What type of hose load does your fire department use for preconnected attack lines? Without conducting a formal research project, I would venture a guess that the majority of fire departments are using a flat load. Some departments use other hose loads such as the Minute Man, triple layer, Cleveland Load, and skid load; however, the flat load seems to be the default hose load for preconnected attack lines because of the ease of loading the hose load. Some departments place "pull loops" into the flat load to help deploy the flat load. The problem with the pull loops is that they have no purpose other than clearing the hose from the bed. This strategy is predisposed to creating a pile of hose (or a "pile of spaghetti") next to the apparatus, which complicates the stretch. After using the flat load for years, I began to wonder if there was room for improvement.

When I stretch for initial fire attack, I prefer to take the nozzle and first coupling to the point of entry. I deploy the flat load from the hosebed and locate the first coupling. Once I find the first coupling, I bring the coupling next to the nozzle; this allows for 50 feet of hose to be flaked and ready to enter the structure for fire attack. While between classroom sessions at FDIC 2015 International, I was brainstorming the idea of placing a loop at the first coupling (50 feet from the nozzle), which would allow the nozzle and first coupling to be pulled simultaneously. After returning to the firehouse from FDIC, I loaded the flat load with a loop placed at the first coupling and a second loop at the second coupling. After stretching the flat load with the strategically placed loops, I found the stretch was smooth and afforded an easily flaked attack line.

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