Fire Hose
Fire hoses are specially designed, extra large, high-pressure devices used to carry water or foam from a fire engine or fire hydrant to the scene of a fire in an effort to extinguish the fire as quickly as possible.Materials
There are many different types of fire hose. Most fire hoses consist of between three and five layers. The outside layer is usually made of polyester filament, while the lining is typically made of a soft, natural rubber. Fire hoses are made to be durable as well as resistant to cold weather and high pressures. They are also designed to be easy to roll, connect, and put away.
History of Fire Hoses
After years of extinguishing fires with buckets of water, passed from man to man, from the water source to the fire, the ineffectiveness of the practice was recognized. In 1673, Jan van der Heiden, the superintendent of a Dutch fire brigade, and his son created 50-foot leather hoses to bring water from the source to the fire more efficiently and effectively.
In 1807, another major advance in fire hoses was made. Metal rivets were used in place of the stitching to bind the leather together. The use of these rivets helped the leather to hold more pressure and carry a larger quantity of water. At 50 feet, this type of fire hose weighed at least 85 pounds. During this time, the suction was also improved to allow even more water to travel through the hose at once.
By 1821, the invention of the rubber-lined fire hose was created by James Boyd. The outer layer of this hose was made of a cotton ply for the purpose of reinforcement. Before long, Goodrich was making rubber for the hose, guaranteeing its quality and security.
In 1873, the International Association of Fire Engineers implemented a standard coupling size of 71U2 threads per inch. This took care of the problem of having various fire hose sizes and types as well as the problems with connecting them.
In 1878, the very first seamless cotton fire hose was produced. This hose was lightweight, easy to handle, and withstood much higher pressures than the leather fire hose.
Over the past century many more improvements have been made to fire hose that would astonish early fire fighters. What was once the heavy leather fire hose is now a layered hose capable of holding incredibly high pressures and large amounts of water. They are now lightweight, durable, and flexible so fire fighters can have an easy time handling and rolling them up quickly.