Volunteer firefighters say they support withdrawing a new type of fire hose that has been failing.
New yellow 45mm flash flood fire hose, which firefighters had raised concerns about has now been recalled following a potentially dangerous incident in New Plymouth. (File photo). Photo: Adam Bradley
Career firefighters have begun [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/468290/urgent-recall-on-fire-hoses-after-crew-s-water-cut-out-in-burning-house
pulling the lightweight hose off firetrucks] after what they say are three instances of failure, probably puncturing, in Taranaki.
Fire and Emergency says the hose is safe to use but requires "different tactics" so it is not dragged over rough ground.
The hose is also used on hundreds of volunteer firetrucks.
United Fire Brigades' Association board chairperson Peter Dunne said they supported FENZ's managed withdrawal and replacement, which was announced yesterday.
"While the UFBA are aware that the FlashFlood 500 yellow 45mm hose meets international standards, we understand it is not fit for purpose," Dunne said in a statement today.
"The UFBA advocates for the highest level of health and safety standards for its members and believe all firefighters deserve the best equipment to safely serve and protect their communities."
Firefighters raised concerns about the lightweight hose back in March, but FENZ told them it was fully compliant and "is suitable for all operational use".
In the same notice, however, it cautioned that any "lay-flat" hose could puncture if it had kink in it and was dragged.
Read the Fire Emergency notice here
Kinking was more likely in hoses under low-pressure, so "if this happens, hose line pressures can be increased, by increasing pump pressures or slightly reducing nozzle flows", FENZ said.
An experienced firefighter questioned this advice.
"Increasing pump pressures to over-pressurise the hose not only puts more wear and tear on pumps but also creates an issue of 'whip' in the hose delivery," the firefighter said. RNZ agreed not to name them.
The current front line attack nozzles and hose branches were designed to operate at an optimum pressure of 500Kpa, versus the new hose at 700Kpa, they said.
"So now we are over pressurising our nozzles and branches to prevent the hose kinking and puncturing."
The Professional Firefighters' Union today said FENZ's statement yesterday that the hose was okay if not "excessively dragged while kinked, especially over rough or jagged ground", did not account for real-world conditions at fires.