What Happens When Your Preconnect is Too Short?

You are dispatched to a working shed fire. Your district isn’t that large, but there are still areas you’re unfamiliar with.\; this area is one of them. As you turn down the street of the reported address, you see a good loom-up ahead of you. “This one is cooking,” you think to yourself. The officer hits the intercom and assigns you to the nozzle and your partner. When the driver pulls to the side of the given address. As you exit the rig, there’s no fire that can be seen from the street, but there’s still a tall column of smoke deeper in the lot.
You grab the nozzle and throw it over your shoulder, slip your arms through four loops and pull backwards. The officer is on the radio advising that the fire is deep in the lot, off the street and requesting additional companies. At the same time, you and your partner pull and straighten the hose and hump your way towards the smoke. Now you can see it, but as you take another step, there’s no more give on the hose line. You turn back to look at the fire, then back at the hose. Then it hits you like a freight train – your line is short! Your 150 feet of pre-connected, 1-3/4” line, will not reach close enough. You need more line – what do you do now?
My guest for this podcast is Battalion Chief Scott Blanchard of the Venice FL Fire Department. As a Chief Officer, he is always thinking of the “what if,” situations that, along with his crew, they could be faced with. And as he thinks them through, he turns them into a teaching moments; not waiting for “if” this type of call occurs, rather preparing for the “when” this type of call occurs!
Chief Blanchard discusses several of the issues that are common to his fire district and how he pre-plans mitigation for them. Often running only a two-person engine company, the Chief frequently rides as the officer on the first due engine and he shares how preparation for possible calls can lead to both excellent give and take among all the stations’ crew, as well as a well-rehearsed team who are prepared for some of the surprises this job throws at us.

Find “5-Alarm Task Force” on our website, www.dalmatianproductions.tv or on your favorite podcast platform. Stay Safe & Stay Well!