Purpose:  To establish policy and guidelines relating to testing of fire hose. The procedures are set forth to assure the safety of fire hose use and safety of those personnel conducting the test.

 Responsibility:

• All Officers of the New Hackensack Fire Department are responsible to comply with and ensure that personnel under their command are adequately trained, fully understand and comply with this guideline.

·        All members of the New Hackensack Fire Department have the responsibility to learn and follow this guideline.

 Policy: 

• All fire hose shall be tested annually
• Records shall be kept on each piece of fire hose owned by the Department
• Hose that is not tested in accordance with this guideline shall not be used until testing has been completed.

 Safety:

• Extreme caution shall be used when working with equipment and hose under pressure. Proper procedures must be utilized when testing fire hose in order to reduce the likelihood of injury to personnel.
• During the testing procedure, all members within 20 feet of the pressured hoselines will be in protective clothing including helmets. Unprotected personnel will need to maintain a minimum of 20 feet from the pressurized hose lines, wherever possible, until the pressure has been released from the hoselines.

 Procedure:

 A)    Equipment Needed:

·        Engine and/or Tanker

·        Hose testing manifold

·        2.5” test gate valve with hole in gate.

·        Clipboard with test sheets

·        Various nozzles or gates to bleed out of hose lines

·        Full PPE

B)     Testing Pressures

• Testing pressures vary in regards to the size of the hose and whether the hose is New or has been In-Service. The pressure to be tested at for the differing hose types and age is outlined below:

C)    Testing:

·        Hose on racks and on each piece of apparatus, and any new hose will be tested.

·        An engine and /or a tanker will be placed at end of the test area closest to hydrant. Apparatus will be hooked up to the hydrant.

·        Connect 2.5” test gate valve to the 2.5” discharge.

·        Attach 50-foot section of 3” hose to test valve and connect to manifold. Inspect each coupling for gaskets and tighten each coupling using spanner wrench to ensure tight connections. 

·        Connect lengths of same size hose to the manifold. Do not exceed 300 ft on any line.

·        Make sure all hose lengths have adequate space to lay in a straight run and without kinks or twists.

·        Each length of hose needs to be checked against the master test sheet and sheet needs to be updated with missing or new numbers. New hose lengths will be given a tracking number based on the size of the hose. The Officer in charge of the testing will be responsible for assigning and marking numbers for all new hose.

·        Attach appropriate nozzles, gates, etc., to the end of each line to allow for bleeding of air.

·        Place pump/tanker in gear.

·        Open test gate valve and 2.5” discharge gate. Slowly fill all hose lines.

·        Open the nozzles and relief valves of all lines.

·        Bleed all air out of each line.

·        Close all nozzles and relief valves and check the hose for leakage at the couplings. Tighten all couplings that are leaking. If excessive leakage occurs, the section of hose involved shall be deemed to have failed the test.

·        Slowly raise the pressure to the appropriate pressure as outlined above in section B. continuing to check for leakage. Hose pressure as indicated must be maintained for 5 minutes.  During the testing procedure, the hose shall be inspected for any leaks, bulging, etc.

·        Any hose section that has a burst or leaked during test shall be removed from service. If a section bursts during the five (5) minute test, the test must be stopped and the section replaced. The test shall start over. 

·        At the end of the 5-minute testing period, the pump pressure will be taken down, and the nozzles and relief valves will be slowly opened to bleed off pressure in the lines. Break all hose connections and drain the water from the lines.

·        Any defective hose will be taken out of service, marked, and properly disposed of.

·        All hose testing results will be noted in the Master Inventory records in the RedAlert tracking software.