Chapter 16 Glossary: Water Supply

Front 1

Accordion hose load

Back 1

A method of loading hose on a vehicle that results in a hose appearance that resembles accordion sections. It is achieved by standing the hose on its edge, then placing the next fold on its edge, and so on.

Front 2

Adaptor

Back 2

A device that joins hose couplings of the same type, such as male to male or female to female.

Front 3

Attack engine

Back 3

An engine from which attack lines have been pulled.

Front 4

Attack hose (attack line)

Back 4

Hose designed to be used by trained fire fighters and fire brigade members to combat fires beyond the incipient stage. (NFPA 1961)

Front 5

Ball valves

Back 5

Valves used on nozzles, gated wyes, and engine discharge gates. They consist of a ball with a hole in the middle of the ball.

Front 6

Booster hose (booster line)

Back 6

A noncollapsible hose used under positive pressure having an elastomeric or thermoplastic tube, a braided or spiraled reinforcement, and an outer protective cover. (NFPA 1962)

Front 7

Butterfly valves

Back 7

Valves that are found on the large pump intake valve where the suction hose connects to the inlet of the fire pump.

Front 8

Distributors

Back 8

Relatively small-diameter underground pipes that deliver water to local users within a neighborhood.

Front 9

Double-female adaptor

Back 9

A hose adaptor that is used to join two male hose couplings.

Front 10

Double-jacket hose

Back 10

A hose constructed with two layers of woven fibers.

Front 11

Double-male adaptor

Back 11

A hose adaptor that is used to join two female hose couplings.

Front 12

Dry hydrant

Back 12

An arrangement of pipe permanently connected to a water source other than a piped, pressurized water supply system that provides a ready means of water supply for firefighting purposes and that utilizes the drafting (suction) capability of a fire department pump. (NFPA 1142)

Front 13

Dry-barrel hydrant

Back 13

A type of hydrant used in areas subject to freezing weather. The valve that allows water to flow into the hydrant is located underground, and the barrel of the hydrant is normally dry.

Front 14

Dump valve

Back 14

A large opening from the water tank of a mobile water supply apparatus for unloading purposes. (NFPA 1901)

Front 15

Dutchman

Back 15

A short fold placed in a hose when loading it into the bed; the fold prevents the coupling from turning in the hose bed.

Front 16

Elevated water storage tower

Back 16

An above-ground water storage tank that is designed to maintain pressure on a water distribution system.

Front 17

Elevation pressure

Back 17

The amount of pressure created by gravity. Also known as head pressure.

Front 18

Fire hydraulics

Back 18

The physical science of how water flows through a pipe or hose.

Front 19

Flat hose load

Back 19

A method of putting a hose on a vehicle in which the hose is laid flat and stacked on top of the previous section.

Front 20

Flow pressure

Back 20

The amount of pressure created by moving water.

Front 21

Forward lay

Back 21

A method of laying a supply line where the line starts at the water source and ends at the attack engine.

Front 22

Four-way hydrant valve

Back 22

A specialized type of valve that can be placed on a hydrant and that allows another engine to increase the supply pressure without interrupting flow.

Front 23

Friction loss

Back 23

The reduction in pressure resulting from the water being in contact with the side of the hose. This contact requires force to overcome the drag that the wall of the hose creates.

Front 24

Gate valves

Back 24

Valves found on hydrants and sprinkler systems.

Front 25

Gated wye

Back 25

A valved device that splits a single hose into two separate hoses, allowing each hose to be turned on and off independently.

Front 26

Gravity-feed system

Back 26

A water distribution system that depends on gravity to provide the required pressure. The system storage is usually located at a higher elevation than the end users.

Front 27

Hard suction hose

Back 27

A hose used for drafting water from static supplies (lakes, rivers, wells, and so forth). It can also be used for supplying pumps on fire apparatus from hydrants if designed for that purpose. The hose contains a semirigid or rigid reinforcement. (NFPA 1963)

Front 28

Higbee indicators

Back 28

Indicators on the male and female threaded couplings that indicate where the threads start. These indicators should be aligned before fire fighters start to thread the couplings together.

Front 29

Horseshoe hose load

Back 29

A method of loading hose in which the hose is laid into the bed along the three walls of the bed, so that it resembles a horseshoe.

Front 30

Hose appliance

Back 30

A piece of hardware (excluding nozzles) generally intended for connection to fire hose to control or convey water. (NFPA 1962)

Front 31

Hose clamp

Back 31

A device used to compress a fire hose so as to stop water flow.

Front 32

Hose jacket

Back 32

A device used to stop a leak in a fire hose or to join hoses that have damaged couplings.

Front 33

Hose liner (hose inner jacket)

Back 33

The inside portion of a hose that is in contact with the flowing water.

Front 34

Hose roller

Back 34

A device that is placed on the edge of a roof and is used to protect hose as it is hoisted up and over the roof edge.

Front 35

Large-diameter hose (LDH)

Back 35

A hose 3.5 inches (89 mm) or larger that is designed to move large volumes of water to supply master stream appliances, portable hydrants, manifolds, standpipe and sprinkler systems, and fire department pumpers from hydrants and in relay. (NFPA 1410)

Front 36

Master stream device

Back 36

A large-capacity nozzle that can be supplied by two or more hose lines of fixed piping. It can flow 300 gallons per minute. These devices include deck guns and portable ground monitors.

Front 37

Medium-diameter hose (MDH)

Back 37

Hose with a diameter of 2½ or 3 inches.

Front 38

Mildew

Back 38

A fungus that can grow on hose if the hose isstored wet. Mildew can damage the jacket of a hose.

Front 39

Mobile water supply apparatus

Back 39

A vehicle designed primarily for transporting (pickup, transporting, and delivering) water to fire emergency scenes to be applied by other vehicles or pumping equipment. (NFPA 1901)

Front 40

Municipal water system

Back 40

A water distribution system that is designed to deliver potable water to end users for domestic, commercial, industrial, and fire protection purposes.

Front 41

Normal operating pressure

Back 41

The observed static pressure in a water distribution system during a period of normal demand.

Front 42

Pitot gauge

Back 42

A type of gauge that is used to measure the velocity pressure of water that is being discharged from an opening. It is used to determine the flow of water from a hydrant or nozzle.

Front 43

Portable tanks

Back 43

Folding or collapsible tanks that are used at the fire scene to hold water for drafting.

Front 44

Primary feeders

Back 44

The largest-diameter pipes in a water distribution system, which carry the greatest amounts of water.

Front 45

Private water system

Back 45

A privately owned water system that operates separately from the municipal water system.

Front 46

Reducer

Back 46

A fitting used to connect a small hose line or pipe to a larger hose line or pipe. (NFPA 1142)

Front 47

Remote-controlled hydrant valve

Back 47

A valve that is attached to a fire hydrant to allow the operator to turn the hydrant on without flowing water into the hose line.

Front 48

Reservoir

Back 48

A water storage facility.

Front 49

Residual pressure

Back 49

The pressure that exists in the distribution system, measured at the residual hydrant at the time the flow readings are taken at the flow hydrants. (NFPA 24)

Front 50

Reverse lay

Back 50

A method of laying a supply line where the supply line starts at the attack engine and ends at the water source.

Front 51

Rocker lugs (rocker pins)

Back 51

Fittings on threaded couplings that aid in coupling the hoses.

Front 52

Rubber-covered hose (rubber-jacket hose)

Back 52

Hose whose outside covering is made of rubber, which is said to be more resistant to damage.

Front 53

Secondary feeders

Back 53

Smaller-diameter pipes that connect the primary feeders to the distributors.

Front 54

Shut-off valve

Back 54

Any valve that can be used to shut down water flow to a water user or system.

Front 55

Siamese connection

Back 55

A device that allows two hoses to be connected together and flow into a single hose.

Front 56

Small-diameter hose (SDH)

Back 56

Hose with a diameter ranging from 1 to 2 inches.

Front 57

Soft suction hose

Back 57

A large-diameter hose that is designed to be connected to the large port on a hydrant (steamer connection) and into the engine.

Front 58

Spanner wrench

Back 58

A type of tool used to couple or uncouple hoses by turning the rocker lugs on the connections.

Front 59

Split hose bed

Back 59

A hose bed arranged to enable the engine to lay out either a single supply line or two supply lines simultaneously.

Front 60

Split hose lay

Back 60

A scenario in which the attack engine forward lays a supply line from an intersection to the fire, and the supply engine reverse lays a supply line from the hose left by the attack engine to the water source.

Front 61

Static pressure

Back 61

The pressure that exists at a given point under normal distribution system conditions measured at the residual hydrant with no hydrants flowing. (NFPA 24)

Front 62

Static water source

Back 62

A water source such as a pond, river, stream, or other body of water that is not under pressure.

Front 63

Steamer port

Back 63

The large-diameter port on a hydrant.

Front 64

Storz-type (nonthreaded) hose coupling

Back 64

A hose coupling that has the property of being both the male and the female coupling. It is connected by engaging the lugs and turning the coupling a one-third turn.

Front 65

Supply hose (supply line)

Back 65

Hose designed for the purpose of moving water between a pressurized water source and a pump that is supplying attack lines. (NFPA 1961)

Front 66

Tanker shuttle

Back 66

A method of transporting water from a source to a fire scene using a number of mobile water supply apparatus.

Front 67

Threaded hose coupling

Back 67

A type of coupling that requires a male fitting and a female fitting to be screwed together.

Front 68

Water hammer

Back 68

The surge of pressure that occurs when a high-velocity flow of water is abruptly shut off. The pressure exerted by the flowing water against the closed system can be seven or more times that of the static pressure. (NFPA 1962)

Front 69

Water main

Back 69

A generic term for any underground water pipe.

Front 70

Water supply

Back 70

A source of water for firefighting activities. (NFPA 1144)

Front 71

Water thief

Back 71

A device that has a 2½-inch inlet and a 2½-inch outlet in addition to two 1½-inch outlets. It is used to supply many hoses from one source.

Front 72

Wet-barrel hydrant

Back 72

A hydrant used in areas that are not susceptible to freezing. The barrel of the hydrant is normally filled with water.

Front 73

Wye

Back 73

A device used to split a single hose into two separate lines.