Hose Handling, Team Tactics, and Shipboard Attack — Maritime Crew (deck/engine)

Objective. Students will connect, charge, advance, and operate a 1.5-inch firefighting hose line as part of a two-person team and apply the correct nozzle pattern to control a simulated or live shipboard fire scenario.

Why Hose Handling Skills Save Lives

A shipboard fire can become catastrophic within minutes. Compartments are small, ventilation is limited, and escape routes are few. Knowing how to connect, charge, and advance a hose line correctly — as part of a coordinated two-person team — is one of the most important hands-on skills you will demonstrate for your STCW Basic Training certificate. Everything in this lesson builds toward one goal: getting water on the fire quickly, safely, and in the right pattern.

Hose and Nozzle Basics

Shipboard fire hose is typically 1.5 inches in diameter. Sections are connected with threaded couplings. The female coupling connects to the standpipe or hydrant outlet; the male coupling joins hose sections to each other and to the nozzle. Couplings must be hand-tight plus a quarter-turn with a spanner wrench to prevent blow-off under pressure. A loose coupling under a charged line can whip and cause serious injury.

The adjustable fog nozzle gives you two main patterns:

Straight stream — a tight, high-velocity jet that reaches across a compartment or penetrates deep-seated fire. Use it to knock down flames at distance.
Wide fog (wide-angle spray) — a cone of fine droplets that absorbs heat rapidly and creates a water curtain for crew protection. Use it to cool a space, protect an advance, or suppress a Class A fire in a confined area.

Know which pattern fits the situation before you open the nozzle. Applying a straight stream directly into burning liquid can scatter burning fuel. Fog patterns in a very small enclosed space may reduce visibility to zero.

Coupling and Charging the Line

Step-by-step coupling sequence:

1. Lay out hose without kinks.

2. Connect the female end of the first section to the standpipe outlet; hand-tighten, then snug with a spanner.

3. Connect additional sections male-to-female in the same way.

4. Attach the nozzle to the last male coupling; confirm it is closed (shut).

5. Call out "Charging the line" to warn your team and anyone nearby.

6. Slowly open the standpipe valve. The hose will stiffen as pressure builds.

7. Bleed any air by briefly cracking the nozzle toward the deck; close it again.

8. Call "Line charged" — your partner confirms readiness before any advance begins.

Never open the standpipe valve fast. A sudden surge can knock the nozzle operator off their feet.

Two-Person Team Roles and Communication

A hose team has two positions:

Nozzle operator (lead): controls water application, selects pattern, maintains low posture.
Backup (second person): manages hose behind the operator, absorbs reaction force, feeds slack, and is the team's safety anchor.

Reaction force from a charged hose is real and can be significant. The backup operator places their forward foot toward the fire and braces the hose against their hip. Both crew members crouch low — heat and toxic gases rise, so staying below the thermal layer protects your air supply and visibility.

Required communication calls:

"Water coming" — before any valve opens.
"Charged" — once the line is under pressure and ready.
"Advancing" — when the team begins moving toward the fire.
"Backing out" — when withdrawing; always keep the nozzle pointed toward the fire and maintain hose tension so it does not snag.

Confined-Space Advance in SCBA

Don and check your SCBA before entering any smoke-filled or oxygen-deficient space — never after. Check the air pressure gauge, confirm the face-seal, and breathe normally to verify airflow. Monitor your gauge: leave enough air to exit safely, accounting for the time needed to retrace your path.

In a vessel passageway or engine room, maintain left-hand search contact with the bulkhead at all times. This gives you a reference that does not move and guides you back out if visibility drops to zero. Keep the hose on the same side so it does not become a tripping hazard.

When you locate the seat of fire, select your nozzle pattern, apply water in short pulses for Class A fires or a sustained pattern to knock down flames, then begin an orderly withdrawal. Back out the way you came in, keeping tension on the hose so it stays in the passageway and does not block the exit for other crew.

Hot Work Permits and Fire Prevention

Most shipboard fires caused by human activity start during hot work — cutting, welding, grinding, or any process that produces sparks or open flame. A hot work permit is a written authorization that forces the responsible officer and the workers to verify safety controls before work begins.

A correctly completed permit confirms:

The work location and time window.
Atmosphere testing (no flammable vapors present).
Combustibles removed or wet-down within the required radius.
A trained fire watch stationed with a charged hose or extinguisher for the duration of work and for a defined period afterward.
Required PPE identified (face shield, gloves, flame-resistant clothing).
Evacuation and muster routes marked.
A designated officer's signature authorizing the work.

Leaving any field blank or skipping the fire watch invalidates the permit and leaves the vessel unprotected. The permit does not replace good technique — it ensures every required safeguard is in place before ignition sources are introduced.

Safety Reminders

Never enter a burning space without SCBA donned and confirmed.
Charge the line before entry, not after.
Keep your body low; the hottest, most toxic layer is above you.
Always maintain at least two means of exit from any compartment.
If conditions deteriorate rapidly, call "Back out" immediately and withdraw without hesitation.

Key terms9

StandpipeA fixed piping system on a vessel that supplies pressurized water to hose connection outlets located throughout the ship.

Adjustable fog nozzleA nozzle that allows the operator to select between a straight stream and a wide-angle fog pattern by rotating the nozzle tip.

Reaction forceThe rearward thrust exerted on a hose team when water is discharged at pressure; must be countered by the backup operator's stance and grip.

SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus)A respirator that supplies clean, compressed air from a carried cylinder, enabling work in smoke-filled or oxygen-deficient atmospheres.

Hot work permitA written authorization required before any cutting, welding, or spark-producing activity on a vessel; documents atmosphere testing, fire watch, PPE, and supervisory approval.

Fire watchA trained person stationed at a hot work site with firefighting equipment whose sole duty is to detect and respond to ignition during and after the work period.

Left-hand search techniqueA low-visibility navigation method in which a crew member maintains continuous contact with the left bulkhead to track position and find the exit.

Thermal layerThe zone of hot gases and smoke that accumulates near the overhead of a burning compartment; crew must stay below it to reduce heat exposure and preserve visibility.

Spanner wrenchA tool used to tighten or loosen fire hose couplings to ensure a secure, leak-free connection.

In class: Skills progression drill on the training ground: instructor demonstrates coupling hose sections, connecting to a standpipe or hydrant, charging the line, and advancing with a partner in low-visibility posture; student pairs repeat the full sequence three times, alternating nozzle operator and backup roles, while instructor coaches stance, communication calls ('water coming,' 'charged,' 'advancing'), and nozzle pattern (straight stream vs. wide fog). · Confined-space advance exercise: student pairs don SCBA, advance a charged 1.5-inch line through a simulated vessel passageway or engine room mockup while maintaining left-hand search contact with the bulkhead; team locates a simulated seat of fire (smoke machine or instructor-designated point), applies nozzle pattern, and backs out maintaining hose tension; instructor evaluates communication, air management, and low posture. · Tabletop hot-work permit and pre-fire plan exercise: each student completes a sample shipboard hot work permit for a cutting operation in a fuel pump room, identifies required fire watch duties, lists PPE and standby equipment, and marks evacuation and muster routes on a vessel diagram; debrief as a class on how permit compliance prevents fires before they start.
Materials: 1.5-inch fire hose with adjustable fog nozzle, hose couplings, standpipe or portable training hydrant, SCBA units, smoke machine or training prop, hot work permit blank forms, vessel diagram worksheets, IMO Model Course 1.20 hose and nozzle section, PPE (gloves, helmet, station wear)
Check: Instructor GO/NO-GO checklist for the confined-space advance: correct SCBA donning before entry, left-hand search technique maintained, communication calls made at each decision point, correct nozzle pattern applied, and orderly exit with hose — all five elements required to pass. Hot work permit: all required fields completed correctly to pass.

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.