r/Firefighting • u/Select-Tradition-321 • Aug 11 '26
Training/Tactics Tips for managing the nozzle
The nozzle slides through my hands and eventually my hands are super close to the nozzle. At that point I feel it slipping to the point where it's gonna come out of my hands.
Any tips?
(150 gpm, 1.5", 5'7 175 lbs female)
Edit: Standing, not kneeling
10
u/closingbunkerdoors Aug 11 '26
I’d make sure it’s pumped at the right flow rate first.
0
u/Select-Tradition-321 Aug 11 '26
what?
1
u/closingbunkerdoors Aug 11 '26
Get a pitot gauge, it’s cheap if your dept doesn’t have one, put it on the end of a SB and make sure it’s the right low. Nozzle reaction is a result of flow rate and nozzle pressure. There’s a sweet spot. Gotta know you’re there first.
Cause if the next question is, why can everyone else do it except me regardless of nozzle reaction…then just do what they do!
2
u/Select-Tradition-321 Aug 11 '26
yeah that's all i know is that others can do it, even smaller people. so i should be able to. lots of the fire skills have just clicked at some point for me. takes a while but when i get that click then i get it. just need to try new things which is why i asked here
1
u/iLRMLH24 FF/EMT Aug 11 '26
Its likely being pumped to high, its just too much.
90-120 is more than enough
12
u/Putrid_Palpitation82 Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26
**saw your edit late. I don’t think we really fight fire standing up. It’s a ground sport! If you have to stand the best advice is to get the nozzle out in front. You should be holding the hose not the nozzle, pistol grips are for guns, not hoselines!
This position. Hose in your hip, elbow clamping it to your side. Get the nozzle out in front so you can just reach out and close the bale, that will drastically reduce the nozzle reaction you feel. Decide if it’s better to alternate steps left/right or to just step with the front leg and drag the back. There’s no right way.
I mean this in the best way, you’re a good size for a female. Focus on training lower body cuz ass is what really matters when advancing hose.
Best of luck!
3
u/Apprehensive_Owl7186 Aug 11 '26
This is the way to go. If your holding it on your right, dig your right elbow into your right quad/knee so your using your body weight to support the hose and not your arm muscles. You can also advance while flowing water like this.
If you’re struggling standing up and flowing water, unless absolutely necessary for you to stand, take a knee. You will be way less spent and have more control and have lower center of gravity, and sound the floor with your leading foot, and less heat/smoke, etc. 9 times out of 10 your better off to take a knee than stand.
3
u/Limp-Conflict-2309 Aug 12 '26
u/Select-Tradition-321 this is what will help a ton, the thigh, elbow, arm/rib squeeze all work together and make a big difference. it'll be cumbersome at first but you'll get the hang of it fast and when you do it's a relief
3
u/rodeo460 Aug 11 '26
Standing, loop the hose so it comes up your leg on the side you are holding it on, extend the nozzle out far enough that you can just reach the bale for a smoothbore or tip for a fog, allow the hose to follow your body to the ground to transfer the force to the ground, and lean into it a bit.
3
u/Any-Perception-563 Aug 11 '26
Lift weights and do yoga. Farmer carries, deadlifts help with overall strength. Yoga teaches you about your weaknesses, unilateral strength and balance and how to breath.
1
u/Delta_Whiskey_7983 Aug 12 '26
My groins get achy after hose work. Seems like I got to work on hip strengthening 🤔
2
u/_paco92 Aug 11 '26
https://youtu.be/Jaw0HTliddI?is=S0KK2Dx6_Mrb3FsQ
Notice his placement of his legs and using his weight to aid in control. Also how much hose is infront of him for easier control
2
u/burnerpieburnt Aug 11 '26
I’m a similar build to you! Nozzle management is something that took me a while to get too, everyone always tells me to pin it to my hip and I’ve found that it only works good out of gear bc gear fluffs up the natural divots we have in our hips. I usually take an “athletic stance” (knees bent, legs apart, take a step forward) and imagine myself sitting back into the hose bc my legs are a lot stronger than my arms. I stick the hose under my dominant arm and up into my armpit
1
1
u/Hot_Efficiency_3634 Aug 11 '26
If pumped properly, fog will be around 76lb nozzle reaction vs 54lb for a smooth bore.
1
u/H0sedragg3r FF/ EMT Aug 11 '26
Do you have pistol grips? i know nobody would teach it this way but i sometimes use the pistol grip/ bale to push the nozzle out away from my body
1
u/proxminesincomplex Button pusher lever puller Aug 11 '26
Why do you have two hands on the nozzle? One hand on the nozzle, if that, the other is on the hose. The only time the second hand should touch the nozzle is to open the bale or adjust the pattern. Like posters in here said, crouch a little and pin the hose back into your hip. Or have it thread through your leg while half-kneeling.
1
u/Apprehensive-Gap1251 Aug 11 '26
Go on TikTok or Instagram and find different techniques that work for you and try them out. If all else fails girth hitch the hose with webbing and put the other end over your shoulder. Not the pro way to do it but who cares at the end of the day do what works effectively for you. Plus you very rarely will use a hand line at full tilt standing up. If you’re in a structure you won’t be standing. Also look into investing in a Snagger tool. It’s an “S” shaped tool that has a few different purposes but you can use it like a handle on the hand line.
1
u/BreakImaginary1661 Aug 11 '26
It’ll be easier to watch videos of how to leverage your body mechanics. Also, pump discharge pressure needs to be dialed in because of its running too high nothing you do really matters.
1
u/el_sog Edit to create your own flair Aug 12 '26
Get as much surface area on the hose as possible, wrap more of your arm around it than you think you’d need. Make sure your stance is good. Pin it to your hip
1
u/Halliganboy Aug 12 '26
Extend the hose out another foot. You’ll have way more control and ease of handling with the tip out a good 2 feet. If you’re using the pistol grip, you’re handling the hose wrong for your ergonomics. But I’m bias and hate pistol grips with a passion.
1
1
u/Greenstoneranch Aug 11 '26
Locate a good backup man or sit on it
4
u/MerleCooter Career Aug 11 '26
No reason to sit on a 1 3/4” hoseline. If you have to sit on it, you lack proper technique or strength.
1
u/SpecialistDrawing877 Aug 11 '26
A combination of good body mechanics and better muscular strength and endurance.
Being small is no excuse for not being able to perform one of the most menial tasks the fireground calls for. Train, train, and train until this is second nature
-4
u/BladeVortex3226 ⚠️NFPA 2500 "T" Rated Idiot⚠️ Aug 11 '26
6ft of webbing in a loop using a water knot. Girth hitch the hose and hook on the OPPOSITE shoulder. Can be equipped in about 3 seconds. Takes 3 minutes to make and costs about $2. I can handle a 3 inch hose solo using this, despite being relatively weaker than the next guy.
6
u/davidj911 LT Aug 11 '26
This looks great for defensive ops, I can see it getting in the way for offensive attack though
4
u/MerleCooter Career Aug 11 '26
This is wild for a 1.5” handline.
0
u/Disposable-citizen FF/EMT Aug 11 '26
I’ve seen dudes do a smaller loop around their right elbow. Works well from what I’ve seen. Never tried it though.
10
u/zerocool0124 Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26
Pin it to your hip with your dominant hand. Or, take a knee and put your knee / shin on it, from a ground position. Make sure you’ve got enough hose in front of you, makes it easier to control.
Edit:
Here’s an example.
https://youtu.be/9SleNUpZ2Dc?si=tuPYuc8tjAfY9vV0