No Standpipe? No PROBLEM

We often times are not able to get out of service in order to get vital training. Either other companies beat us to it, calls get in the way, or other vital mission critical stuff pops up (staffing, broken equipment, etc.). We also sometimes lack the proper resources to perform certain drills. This is when the creativeness and ingenuity of the american firefighter starts to take over! Some times in order to get some great training all you need to do is look around the fire station.

Here is a quick and simple drill that you can do at your fire station that will let you practice a skill we seldom get to practice but have to be on target when we deploy it in real life. All you need is you stand pipe kit, high-rise pack (your real one or spare hose made into one), a nozzle, a fire hydrant, and of course YOU (in your full PPE ensemble of course).

First go over all of the equipment in your high-rise bag, and your stand pipe rack (if you are using spare hose this is the perfect time to review how to pack it)

Next begin to make the connection using the 3 inch discharge as you stand pipe. We utilize a short section of 3 inch to a gated wye and deploy 1 3/4 in our stand pipe racks. We also use an inline pressure gauge to know how much water we are getting on the line. If you are using 2 1/2 then your connection will be made without the gated wye obviously.

Next Flake your attack line out and charge it.  Once the line is charge you can advance it and work your line technique, and communication.

Once it is over you can break it down and do it again!

If you want to increase difficulty then you can use an aerobic step, or stair climber to simulate going up the stairs. You can also limit you area to work in by using chalk or tables to set up barriers simulating the walls of a stair well.

The whole point is to get out there and get creative, even if no one wants to train you can get out there and do this drill yourself. Do not have excuses for why you’re not progressing, just have solutions.

Don’t forget to keep following along on twitter @ averagejake