The fire fighting nozzle is the most important tool on the fire truck. It’s a weapon, and like any weapon, it needs to be understood, checked regularly, maintained and tested. It’s important to have a thorough understanding of the various types of nozzles, their flow rates and reaction forces in order to ensure that they are always functioning optimally.
Each fire fighting nozzle has a rated, or selected, gallonage at a specific water pressure. This is based on what the nozzle can accomplish with a certain amount of hose load and engine pump pressures. The firefighter should never exceed the nozzle’s rated flow, as this can create a large amount of nozzle reaction and reduce the amount of water available for extinguishing the fire.
A firefighter’s nozzle position should be low, crouched, crawling or duck walking. This is to keep the firefighter as close to the seat of the fire as possible, minimizing the distance they have to travel when operating the nozzle. This can also help prevent the spread of smoke, flames and heat.
There are many different fire fighting nozzles on the market today. Some have been around for decades, while others have come onto the fire fighting scene in recent years. All nozzles are designed to provide firefighters with the necessary tools to effectively fight fires in any type of building or structure. Each nozzle has a unique flow and pattern that provides different levels of reach, penetration, speed and impact force.