I've always wondered, how do the responding fire personnel holding the nozzle of a hose attached to a standpipe deal with the slugs of compressed air?
What happens with a hose/nozzle when a large, class I dry manual standpipe system is getting slammed with 150 psi (or more) of water pushing all that air? Do they purge air before hooking up the hose? How about a wet manual standpipe where the FDC is several sticks of 6" pipe from the check valve? What's it like on the end of the hose when that slug of air arrives with 150-175 psi of water in front and behind it? Are there any firefighters out there experienced in standpipe operations who care to share? Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe
7 Comments
Chad
5/30/2024 08:07:12 am
With poise and grace.
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5/30/2024 08:20:47 am
Agree. Vent the line best as possible before making entry (of the fire room) and maintain good hose control!
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Jay
5/30/2024 08:25:28 am
We normally flush the standpipe outlet prior to making any connections. This flush clears debris in system as well as air.
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Chad
5/30/2024 10:18:07 am
Good point- This is the standard MO for dry standpipes, thankfully not very common by me. You will get debris out first, assuming they do not explode first when charged... that's a 50/50 at best in my experience.
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Jesse
5/30/2024 08:56:46 am
Spent nearly 20 years as a professional FF / Medic. Generally open the nozzle before finding the fire or entering the fire room to vent the air and make sure water is at the nozzle.
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Chuck Thacker
5/30/2024 12:01:42 pm
Go to the floor above if you can and vent the air out of the standpipe until you get water. Then bleed the small amount of air from the hose.
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Dickey
6/20/2024 09:52:04 am
30+ year firefighter here....We always try and flush the standpipe to remove debris and dirt that could clog or damage the nozzle and to make sure there is water before we hook the hose up. Once flushed, we burp the air by cracking the nozzle, just takes a few seconds for air to bleed out, just hang on to it and it's fine. It's not like the pressure will toss you around or anything, hose just jerks a bit. We always bleed the air our to make sure we have a decent water pattern before going in.
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