Fire Fighting Hose Nozzles are the tools firefighters use to control the flow of water or other fire suppression media from their handline hose. They are available in a variety of configurations, and each type has unique advantages and specific design specifications intended to support optimal fire truck nozzle performance.
There are many factors to consider when choosing the right fire nozzle for any application, including the type of fire, the hazard, and the environment. Some nozzles are designed to disperse water and other media simultaneously, such as an aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) or water and fire retardant gel. Others are designed to produce a single medium, such as a fog pattern or a straight stream. Still, other nozzles are simply meant to provide a steady stream of water to assist in putting out the fire.
Regardless of what kind of firefighting medium a nozzle is designed to disperse, it must be able to withstand high-pressure water flows and temperatures. Firefighting nozzles are typically designed to meet a set of requirements established by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in its Standard on Spray Nozzles, which dictates how narrow or wide a nozzle must be and how much pressure it must hold.
The water pressure that a nozzle holds determines how far it can reach, how deep it can penetrate, and how quickly it can extinguish the fire. Each nozzle has an expected gallonage that it will deliver at a certain rated pressure, and the higher the gallons per minute (GPM) the better.
However, too much pressure can also make a nozzle hard to control. To prevent burns and other injuries, firefighters should select a nozzle that is easy to activate and deactivate, and it is important for the nozzle’s controls to be durable enough to resist damage caused by repeated use and harsh conditions. For example, NFPA 1964 requires that lever-type controls require no more than three pounds of force to open and rotate, while rotational-type controls should not require more than 40 pounds of force to operate.
Firefighting nozzles are also required to withstand certain tests to ensure that they will not burst under pressure. To test this, they are subjected to a pressure and water-flow rate test, as well as a leakage test.
Nozzles are also subjected to other testing, such as a durability and corrosion test, which ensure that they will stand up to tough conditions and frequent use. These tests are often performed by a third party laboratory to guarantee the quality and integrity of the nozzle’s components.
First Place Supply carries a wide selection of firefighting nozzles from top manufacturers, such as Akron Brass and Task Force Tips, to meet the needs of fire departments, industrial brigades, haz-mat teams, forestry agencies, marine applications, and more. From shut-off and pistol grip nozzles to combination nozzles that allow you to switch between stream and fog modes, we’ve got the specialized firefighting hose nozzles you need to keep your crew safe and efficient on duty.