Several years ago, the fire department I worked at made a change to lower-friction hoses and lower-psi nozzles. Initially, the reduction in pump pressures was clearly apparent.

We had previously been using 1 1/2-inch hose with 100 and 125 psi nozzles, and we switched to 1 3/4-inch hose with 75 psi. Our calculated pump pressures went from 152 psi to 102 psi. This definitely required less work from the pump.

However, we soon discovered drawbacks.

Lower-friction hoses

One of the first issues was that the 1 3/4" hose was more susceptible to kinking due to the lower pressures. The kinking not only occurred when advancing the hose, but also when going around corners or under and around doors. The hose had the rubber lining integrated into the woven jacket, therefore increasing the interior diameter of the hose, leading to less friction loss.

Even though the theoretical calculated pressure delivered the gpms needed, we advised drivers to raise the pressure to around 110 psi to give that little extra rigidity needed to prevent the kinking. It helped some, but it was still susceptible to the occasional kink.

One advantage of the above mentioned hose was that it "packed" or "loaded" nicely. We were able to make our jump line loads very flat. This was also advantageous for our high-rise gear. The other asset is that due to the lower pressures, we could extend our lays to be longer if needed.

We used a standard 200-foot jump line load. Given some buildings in our municipality, access to floors and residential units required us to use 250-foot hose lines due to the inability of spotting the apparatus close enough.

During foam operations, we had a standing rule that the nozzle was not to be further than 200 feet from the eductor. One of our crews field tested the lower-friction hose with foam and a foam eductor. They were able to flow foam with the nozzle being 300 feet from the eductor. This can be a great tactical advantage.

Due to the kinking issue, we entertained product availability of a "nonkinking" lower-friction hose. This type of hose performs well — it truly does not kink!

However, it too has drawbacks. It does not "pack" well. It is more difficult to get it to fold over on itself. It needs more space in the hose bed, so it either rests higher above the specified space or sticks out. At times, we were unable to close the hatches or hose bed covers.

Lower-psi nozzles

Lower-psi nozzles also present challenges. Lower psi equals easier handling and requires less work for the pump. However, there are times when the higher pressures can be advantageous. Higher pressures allow more reach from the stream. (For the most part, fire departments use a fog/straight-stream adjustable type of nozzle.)

This may eliminate the need for have a "break-apart" nozzle that has a fog tip attached to a slug tip/solid bore nozzle or true solid bore nozzle that is not a slug tip. Solid bore nozzles offer more reach plus have the penetrating power to get to the seat of the fire.

Many options available now offer different configurations for different types of streams all in one nozzle. As always, though, price becomes an issue — especially if you have to buy equipment for a large department.

If a department gets heavy use out of their nozzles, such as getting dragged around through debris or getting dropped often, and they're just being used for day-to-day activities, then there is no need to buy an expensive nozzle if replacement occurs often. For this reason, you may want an inexpensive workhorse that gets the job done without all the bells and whistles.

On the other hand, if a "specialty" nozzle is needed for specific applications — due to unique features of your first alarm territory, or for a specialty team — then your department may need a more expensive option.

Basically, there is no single good, all-around option when it comes to hose and nozzles without having trade-offs. Your department needs to drill with the different types of hoses and nozzles manufacturers have to offer.

Find out what works best for your area's needs. No one department fights fire the exact same way. It helps to stay up to date, practice and remain proficient with the equipment.

A dedicated research and development (R&D) committee or crew/team can be established to experiment with what works best. Establish an equipment committee to entertain different items manufacturers have to offer. It is a great way to stay involved and feel a great sense of accomplishment to help your fellow team members.