How many hoses are there on a fire engine?

Answer 1

The fire engine (an "engine" and not a "truck" as differentiated by those who man it) will have a number of hose options depending on the layout of the rig. Specifications are given to the truck builder, or that manufacturer will supply standard layouts and a department might purchase an engine "as is" from the supplier. You can see where differences can exist. Firemen use the term "line" for a hose, but for this discussion, we'll keep it loose. We'll use an urban engine as a platform in our review, and not something used at an airport or on wildland fires. Let's check out those hoses (lines) more closely. The primary "business" of the engine at a fire is to deploy hand lines in a direct attack. (Note that in a big fire an engine could be acting as a manifold and pumping to other engines or trucks). About the largest line you'll see deployed is probably the 2 1/2" hand line. Some engines have one preconnected, while others will have to "set up" to deploy one. (It takes only moments.) On a big fire, it is possible to deploy a 2 1/2" hand line, and then deploy a 2 1/2" line to a wye-valve and deploy 2 more 2 1/2" hand lines from there. (The engine doing this might be hooked to a hydrant, but will more probably be supplied water by another engine.) The 2 1/2" hose is the standard jacketed, rubber lined, collapsible hose you see folded up in the hose beds at the back of the engine. We'll see a lot of these 2 1/2" lines on a large working fire because they can deliver a lot of water. They are also commonly used to connect one apparatus to another (like the "manifold" thing mentioned). There are also 1 1/2" hoses commonly aboard an engine, and one or two may be preconnected. They might be laid out "across" the engine ahead of the main hose bed, and can be pulled from either side to deploy them. (Remember that all the hose must be pulled from the bed to charge it properly; kinks block the flow of water.) The 1 1/2" hand line is often a popular choice on a residential fire. It has good delivery capability, and can be maneuvered around corners, down hallways, up stairs and into rooms. Also, one man (with a second behind him for safety -- unless you're a one-man engine company in a volunteer rural fire protection district) can safely operate this hose by himself. (The 2 1/2" hand line must be manned by two men, or can be manned by one man who will be required to sit on the hose to operate it.) Some engines have one or two "reels" on them wound with hard line. This non-collapsible hose can be deployed and put into service most quickly as it does not all have to be removed from the reel to charge it. An engine working on, say, an auto fire would often make the hose reel a first choice. No hydrant connection would probably be necessary as the water tank and this line would be sufficient to suppress that kind of smaller blaze. (And the hose can be quickly rolled up to put it away.) Hoses come in sizes that include 3/4, 1, and 1 1/2 inch diameters, and go on up to 1 3/4, 2, 2 1/2, and even 3 inch lines. Different departments have different requirements, as you might have guessed. But their equipment, the engines used by the engine companies, will be set up in similar ways within a given department. We've covered some basics regarding what "hoses" can be found on an engine, and these are the hand lines used in a direct attack to fight, suppress and extinguish fires. It's how the wet stuff is put on the red stuff.

Answer 2

A typical fire engine usually has multiple hoses. The exact number can vary, but it typically ranges from two to four hoses.