Ever since firefighters upgraded from buckets to fight fires, they have been coming up with different ways to pack, roll, and deploy fire hoses. You could be forgiven for thinking that there couldn’t possibly be another way to roll a hose, but that’s probably because you haven’t heard of the Cleveland Load.
The Cleveland Load is a method of packing or preparing a fire hose that allows it to be rapidly charged and deployed in a tight space without the need to bowl or stretch the line of hose and without creating kinks in it.
We’ve seen plenty of examples of the Cleveland Load in action at Flashover, so we thought we’d put together a complete guide on everything you’d want to know about this unique and efficient technique.
Table of Contents
What is the Cleveland Load?
First developed in (you guessed it) California (wait, huh…?) for use during wildfires in the Cleveland National Forest, the Cleveland Load, or as its sometimes called, the Cleveland Lay or Cleveland Roll, is the fancy name that’s given to a method of packing or preparing a firefighting hose using a particular rolling pattern that results in a coiled hose that can be laid out on the ground and charged rapidly, without kinking and without the need to stretch or bowl the line of hose.
When it’s rolled, the Cleveland Load looks something like this:

What makes the Cleveland Load such a useful technique isn’t in how the hose is packed; it’s in the way the hose is deployed at a fire. Once removed from the appliance and carried to the point where a firefighter plans to commence advancing on a fire, the hose bundle can simply be placed on the ground, unstrapped, and rapidly charged as is. No need to waste valuable seconds bowling, rolling, or stretching the hose beforehand.
The end result is a neat coil of charged attack line that unwinds easily as the firefighter advances on the fire.
The Cleveland Load can be used with just about any lay flat firefighting hose, whether it be canvas, rubber or some other material.
While it can be used on almost any size or length of hose, it is best suited for use on attack line-sized hose, such as a 38mm (1.5in) line in 30m (100ft) lengths. This is because the diameter of larger or smaller hoses makes the load too bulky to carry or too thin to retain its shape properly.
There are a number of ways to store the Cleveland Load, depending on what your department has available and the stowage configuration on your appliance. Our experience has been that many brigades opt to use velcro straps, while some go all out with specialist carry bags for stowing the Cleveland Load, which are especially useful for carrying hose, branches, and fittings up tall, high-rise rises or apartments.
Why use the Cleveland Load over regular rolled or flaked hose?
If you aren’t yet sold on the benefits of the Cleveland Load over a regular rolled or flaked hose, here are a few obvious ones:
- The Cleveland Load can be charged without needing to roll or stretch the full hose line. Perfect for tight spaces (think high-rise stairwell or thick bush at a wildfire) and for saving valuable time at fires
- Once charged, the hose holds its shape without kinking or unravelling into a large mess
- The charged line can be quickly advanced and stretched by one firefighter
- It is relatively easy to carry the packed load long distances over a shoulder or in an attack pack or carry bag
There are a couple of drawbacks with the Cleveland Load that you should consider, mainly being that you need to make sure you roll it correctly for it to deploy properly (practise makes perfect) and that it tends to be bulkier than regular rolled hose.
Where can the Cleveland Load be used?
You can use the Cleveland Load in any setting where you need to quickly charge and deploy an attack line, but there are two settings where the Cleveland Load really shines:
High-rise / apartment fires
For urban fire crews, the Cleveland Load is absolute gold for high-rise or apartment fires. Stretch a line of hose to the point of advance, connect an attack line in Cleveland Load configuration, charge it and you’re on your way.
Forget about bowling an attack line in a landing or hallway, and don’t ever worry again about kinks or messy hose lines in stairwells. Tight spaces where fast deployment is required are where the Cleveland Load really stands out.
Bush and wildfires
The wildfire setting is where the Cleveland Load first came into its own, and when you think about it, it isn’t hard to see why. If you’ve ever worked in a wildfire, then you’ve probably uttered a few curse words while trying to bowl a rolled hose over rough terrain and through trees without it going everywhere or flopping over in a mess.
Imagine if there was a way to pack a hose that could be quickly and easily connected to the end of a line in a space where there’s little room to bowl a hose. You see where we’re going here…
How to prepare & deploy the Cleveland Load
Preparation
Time required: 2 minutes
What you’ll need: 1x length of lay flat attack hose (pref 30m/100ft of 38mm/1.5in hose), 2x bands or straps (for holding hose together when complete), 1x branch or nozzle (optional)
1. Prepare the hose
Begin by rolling out a full 30m (100ft) length of hose on a smooth, clean surface (the engine bay floor works well). You can stretch the line out completely or leave the tail in a loose pile.
2. Create the first fold
Start with the end of the hose that you will connect to your branch or nozzle, measure out approximately 1.8m (6ft) from the coupling (this is usually just more than a full arm width for most people), and fold the coupling back over the hose to this mark, as shown below.

3. Begin rolling
Now begin coiling the hose by grabbing the fold and stretching it back along the hoseline in a clockwise direction so that you create a loop with the coupling at the centre.

4. Drag hose back in front of you
Grab the loop closest to your body and drag the hose back in front of your body so that you are kneeling in front of it.
5. Repeat the process
Continue to repeat this coiling process by folding the coiled hose in a clockwise direction until the entire hose is coiled in a loop (like a snail shell), with the branch or nozzle end in the middle of the loop and the other coupling on the outside of the loop, as shown below.

6. Strap and stow
At this point, you’re done! Add your straps, velcro, or bands to hold the hose in place, and it’s ready to be stowed away. You may choose to attach a branch or nozzle to the middle for rapid deployment; just be sure that the straps are fastened on either side so there’s no movement or the coil doesn’t unravel.

Deployment
1. Carry Cleveland Load to location
Remove the Cleveland Load hose from your appliance and carry it to the end of your delivery line.
2. Undo straps and connect hoses
Place the hose on the ground, undo the straps, and spread the loop open so it forms a neat circle. DO NOT uncoil or stretch out the line. Connect the coupling on the outside of the Cleveland Load to your delivery line. Grab the coupling from the centre and lift out approximately 1–2 m (3–6.5 ft) so that you can stand. If not already in place, connect your branch or nozzle now.
3. Charge the line
Charge the line with pressurised water. Allow the coiled hose to completely charge before advancing.
4. Advance
Once fully charged, you can begin advancing on the fire.
Tips
- When preparing the Cleveland Load, avoid making your folds larger or smaller than 1.8m (6ft). This will stop small and bulky or long and cumbersome loads that are difficult to carry and deploy
- If you plan to use the Cleveland Load regularly, then mark out 2 points on the floor 1.8m (6ft) apart to make it easy to measure out the ideal length for your hose folds
- Having a second person to help pull hose while preparing the Cleveland Load makes it much easier
- If working in a stairwell or tight space, try standing up the charged coil of hose and leaning it against a wall to make more space
If you’re wondering how else you can stow this type of hose configuration, have a look at how Galston Rural Fire Brigade in NSW have their pumper set up.