Patent Application
20180311521
The invention relates to a method for handling a hose supply when extinguishing a fire, more precisely a house fire or a fire in a multi-storey building or another fire not directly accessible from a fire engine or another water source, and to a device for the safe and organised guided handling of the hose supply (hose management) during the firefighting process.
The laying of hose lines on firefighting jobs and in particular the provision of hose supplies in buildings is often very difficult. In accordance with the current prior art, there are many different methods and approaches used by fire departments for forming hose lines and supplies in front of burning apartments, however these are usually relatively time-consuming, which in turn often leads to compromises in hose management. In such situations however, correct hose management is key for rapid and safe operational success.
Hitherto, hose lines have been laid by means of rolls of flat-rolled hose or by means of hose carrying baskets. When laying hose lines using rolls of flat-rolled hose, the hoses must first be rolled out outside the building, connected to one another, and then laid by hand as far as the incident location. At the incident location, the hose supply must also be formed manually so as to be able to advance into the smoke-filled danger zone.
The situation is similar when laying the hose line by means of hose carrying baskets. Although the laying of the hose line as far as the incident location is much simpler than with rolls of flat-rolled hose since, once the hose carrying basket has been connected to a fixed point (for example manifold) and carried away, the hose practically unrolls on its own from the hose carrying basket and lays itself, on arrival at the incident location, however, the hose firstly has to be removed from the hose carrying basket by hand and laid correctly in order to form hose supplies. Due to the design of the hose carrying basket, the carry frame is very unstable as the hose line is pulled out, whereby the simultaneous removal and laying of the hose line can only with difficulty be performed by one person.
As an alternative to hose carrying baskets, a range of devices are known, in which hoses wound onto a reel can be unwound from the reel as they are carried. Examples of this can be found in documents AT 36548, DE 867 954 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,823. A particular disadvantage here is that the hoses have to be fully unrolled before they can actually be used. The hose supply still has to be formed manually.
In all of these variants the hose line is laid pressure-free, i.e. the hose line is not yet filled with water. If the hose lines are then filled with water and placed under pressure, the hose often whips around as a result—kinks can thus form in the hose supply or, in the worst case scenario, a firefighter could be injured. In order to counteract this, the water is usually supplied only gently and cautiously, thus resulting in a loss of precious time.
Before the firefighters can ultimately advance into the burning apartment, due to pressure surges, the hose supply has to be checked a second time and corrected if necessary. If the hose supply is not correctly laid, it is only possible to a limited extent, or is completely impossible, to pull the hose line along, on account of the high friction.
Furthermore, due to their design, hose couplings frequently become stuck at corners, which also makes it impossible to pull the hose line along. For the advancing team of firefighters, this means that the fire fighting operation itself or, in the worst case scenario, the search for people has to be abandoned. The team firstly has to retreat in order to release the hose coupling so that the hose line can be pulled along again.
In addition, a hose supply that for example has been laid in a stairwell constitutes a trip hazard. Individuals, or members of the fire brigade who have to pass through the smoke-filled area do not notice the hose supply, which can result in injury (caused i.a. by falling).
The problem addressed by the invention is that of providing a method and a device which improve firefighting operations, therein in particular hose management.
This problem is solved by the subjects of the independent claims. Advantageous further developments of the subjects of the independent claims are characterised in the dependent claims. The wording of all the claims is hereby incorporated in the content of this description by reference.
Individual method steps will be described in greater detail hereinafter. The steps do not necessarily have to be performed in the specified order, and the method to be described can also comprise further steps which are not mentioned.
In order to solve the problem, a method for handling a hose supply when extinguishing a fire is proposed, in which method a water supply line is firstly laid with the aid of at least one hose or is made available by means of a fire engine. Typically, a main supply line is firstly laid from the hydrant or from the fire engine and ends in a manifold. There, a further supply line is connected which reaches as far as the storey on which the incident has occurred or just before the location of the fire. Hoses which are not dimensionally stable are usually used for these lines. In the case of fires that have greater accessibility, the lines alternatively can be connected directly to the fire engine.
The following steps are now performed for the proposed method: A preferably dimensionally stable hose and a reel comprising a central water connection that is rotatable relative to the reel and that ensures a fluid connection to the hose wound on the reel are provided. The hose is formed in such a way that it has a second connection at its end not connected to the central water connection. A transport device for the reel is also provided. The reel is rotatably mounted in the transport device for unwinding of the hose. The transport device is fixed in the area of the end of the water supply line, for example to a handrail in a stairwell. The water supply line is connected to the central water connection of the reel (for example via a short hose). The hose is unwound from the reel, as attack hose, only by the length required to reach the fire, and the fire is lastly extinguished. The wound part of the attack hose forms the hose supply.
In this method there is no longer a need to form additional hose supplies, whereby the time-consuming laying of hose lines in bays and the resultant trip hazard are eliminated. By means of the system being self-contained, hose couplings are also prevented from becoming stuck or caught at corners. In addition, the system can be filled with water and pressurised at any time and without preparation. The hose supply may here remain in the transport device. Pressure surges also do not compromise the hose supply, and kink-free guidance of the hose line is always ensured. It is here additionally advantageous that the advancing firefighter has to carry a particularly low amount of weight.
In a variant of the proposed method, the water supply line is connected to the second connection of the dimensionally stable hose. Furthermore, an attack hose is connected to the central water connection of the reel. For example, a short hose that is mounted externally and that is connected to the central water connection of the reel is used as an attack hose. This hose may or may not be dimensionally stable, wherein the dimensionally stable embodiment is preferred, and is between 1 and 3 m long, preferably between 1.5 and 2.5 m long, particularly preferably 2 m long. The length of the attack hose is selected here in such a way that it can be handled by one person and the risk of the attack hose buckling or kinking is very small. This attack hose is guided to the fire, wherein the transport device is brought along with the reel with the dimensionally stable hose. Here, the dimensionally stable hose is unwound from the reel only by the length required to reach the fire. This approach enables particularly good handling and control of the attack hose and of the hose supply.
The hose is preferably dimensionally stable, and a bag is provided as transport device, which bag has a form adapted to the form of the reel, more than 50% of the surface of said bag consisting of flexible material and said bag having at least one handle and/or strap, by means of which said bag can be carried.
With appropriate design of the bag, this method has the additional advantage that the bag can be used as a rescue device if necessary.
A reel for receiving a dimensionally stable hose, which reel has at least two flat struts running outwardly from the axis of the reel, additionally contributes to solving the problem. These struts are arranged in at least one plane perpendicular to the axis of the reel. This plane is in turn positioned along the axis of the reel such that a hose diameter fits between the plane and the adjacent end of the reel. Should a plurality of such planes be provided, they also have in each case a distance of a hose diameter to the corresponding adjacent plane. Three or four struts are preferably arranged in each plane, wherein the number of planes is dependent on the length of the reel (in hose diameters).
By means of such a reel, the hose can unroll at any time from the reel without difficulty, regardless of whether or not the hose is filled and pressurised. Pressure surges as the hose is being filled do not cause individual coils to release, unwind or jam. Rather, the hose is guided by the struts as it unwinds and always remains fully under control.
The problem is also solved by a device for the safe and organised guided handling of the hose supply in the event of a firefighting operation, said device comprising a hose and a reel. The reel has a central water connection, which is rotatable relative to the reel and ensures a fluid connection to the hose, which can be wound on the reel. The device additionally comprises a bag for transporting the hose, wherein more than 50% of the surface of the bag consists of flexible material and the bag has at least one handle and/or strap, by means of which said bag can be carried or also dragged along. The reel is rotatably mounted in the bag for unwinding of the hose.
In the event of practice or use, the bag can be brought immediately to the intended place (for example the landing next to a burning apartment) and can be connected there immediately.
Alternatively to a bag, a hard carrying case can also be used.
In the case of this device, a dimensionally stable hose is preferred. The entire system can at any time be directly filled with water and pressurised on account of the dimensionally stable hoses.
It is particularly favourable in this regard if the reel is designed as described above.
It is additionally favourable if the central water connection corresponds to a standard and the hose, at its end not connected to the central water connection, has a second connection corresponding to the same standard as the central water connection. Here, it is particularly preferred if the connections are C or D couplings, as are commonly used by fire brigades.
The inner connection of the hose with the central water connection is advantageously also standardised, preferably as a C or D coupling.
In a further embodiment, shut-off devices can be connected to or installed on the respective couplings (externally on the central water connection and/or on the end of the hose and/or on the inner end of the central water connection) and are embodied as a valve, slide, flap, or tap.
The bag can be formed and handled in a particularly simple manner if it has a hole for the central water connection.
The hose supply has an optimal length if the wound hose has a length of between 15 and 45 m, preferably between 25 and 35 m, particularly preferably 30 m.
Transport of the device is additionally facilitated if the reel consists of a lightweight metal and/or a plastic, whereby the weight thereof is minimal.
In a preferred embodiment of the device a dimensionally stable short hose is connected to the central water connection. This is between 1 and 3 m long, preferably between 1.5 and 2.5 m long, particularly preferably 2 m long, and can be used as an attack hose.
If the central water connection is fixedly connected to the bag, the reel is thus secured against falling out.
For everyday use in the fire brigade, it is additionally advantageous if at least one fastening possibility for accessories is provided on the outside of the bag. Straps with hook-and-loop fasteners are typically provided for this purpose.
A highly expedient accessory is a manifold. It is thus made possible to advance with a plurality of attack lines into the storey on which the incident is occurring. The water supply line is connected to the manifold for this purpose. The short hose, which is connected to the central water connection, is connected to one of the outlets of the manifold. Whilst the device is in use, a further line can be connected to the manifold and made ready for use, for example for a second team or the backup team.
In a particularly preferred embodiment the bag has a form adapted to the form of the reel, i.e. substantially is a flat cylinder. This facilitates the unrolling of the reel within the bag. In addition, the bag is equipped with a front side and a rear side and has a peripheral hook-and-loop or zip fastener between the front side and rear side. This fastener can be slightly opened in order to unroll the hose, or can also be fully opened in order to fold open the bag and remove or insert the reel.
The peripheral fastener between the front side and rear side of the bag can have a safe-guard against unintentional opening. This can be e.g. a carabiner hook.
There are numerous possibilities for quickly rescuing unconscious individuals from the hazard zone. Since it is not possible to quickly search areas whilst carrying any of a large number of rescue devices or aids (for example basket stretchers), these must be requested during the operation. The rescuing of individuals is thus limited in most cases to removal by hand or by means of endless slings, which requires great strength. Physical limits are quickly reached, particularly when overcoming differences in height or when rescuing casualties wearing breathing apparatuses.
The device disclosed in document JP 2013-039380 A makes it possible to use a hose carrying bag, which can be used similarly to a hose carrying basket, as a rescue device once the hoses have been removed. To this end, two such bags can be combined to form a stretcher using two accompanying rods. This approach is relatively cumbersome and absolutely necessitates a second person, and therefore the advantage compared to the requesting of an additional rescue device (of any design) seems to be relatively small in practice.
It would be much simpler if the proposed bag were used as a rescue device. The bag can be used as a rescue device if a sufficient number of carry handles and/or straps are provided so as to be able to transport an unconscious person in the folded-open bag.
It is favourable, for use of the bag as a rescue device, if the front side and/or the rear side of the bag are/is reinforced by a plate. The plate increases stability and can be used as a back support for the person to be transported. The plate is preferably a plastic plate.
If the reinforcing plate has skids and/or rollers on the side facing away from the bag, this facilitates the transporting of the bag significantly, particularly if the hose has already been filled with water.
If the reinforcing plate is removable, greater flexibility is provided in the case of use as a rescue device, in particular if the plate has fastening possibilities for a person to be rescued. Said fastening possibilities can here be constituted by a rescue sheet or rescue slings. The plate is typically fastened to the bag by large hook-and-loop fastener pads.
It is additionally advantageous if a head plate, which can be folded out, is attached to the reinforcing plate, which head plate supports and protects the head of the person to be transported. This is important particularly when the folded-open bag is to be used in the same fashion as a stretcher.
It is additionally favourable if a connecting region between the front side and the rear side of the bag is reinforced as a hinge. A bag of such design can be used in particular as a rescue nappy harness.
In order to facilitate the use of the bag as a rescue device, a hook-and-loop fastener can be provided on the side of the bag on which the central water connection of the reel is arranged, so as to enable quick opening of the bag and removal of the reel, even without having to first release the hose, which may or may not be connected.
User orientation in very poor visibility conditions (for example caused by thick smoke in closed spaces) can be facilitated in that a safety line is attached to the bag and is provided with means for automatic winding.
Further facilitation in the event of poor visibility is provided if a lighting means is provided on the front side and/or the inside of the bag. The lighting means on the inside is advantageous in particular for use of the bag as a rescue device.
The amount of force and work involved when using the proposed device is reduced if the bag is provided with means for automatically winding the reel.
Further details and features will emerge from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the dependent claims. Here, the respective features can be implemented individually or in combination with one another. The possibilities for solving the problem are not limited to the exemplary embodiments. For example, specified ranges thus always comprise all intermediate values (not stated) and all conceivable sub-ranges.
The exemplary embodiments are shown schematically in the figures. Like reference signs in the individual figures denote like or functionally like elements or elements that correspond to one another in respect of their function. Individually:
The following relates to
The bag is made of a very robust and tear-resistant material. As shown in
It can be seen in
The plastic plate 11 ensures greater stability, but serves primarily as a back support for individuals lying on it, and potentially reduces the coefficient of adhesion or sliding friction as the bag is dragged along, and as applicable acts simultaneously as protection against wear.
Due to the specific arrangement of the hand loops 12 on the bag, individuals to be rescued can be quickly and easily fixed for transport. In order to perform the transport, it is expedient however to firstly remove the hose reel from the bag. An additional plastic plate 14 is then folded out to support the head. This can be seen in
An alternative variant of the use of the bag as rescue device is shown in
For improved transportation of individuals, the hose reel can be easily removed from the bag. This is shown in
In
An improved reel for a dimensionally stable hose can be seen in
This term denotes the hose or hose portion to which the jet nozzle is connected and from which the extinguishing agent exits during the firefighting operation.
A reel is a technical aid for winding and unwinding elongate materials, such as threads, ropes, wires and tapes—in this case hoses, for which reason reference is also made to a hose reel. It has a bobbin-like structure, which is mounted rotatably about a central axis, as is the case in a cable drum for electrical cables.
This term denotes a hose length (typically 15-30 m), which is additionally provided at a suitable distance from the source of fire so as to be able to advance towards the source of fire with the attack hose (see above) without great resistance.
A bag is a container for transporting objects. A bag is made primarily of flexible material and has at least one handle, loop or strap, by which the bag can be carried.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2015 118 638.1 | Oct 2015 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2016/075447 | 10/21/2016 | WO | 00 |
