Being on the nozzle is the spot where most firefighters want to be at every fire. Controlling the water flow and making the push is such a sought after spot that many firefighters find ways to make sure they are on it. The question is how often do you practice nozzle control? I would venture to say that no matter how many times you say you do, it is not enough.
Why is that? You can never be “too good” at taking the nozzle, advancing it and putting the fire out. In this jumpseat rider's opinion, there is always room for improvement. Can we add some variables in our drills to keep pushing our limits? Yes.
It seems like Mr. Complacency rears his ugly head when it comes to the basic function of advancing a nozzle. In fact, it happened to the firefighter writing this article. On a recent shift, we set up a challenge between a firefighter and his lieutenant about nozzle to test the control at certain PSI ranges. Without going into great detail, the loser, me, will buy steaks the next shift. (Talk about a win-win: training and steaks!) When it was my turn to take the nozzle, I soon realized just how long it had been. Rusty would be a great description of my performance, to say the least. As I look back over the past six months without a fire, I soon realized that I had not touched the nozzle in that period.
Looking back, how long has it been since you advanced a hoseline and controlled the nozzle? And when was the last time you did it in a safe “drilling” environment where you could take the time to adjust your technique? I would venture to say not enough. Hello, Mr. Complacency! With this in mind, how can we keep this ugly person out of our fire stations? By taking the time to charge a line and get to work. Period.
You see, not all drills have to be some elaborate set up. It could start with truck checks. Have the driver/operator charge the line and get on it. Add in some challenges or work it alone to make it more difficult. How much set up and clean up would that take? The problem with this is two-fold:
- We don’t want to admit we have became rusty in front of our peers
- Fear of failure or embarrassment prevents us from even asking
Peer pressure like these two examples is real. Whether it is fear of failure or fear of embarrassment, they both exist in our world. Have you ever seen a bunch of firefighters standing around while the “new” firefighter practices a skill? Dealing with this situation requires us to set our ego aside and put ourselves out there. It may sound easy, but in reality, it is difficult to do. We all need to turn this type of pressure into a big positive by encouraging all firefighters while performing a task to get better and not poke fun at failure.
Now that you have the line charged and you’re ready for some nozzle practice, lets go over some quick tips.
- Practice advancing the non-flowing line while keeping the nozzle in front of you
- Advance the flowing line the same way
- Pin the hose down to your hip and move it around for better stability
- Practice spinning the fog nozzle from full fog to straight stream. Both right- and left-handed
- Be sure you can do each skill blindfolded, to simulate the smoke-filled environment
- Take a different nozzle and the one you normally stretch with, just in case you are not first-due and are using another company's hose
Dr. Rich Gasaway has always said, “Practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes permanent” No more does this ring true than in the operation of the nozzle. If we keep practicing this most basic skill on a weekly basis we can make our practice permanent. But we need to make sure that our permanent is perfect. The fireground is not the place for adjustments in technique; it’s the place where we should show off our perfect, permanent performance. Make sure you keep Mr. Complacency outside your firehouse.
Charge the line and get busy!
See Ryan Live at Firehouse World: Ryan Pennington will be presenting "Behind That Door Is a Hoard” and “Communications Between the Front Seat and the Jump Seat" during Firehouse World in San Diego, Jan. 25-29. Find out more at FirehouseWorld.com.
