Hose Construction, Identification, and Care

What Is Fire Hose?

Fire hose is a flexible conduit designed to carry water or foam solution from a water source to the point of application. Every hose section you touch on the fireground has a specific job, and using the wrong hose for that job—or using damaged hose at all—can injure you, your crew, or a civilian. NFPA 1962, Standard for the Care, Use, Inspection, Service Testing, and Replacement of Fire Hose, Couplings, Nozzles, and Fire Hose Appliances, is the governing reference for inspection, service testing, and retirement decisions in the United States.

Types of Fire Hose

Attack hose delivers water directly to the fire. The most common sizes are 1¾-inch and 2½-inch. The 1¾-inch line is the standard interior attack line at most departments—it is maneuverable enough for two firefighters to advance yet delivers enough flow for most residential and light commercial fires. The 2½-inch line is used when higher flow rates are needed, such as large interior rooms, commercial buildings, or defensive operations.

Supply hose (large-diameter hose, LDH) moves large volumes of water from a hydrant or water source to the apparatus. Five-inch LDH is the most common size. It is not designed to be advanced toward the fire; it is a feeder line and stays on the supply side.

Booster hose is a rubber-jacketed, rubber-lined hose stored on a reel, typically ¾-inch or 1-inch diameter. It is used for small grass fires, vehicle fires, and overhaul wetting—situations where low flow at moderate pressure is acceptable. Booster hose should never be used for structural firefighting; it cannot deliver adequate flow and is easily damaged by heat.

Forestry hose is a lightweight, 1-inch diameter coupled hose used for wildland and wildland-urban interface (WUI) firefighting. Its small diameter and light weight allow hand crews to move it over rough terrain. Cotton-synthetic or all-synthetic jackets resist mildew better than older all-cotton hose.

Hose Construction

Most modern fire hose has three layers: an inner liner (rubber or thermoplastic) that is the waterway, a jacket (woven synthetic, often polyester), and sometimes a protective outer cover. The jacket provides abrasion resistance and tensile strength. Single-jacket hose is lighter and used where abrasion risk is lower (some supply hose). Double-jacket hose is standard for attack lines because the second woven layer adds durability. Booster hose is all-rubber—no textile jacket—which is why it handles and coils differently.

Couplings

Couplings connect hose sections and attach nozzles, appliances, and hydrant outlets.

Threaded (National Standard Thread / NST) couplings are the traditional standard. One end is male (external thread) and the other is female (internal thread with a swivel). They require the male and female ends to match; connecting two female ends requires a double-male adapter.

Storz couplings are symmetrical (sexless) quarter-turn couplings used almost universally on LDH. Because both ends are identical, any Storz end connects to any other Storz end of the same size—no searching for the right end in the dark.

Sexless couplings (a broader category that includes Storz) appear on some attack lines as well, particularly on departments that have standardized to reduce connection errors under stress.

Coupling material is typically aluminum alloy or brass. Inspect the Higbee cut (the notch that aligns threads for easy connection), the swivel, and the gasket at every inspection. A missing or deteriorated gasket causes pressure loss and can cause a coupling to blow off under pressure.

Hose Inspection per NFPA 1962

NFPA 1962 requires that hose be inspected after each use and at least annually. A thorough inspection includes:

1. Visual jacket inspection — Look for cuts, abrasions, burns, mildew, or any area where the liner is visible through the jacket. Any jacket damage that exposes the liner is cause to remove the hose from service.

2. Coupling inspection — Check for cracks, dents, out-of-round shape, damaged threads, missing gaskets, and free swivel rotation. A coupling that cannot swivel freely will be difficult to connect quickly under stress.

3. Liner inspection — Where possible, check the liner for cracking, blistering, or separation. Liner failure often produces a visible bulge when pressurized.

4. Service testing — NFPA 1962 specifies annual service testing at defined pressures (the exact pressure depends on hose type and rating). Hose that fails service test must be removed from service.

Safety rule: Never place damaged hose back on an apparatus. Tag it clearly ("REMOVE FROM SERVICE") and route it to your department's hose shop or officer for a formal retirement decision. A hose failure under pressure can cause a whipping line, a burst that injures bystanders, or loss of water supply to firefighters inside a burning structure.

Care and Storage

• Rinse hose with clean water after every use, especially after exposure to foam concentrate, which degrades liners over time.
• Allow hose to dry completely before repacking; wet hose stored in a hose bed promotes mildew and liner rot.
• Store hose out of direct sunlight when possible; UV exposure degrades synthetic jackets.
• Repack hose using department-approved loads to prevent tight bends in the same location every time (flat loads and accordion loads distribute stress better than the same fold repeatedly).
• Protect couplings from concrete and pavement abrasion; use hose bridges (ramps) where apparatus or vehicles must cross a charged line.