BY BILL GUSTIN
There is a vast difference in the number of firefighters needed to stretch hose from a standpipe when it is dry vs. once it has been charged. One company can stretch several lengths of hose; it is limited only by the number of hose bundles the members can carry. Once hose is charged, it becomes rigid and much heavier. Advancing a charged hoseline up stairs, around corners in the fire floor hallway, and through the fire apartment or office suite is a multicompany operation.
Every firefighter wants to be on the nozzle, but the nozzle won't get to the fire if everyone is crowded at the end of the hoseline. It takes discipline and strong leadership for firefighters to resist their natural inclination to get close to the nozzle and the fire. Proficiency in stretching and advancing hoselines from standpipes can be achieved only by frequent, realistic, and intense hose evolution drills. Training is essential because no fire company performs standpipe operations at actual fires frequently enough to maintain its skills. Standpipe evolutions need to be practiced until they are nonverbal. Shouts of "more hose" muffled by self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) face pieces do little to keep a hoseline moving toward the fire. Similarly, you can tell that a standpipe operation is in trouble when you hear frantic radio transmissions for "more hose."
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