Case Study: River Vale Fire Department

Chief John Tobin 

River Vale, New Jersey, is a residential community located about 10 miles north of New York City.

The River Vale Fire Department is staffed by volunteers operating out of two stations. The department has been a long-time user of Akron Brass nozzles and carries them on all of their apparatus. "I've been with the department for over 34 years now," says Chief John Tobin, "and we have been using Akron Brass nozzles since I joined."

For multiple-dwelling and commercial structure fires, they use 2½-inch handlines with Akron Brass smooth-bore nozzles. "Our experience has been that smooth bore streams hold together better and provide better penetration when attacking large fires," notes Chief Tobin. "Solid streams also produce less steam backflow as the firefighters operate the line."

The chief notes that another advantage of smooth bore nozzles is that they require less pressure. This is important when using long hoselays or operating on the upper floors of buildings where a 50 psi tip pressure is a lot easier to achieve than the 100 psi needed for many variable flow nozzles. He also noted that the department's new 100-ft tower ladder is equipped with an Akron Brass electric remote-control monitor with a smooth bore tip for maximum reach and flow.

The department also uses Akron Brass Assault nozzles for situations that require a variable stream pattern. "Many of the structures in our town are private dwellings. Some of them are quite large with big front lawns and large setbacks from the street," says Tobin. "Each of our three engines carries 250 feet of pre-connected 1¾-inch handline with an Assault nozzle. This combination allows our firefighters to place that critical first line into operation quickly. It lets us take full advantage of the speed and mobility of the lighter weight handline, and the versatility of the nozzle's variable stream patterns for quick suppression, venting, and mop-up."

"Akron Brass products are reliable and have very good service records with us," says Chief Tobin. "That's one reason we keep buying them."

Case Studies:

• Fort Worth Fire Department
• Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department
• New Concord Fire Department
• Orrville Fire Department

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