All this month the PHFD firefighters are performing annual hose testing. Every piece of fire hose, some nearly nearly four miles worth of hose, is taken off the fire trucks, filled with water, and pressure tested to insure it does not leak or have bad couplings.
As part of this process we are training ten newer members to be able to operate the fire pumps on our trucks. There is no point in being able to drive a fire truck to a fire if you cannot then operate the pump and get the hoses filled with water. Training is a daily occurence for us. Some days the training is basic and simple, Other days like this it's more complex and involved. We're glad to do it so we can be prepared for whatever comes our way.
Firefighters deploy hard suction hose into portable water tank to practice drafting (sucking the water). Drafting is used when fire hydrants are insufficient or not present.
Engineer trainees practice relay pumping, the movement of water by one pumper to another over many hundred feet.
