FireNuggets , Inc May 2017
Long stretch : Any time a stretch goes out of sight , requires radio communication and often utilizes additional personnel .
Flat stretch : hose deployment on the street level to first story of the building .
Vertical stretch : hose deployment to a second story or above .
Stacking up : multiple firefighters meeting at the hose bed to either shoulder or gather multiple lengths of hose in a line .
being aware that your hose bed may be defining your engine placement could help avoid critical issues .
A long stretch is anytime the deployment will go out of site or vertical which would require radio communications with the engineer . It does not have to mean a long distance but typically does mean over 200 ’. The purpose for defining it as a long stretch is that it spurs the officer to decide if additional firefighters are needed and dictates how they will work together . Calling a long
stretch is like calling a play where everyone should know their specific role .
A long flat stretch means deploying hose across the ground and possibly around a few obstacles or friction points . You ’ ll probably be able to handle this with a single engine crew but know when to add to more firefighters . With all these stretches it is important to try them with different numbers of personnel and different obstacles , so you know beforehand what it takes to accomplish each scenario .
A long vertical stretch means you will be going up into a building and hose management must be skilled and intentional or it could become messy . More firefighters should be used to accomplish these stretches . In Palo Alto , we call this “ stacking up ”. The nozzle firefighter shoulders 100 ’ of hose and the Heel also shoulders 100 ’ of hose before moving toward the building .
Oakland accomplishes the same task with multiple firefighters gathering 50-100 ’ on their right arm and dragging it across the ground . About 8 ’ of hose will extend behind each firefighter which is still works well on stairs .
Breaking down the vertical stretch and adapting on the fly …
You can divide most multi story buildings into two types : Buildings with units that open up into enclosed spaces or hallways , and buildings with units that open up into open air spaces . While
RULE OF 3s Know Three Stretches each for Flat & Vertical
FLAT Short Long Reverse Lay ( think Detroit )
VERTICAL Inside & Up Outside & In Standpipe Operations
By Firefighters , For Firefighters ! 15 of ! 38
Send the author feedback