Fire Hose Nozzle Compliance

Akron Brass Company and the NFPA 1964 Standard on Nozzles 

In the 1980’s The National Fire Protection Association determined that there was a need for a standard that applied to portable adjustable-pattern nozzles for general fire department use. The NFPA 1964 standard for nozzles, through the work of the committee on fire hose, was developed to meet that need, and was adopted in 1988. The standard has been revised twice since its inception, mainly for clarification purposes, to its current 1998 edition.

Akron Brass Company, the market leader in fire fighting nozzles, continually strives for high quality and performance. With that in mind, Akron nozzles have been designed, tested, and have been in compliance with the NFPA 1964 standard since its inception in 1988.

Unlike most of our competitors, Akron has placed an importance on compliance from the beginning. Akron’s aluminum Turbojet nozzle, introduced shortly after the inception of NFPA 1964, was designed and tested to comply with NFPA 1964. All Turbojet nozzles manufactured from that introduction date until today are compliant with the standard. Likewise, the Akron Assault nozzle, introduced in 1993, was designed and tested to comply with NFPA 1964. All Assault nozzles manufactured from the introduction date until today are compliant with the standard. Therefore, if you own an Akron Brass nozzle, you can feel certain that it is and has always been NFPA 1964 compliant. You don’t have to take our word for it; we will provide you, upon request, a Certificate of Compliance along with the test data to back it up.

Tests called out within the NFPA 1964 standard require nozzles to meet minimum levels of corrosion resistance, minimum levels of UV resistance, drop tests for both standard and cold temperatures on both charged and uncharged lines, and minimum and maximum rotational torque for pattern control and shut off handles. The standard focuses on operating characteristics of nozzles with little emphasis on stream performance, however, the standard does require a minimum fog pattern angle, a straight stream target test, and a –0 to +10% discharge vs. rated pressure requirement.

Although the NFPA 1964 standard is a valuable tool in evaluating a nozzle, its emphasis on nozzle operation and its lack of stream performance measures, along with its looser requirements for automatic nozzles, make the standard only a part of nozzle evaluation. Nothing can replace a live demonstration to show the true performance of a nozzle. Compliance to NFPA 1964 should be a requirement, but so should a stream performance demonstration.

Please contact your Akron Brass Sales representative for a live demonstration and see the most specified nozzles in the industry outperform the competition.