Fire department conducts annual hose testing.

The Parkersburg Fire Department began annual hose testing recently.  Crews will work for approximately two weeks to update testing on all of the department’s attack and supply hose on each piece of apparatus and in all hose towers. The Insurance Service Office (ISO) requires that testing be completed on an annual basis. Records of the testing are completed and then stored for review by ISO. Testing requires the hoses to be filled with water from one of the department’s engines and pumped to a specified pressure. Attack hose is tested at a higher pressure than the supply hose. The pressure is then maintained for a specified amount of time. The five inch supply line hoses are 100 ft. each. The 1 ¾ and 2 ½ lines are 50 ft. each.

 

Each engine carries 1200 ft. of 5 inch supply hose and 600 ft. of 2 ½ inch supply hose.  They also carry a minimum of 1000 ft. of 1 ¾ inch attack hose. The attack hose includes four – 200 ft. sections of 1 ¾ pre-connected hose, one – 200 ft. section of 2 ½ pre-connected hose, 50 to 100 ft. of spare hose, and 150 ft. of hi-rise hose (used for standpipe operations). The tower truck carries 1200 feet of 5 inch supply line. It also carries two – 200 ft. sections of  pre-connected 1 ¾ inch attack line, 200 ft. of pre-connected 2 ½ inch attack line, and 150 ft. of 1 ¾ inch hi-rise hose. The new ladder truck carries 1000 ft. of 5 inch supply line and 600 ft. of 2 ½ inch supply line. It also carries two – 200 ft. sections of pre-connected 1 ¾ inch attack line, one – 100 ft. pre-connected section of 1 ¾ inch attack line in the front bumper, one – 200 ft. of pre-connected 2 ½ attack line and 150 ft. of hi-rise hose. When testing the hose that is carried on the engines and ladders, a large area is required. Most of this testing occurs on Erickson Blvd beside the tennis courts.

 

The hose towers are located at Station 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. These towers house all of the spare attack and supply hose. This hose is tested in the parking lot of the station. These sections of hose may have to be used to replace a section of hose that gets damaged during a fire. After testing is complete, the hose is put back into the hose tower to dry. The hose is doubled over and pulled to the top of the hose tower. The hose hangs down from the top of the tower. This allows the water to drain and the hose to dry completely.