducers on each side discharge.
Good call on the radio sitrep as well.
Matt
2. Open pump panel and move it manually
3. Switch over to other discharge if possible.
4. Start pulling another preconnect and tell them to meet you at the front door.
2 and 3 should be done quickly, if you cannot accomplish this then go to 4.
5. Radio them and tell them that you can't get water, have them come out and get another line, or make another tactical decision at that point.
Main point is that they need to know when they will get water!
He'd probably say it's a can job anyway, so why not? LOL