Hose Testing...........YUK!
Hose testing has to be done once a year. This tests the integrity of the hoses. They have to be pressure tested in order to find out if there is a bad hose on the truck. It is better to have a hose fail here during the test than on a fire scene.
Every test has a beginning. Ours begins here at the truck panel where the pump operator sets the pressures and watches the gages. The test runs for five minutes. During this test, while the operator keeps his eye on the truck, the rest of us walk the hoses looking for leaks and/or torn places in the hose jackets.
Several hoses are tested at one time. Here is a view looking downhill from the truck. The reason we choose this spot is because the road is the right length for the hoses and once we finish they have a natural drain downhill.
I walked my hoses down the hill and then took this shot. This is just the other end. Like, "what did the chicken do when he got to the other side of the road......he walked back."
Why YUK? Because hose testing is probably the hardest thing we have to do all year. Most of our guys seem to disappear when this time comes around. If you think it looks interesting then let me know. I can let you know when the next test will be and you can help us roll the 4800' of hoses that we test. Sound fun now?
At the end of our test last year we assembled and took this picture of the group. Yep! Five people out of 13 showed up to help on this Saturday morning.
Return to Fire Dept Main Page
E-Mail Me
