Most firefighters consider fire hose their lifeline, whether it’s 1½-inch, 1¾-inch, 2-inch, or 2½-inch attack line or 3-inch, 4-inch, 5-inch, or 6-inch large-diameter hose (LDH) supply line. But the trend in hoselines being produced by manufacturers, both attack and supply, is making them more lightweight, less likely to kink, and more resistant to friction loss.
Dan Corner, vice president of sales and marketing for Snap-tite Hose, says that Snap-tite is unifying a number of brands under the Snap-tite name, including the CONQUEST, Gladiator, HFX, UTX, TPX, and Endura names of hoses, and that Snap-Tite is discontinuing the Ponn and National brand names. “We are in the fire hose and lay flat hose business,” Corner points out, “and look at methods and technology that fit our various hoselines to produce the best products for our customers.”
John Burkhart, Snap-tite’s director of portfolio development, notes that Snap-tite’s Gladiator family of hoselines is designed to make the hose more kink resistant, in an effort to address the lower nozzle pressures that fire departments are using for attack lines. “Gladiator hoses are much more kink resistant at lower pressures, with our Gladiator FGN available with a 1.77-inch and 2½-inch waterway; our classic Gladiator with an enhanced 1.88-inch waterway; and FIRE MASTER in 1¾-inch, 2-inch, and 2½-inch sizes,” Burkhart says. “Our Gladiator FIRE MASTER in 1¾-inch size is a high-temperature hose designed to last 15 minutes of flame impingement and is kink resistant.”
Burkhart adds that Snap-tite also makes TPX, a three-layer rubber hose in diameters from 1½-inch through 8-inch; HFX nitrile rubber, triple-ply through-the-weave hose from 1½-inch through 6-inch sizes; and UTX, a thin-walled polyurethane through-the-weave LDH in 4-inch and 5-inch diameters. Snap-tite also makes Conquest LDH, a through-the-weave polyester outer jacket and polyurethane inner hose in sizes from 1¾-inch through 6-inch, and upgraded LD, a nitrile through-the-weave rubber hose that’s very thin and often used in bumper trash lines and high-rise pack hoselines.
Mark Lighthill, vice president of national sales for KFH Industries Company, maker of Key Hose, points out that fire department consensus points to the belief that fire travel and behavior are changing the delivery of water through hoses and nozzles. “The United States fire service wants to get the most efficient use out of hoselines and realizes that one hose doesn’t fit all situations,” Lighthill observes.
Lighthill notes that Key Hose’s Combat Sniper attack line is built for use with low-pressure, high-volume nozzles and reduces hose whip and optimizes friction loss. “We’ve targeted flow ranges of 145 to 175 gallons per minute (gpm),” he says, “and deliver premium kink resistance through a hose treated with Key-Lok polyurethane-based, polymer impregnation for enhanced color and added abrasion resistance.”
He says that Key Hose also offers a double-jacketed polyester hoseline with a polyurethane liner or a nylon jacketed hose with the same inner liner. Lighthill adds that Key Hose makes TRU-ID ergonomic, high-quality, double-jacketed hose with a true internal diameter of 1¾-, 2¼-, and 2½ -inch. “TRU-ID hose lowers the overall hose weight by eliminating additional water in oversized attack lines,” he says, “thus reducing firefighter fatigue and kink resistance because the hose is designed for use with low-pressure, high-volume nozzles.”
1 KFH Industries Company, maker of Key Hose, makes the Combat Sniper attack line, shown here in a 1¾-inch size used in a training scenario. (Photos 1-2 courtesy of Key Hose.)
2 Firefighters advance a Key Hose Combat Ready attack line toward a live fire in a training building.
3 MaTex Hose makes Platinum attack line, a double-jacket polyurethane line hose that has anti-whip technology. (Photo 3 courtesy of MaTex Hose.)
Key Hose also makes PRO-FLOW, a heavy-duty LDH 6-inch hose that’s lightweight and heat and chemical resistant, with a service pressure of 225 pounds per square inch (psi). PRO-FLOW is a nitrile rubber/PVC through-the-weave hose with a thin rubber outer cover and is available in 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-inch diameters. Key Hose’s HY-FLOW double-jacket polyester and nitrile rubber LDH is made in 4- and 5-inch diameters.
Toby Mathews, president of MaTex Hose, says his company focuses on creating hose systems that afford individual fire departments the best use of hoses with low-pressure, high-volume nozzles. “The hose has to resist kinking, so we make three models of attack hoselines,” Mathews says. “Our top line attack hose is COBRA Combat, a four-ply hose that has great kink resistance and anti-whipping. It offers reduced friction loss, superior heat resistance, and proprietary puncture resistance.”
MaTex also makes PLATINUM ID attack line, a double-jacketed, polyurethane-lined hose that has anti-whip technology, has 1,500-psi burst strength, and is designed for all nozzle applications. MaTex’s PRECISION ID attack hose is all polyester jacketed, rubber-lined hose, with similar attributes to that of the PLATINUM ID line.
In supply lines, MaTex offers nitrile/PVC rubber covered through-the-weave hose in 3-inch, 4-inch, and 5-inch sizes and NITREX LDH SUPPLY, a nitrile/PVC through-the-weave rubber covered hose that has high resistance to abrasion, oil, gasoline, and a range of chemicals and is very resistant to contact and radiant heat.
Jamie Emblem, U.S. northeast region sales manager for Mercedes Textiles Ltd., points out that Mercedes Textiles set a new standard last year with its KRAKENEXO® line of attack hoses in 1½-inch through 3-inch sizes. “The KRAKEN line is lightweight, UL (Underwriters Laboratories) listed hose with a patented Mertex® lining technology that fuses the liner directly onto the textile in a single unit,” Emblem says. “It allows for a smoother waterway, less friction loss, greater hose flex, and excellent heat resistance and is used in all of our hoses.”
4 Firefighters advance Mercedes Textiles’ KRAKENEXO® Super II attack line in a training building. (Photos 4-5 courtesy of Mercedes Textiles.)
5 Mercedes Textiles makes the MEGAFLO BREATHER line of hoses in both supply and attack line sizes.
6 Kuriyama Fire Products makes Armtex attack hose in 1¾-inch, 2½-inch, and 3-inch diameters. (Photo 6 courtesy of Kuriyama Fire Products.)
At FDIC 2022, Mercedes Textiles launched the KRAKENEXO Super II, a 2-inch attack hose that delivers 2½-inch water flows, Emblem says. “Its 2.125-inch inside diameter allows it to have the higher flow but with less weight than a typical 2½-inch hoseline, which is 35 percent less water weight than usual. It offers high kink resistance and low friction loss and can deliver between 210 and 275 gpm with a 1½-inch coupling.”
Mercedes Textiles also offers several other hoseline models, including the MEGAFLO® BREATHER, designed for fast deployment and easy recovery; AQUAFLOW-PLUS®, where durability and light weight are important; CARRY-LITE®, an advanced high-rise attack hose; and AQUAPOWER™, designed for interior attack applications requiring high kink resistance and durability.
Eric Maynard, national sales manager of the fire division for Kuriyama Fire Products, notes that Armtex® attack hose “is our bread and butter 1¾-inch attack line that’s also available in 2½-inch and 3-inch diameters. It’s a double-jacketed polyester outer hose that is available with either rubber or polyurethane inner lining,” Maynard says. Kuriyama also makes Jafline® all polyester double-jacket fire hoses with polyurethane lining, a JAFx4™ fire hose, and Forest-Lite™ Mop-Up™ fire hoses.
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Arizona-based journalist, the author of three novels and five nonfiction books, and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board. He served 22 years with the Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including in the position of chief.
