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Robert Tutterow |
For the most part hose dryers, drying racks, and washing went away with the demise of cotton jacket hose. However, there could be a renaissance of this practice in the North American fire service. The major focus for decontamination has been on personal protective equipment (PPE). But, what about the other contaminated equipment? Is there anything nastier than an interior fire attack hose? What happens to that hose after use? I suspect that in most departments it might get rinsed off before it is placed back on the truck. This is only a practice that has been in place for the past 40 or so years. Prior to that, with cotton jacket hose, the hose had to be dried – either in a hose dryer or hung from a hose tower – and received some washing before it was dried. For younger readers, cotton hose could not be stored on the apparatus wet because it would rot.
It appears it is time to reconsider washing and drying hose but for a different reason. That reason is to decontaminate the hose from the carcinogens that attach and embed in the jacket. Contaminated hose is not just contaminated when it is removed from the fire scene; it continues to off-gas for several hours – if not days. Washing fire hose is critical.
It is interesting to note that the German fire service has always washed each section of hose after each use. And, they test each section of hose after each use. I am not advocating testing hose after each use. German hose is much thinner and not nearly as robust as hose in the North American fire service.
Current Equipment
How do the Germans and other European fire brigades wash hose? It is a lot more than a rinsing at the scene, though that is a good initial practice. They use machines with stiff bristle brushes to wash their hose. In the United States, Circul-Air Corporation has been making a hose washing machine – the Roto Jet Hose Washer – for decades. Of course, Circul-Air is known for its hose drying cabinets, which some departments now use to dry PPE. More recently, Groves Ready Rack also introduced a hose washer, and it also offers a PPE drying cabinet. Perhaps your department has one and uses it. If so, your department is the health-conscious exception.
At FDIC International 2017, the Barth company introduced its MONDIALE hose washing machine. It is a German-made machine that also can perform hose testing. The unit is available with a soak tank and uses high-pressure nozzles as well as bristle brushes to clean the hose. The unit can accommodate two sections of hose at a time if the diameter is three inches or less. For anything larger, just one section at a time can be cleaned.
With washing comes the need for drying. Hose drying cabinets are an option with Circul-Air. Other companies, such as Groves Ready Rack, have drying cabinets. However, they also have portable hose towers. No, these are not 30 or 60 feet high. They are racks, on casters if desired, to flake hose from hanging rods to allow for plenty of ventilation.
If hose washing becomes the normal practice in North America, how will it evolve? What are the ramifications? Obviously, there will need to be clean and dry hose stored in the station to replenish hose that is being decontaminated and drying. Will the concept of hot zones in fire stations become accepted practice? If so, then cleaning and drying fire hose should occur in the hot zone.
Regardless of tradition and the strain on budgets, there is no mistake that good basic hygiene suggests we should wash all hose when it becomes contaminated. A rinse at the scene makes sense. Does it also make sense to have a special mobile unit, such as a light and air truck, to be deployed to all working fires and either wash the hose on the scene or collect it and take it to a central agency for cleaning? Clearly, such a unit would need to carry an inventory of hose for replenishment. A positive for this type system is that the apparatus could be made ready with decontaminated hose before leaving the scene and be back in service without further delay. It will be interesting to see where this goes.
ROBERT TUTTEROW retired as safety coordinator for the Charlotte (NC) Fire Department and is a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment editorial advisory board. His 34-year career includes 10 as a volunteer. He has been very active in the National Fire Protection Association through service on the Fire Service Section Executive Board and technical committees involved with safety, apparatus, and personal protective equipment. He is a founding member and president of the Fire Industry Education Resource Organization (F.I.E.R.O.).
