Tamworth firefighters demonstrating the hose coil

Drill: Static water hose coil

In the world of firefighting, it’s essential to be innovative and adaptable, as emergencies often require quick thinking and resourcefulness. To enhance your skills and familiarise new members with the equipment on board your appliance, try this training exercise known as a “Static Water Hose Coil.” This task challenges firefighters to create a stable, coiled hose structure filled with water, which can serve as a water source when working in remote areas. Here, we’ll provide you with the equipment needed, safety considerations, and a step-by-step guide to undertake this training exercise.

Equipment Required:

  1. Your firefighting appliance of choice
  2. Lengths of hoses (diameter may vary, but for this example, we’ll use 2 lengths of 70mm hose)
  3. A tarp or waterproof material large enough to encase the coiled hose
  4. Traffic cones or similar items to help maintain the shape of the coil

Safety Considerations:

Before embarking on this training drill, it is crucial to prioritise safety.

  • Ensure you have the appropriate Personal Protective Clothing (PPC) in place, just as if you were on an incident.
  • You will be working with pressurised hoses in close proximity to an appliance, so exercise caution when deploying and coiling these hoses.
  • Consider appointing a safety officer for this drill to oversee and manage safety measures throughout the exercise.

How to Undertake the Drill:

This training exercise serves multiple purposes, such as introducing new members to the appliance and equipment onboard and improving problem-solving skills. The objective is to create a stable, coiled hose structure that can hold water. Here’s a step-by-step guide to accomplish this task:

  1. Start by attempting to make the hose coil without any form of stabilisation. This will demonstrate the challenge of creating a stable structure that does not collapse or lose its shape.
  2. Suggest using traffic cones or similar items to help maintain the shape of the hose coil. These items don’t have to be actual cones; you can use whatever is readily available on the appliance.
  3. Once the hose coil is pressurised and stabilised with the aid of the cones, use a tarp or waterproof material to encase the coil. The tarp will prevent water from escaping and help maintain the structure.
  4. With the hose coil lined with the tarp, fill it with water using your firefighting appliance.

Lessons Learned:

The Tamworth Rural Fire Brigade (RFB) shared their insights from this exercise, emphasising the importance of experimentation and adaptation. Here are their key takeaways:

  • Initially, there were discussions about using two lengths of 65mm hose as a wall to line with a large tarp.
  • An unsuccessful attempt revealed that the hoses needed to be fully charged with water during the construction to maintain stability.
  • To help keep the shape of the hose coil, they used four witches hats (or similar items) as supports.
  • The exercise was successful, and the team managed to fill the structure with approximately 2000 litres of water, providing a valuable portable water source.

The Static Water Hose Coil training exercise serves as an excellent way to develop problem-solving skills, adaptability, and familiarity with equipment. This practical drill allows firefighters to think outside the box and create a stable, water-filled hose coil that can be a valuable asset during remote firefighting operations.