It may surprise you to learn that the West Grove Fire Company uses 14,360 feet of hose ranging from the 1" forestry lines up to our 5" large diameter supply hose and 6" soft suction. That’s 2.72 miles of hose which is carried on the WGFC fleet: 1 Brush unit, 3 Engines, 1 Rescue Engine, and a Tanker, each carrying a wide variety of fire attack and water supply hose.

To be sure all of that hose is safe to use and ready for all emergencies, every year the WGFC has all hose inspected and tested to the National Fire Protection Association 1962 standards (Standard for the Care, Use, Inspection, Service Testing, and Replacement of Fire Hose, Couplings, Nozzles, and Fire Hose Appliances).

Testing nearly 3 miles of hose is a complex, multi-day operation, because the hose has to be pulled off each truck, hooked to a testing apparatus that fills the hose to test pressure, and then repacked. And that means all trucks have to be brought to a central location (often the New London Station where we have a lot of room to work) from each of our three stations – all while keeping enough equipment and hose in service for any emergency that comes in during the test period. We take great pride in keeping our hose packed and clean to the best of our ability.

This year’s testing took place in August, and our firefighters worked well over 10 hours a day unpacking, cleaning and repacking all the hose in the intense August heat & humidity. As the hose was emptied from each unit, members also took the time to clean out every hose bed tray and floor on each truck. After the test was completed, all hose was packed back onto the various units.

We had over 1,000 feet of 5" supply line and 100' of 1-3/4" attack line fail. This is, of course, why the hose is tested – we want the hose to fail in testing and not on the fire ground. Losing 1,000 feet of 5” supply hose means an entire fire engine’s supply line was removed from service. As a result, all of our spare hose was put into service. Even with our spare hose, we still were 200’ feet short for our primary unit – Engine 22-1. We would like to thank the Avondale Fire Company for lending us the necessary hose to get Engine 22-1 back up to our standards until additional hose can be ordered.

Fire hose is expensive. We are currently in the grant review process for new 5" hose and hope to hear by the end of October if we are receiving federal funds. Without the grant, we will have a significant purchase to make from the general budget. Ultimately, we look for the support of the community to help cover these purchases (as grant funds provide only a small amount of equipment funds each year, when and if we get a grant award). If you’d like to help the WGFC buy new replacement hose, your tax-deductible donation can be made on this website at: http://www.wgfc.org/content/donations/ . All support is appreciated!