Have You Ever Used A Emergency Fire Hose During A Fire
 

I was recently touring a new complex of medical building around Pittsburgh, PA. These new buildings are all brand new, just a few years old, all 4 stories tall built around a old central hospital complex.

I was walking though these building and they all had emergency fire hoses in them to be used by building occupants incase of fire. Than I started thinking. If a building already has sprinklers, do you really need those fire hoses? It could be a local or state fire ordnance that requires them in hospital type building. I have NOT seen them in newer public building in that area. So it may just be a local ordnance thing. If anyone know anything about that. Please let me know about those ordnance.

The question in my mind is this. In a building that has sprinklers. That was built either with them or installed later. Does anyone know of anyone that EVERY used a emergency fire hose to put out a fire? Either in a building with or without sprinklers?

This bring me back to the purpose of fire safely in building. They are all design to get the people OUT of the building safely and fast. Not to sit around and fight the fire. Yes, there are times, when the fire dept. cannot not get to a building on fire and you have to fight the fire yourself.

Than that brings you to another question. How many people know how to use a real fire hose? Its not a garden hose. It pushing out around 100 psi at 100 gpm that a lot of force on the hose user. I have used fire hoses before and they are hard to use. Yes, an emergency fire hose is design to be used by one person not 2 or 3 like a regular FF 2.5 inch line. But still it not easy. And than would a person know how to direct water at an actual fire? Things like that.

So does anyone know any instance of anyone using a emergency fire hose to fight a fire in a building?

Thanks

I would assume these hoses are for use by the Fire Dept. when they arrive on scene and enter the building. Also sprinklers would no way provide the fire fighting ability of a concentrated, heavy spray.

I guess that could be the case. But I think they are more for the building staff or just anyone else who wants to give it a go.

We had internal fire hoses in my old high school (built 1917). When a lab caught fire the fire department used an outside hydrant instead of the closer internal hose (they perhaps forgot/were not trained to use it). The only time I saw the internal hose used was for a senior prank - turning the central staircase into a waterfall with the internal fire hose!

Most people don't know how to use them. They show you how to use fire extinguishers but not how to use hoses. There is one in a warehouse I work in that hangs off a beam and we're always bumping into it, it's kind of annoying.

You can't get everyone out of a hospital "fast". It would probably take many hours to evacuate a hospital. You can't just assume that you can get everyone out on time without fighting the fire.

I've had that problem also. There always one guy who was FF in every workout place, who can provide guidance if you needed to use it. When in doubt, just start using it and see what happens.

I mean if O.J. can use one in the movie towering inferno, I think the rest of us could use one if we needed to use it!

My apartment building took them out when sprinklers were installed. When residents in the past had a fire get out of control they ran for the fire extinguisher and succesfully put it out. The hoses were redundant and unnecessary