The Hydrant Firefighter is the 2nd most important job next to the driver on the Engine. The Hydrant Firefighter must secure water to the truck from the Hydrant in under 90 seconds, the same amount of time it will take on average from the time we drop the line at the hydrant, to getting the first water on the fire. To successfully complete this job you must pull the 5” supply hose from the back of the Engine and wrap the hydrant so the line can get deployed off the engine, then unwrap and open the supply line port on the hydrant. From there you need to flush the hydrant to ensure no debris gets into the pump of the Fire Engine. Once flushed, the Hydrant Firefighter needs to connect the Humat Appliance onto the supply port of the hydrant to get water into the hose. Once that is all done, the Hydrant Firefighter waits for the driver to call on water. All of this needs to be completed in 90 seconds, and if not done properly, the interior firefighters can be stuck with no water in their attack line and it can cost their lives.
Being proficient in this position is absolutely imperative to the successful operation of any Fire Engine on the fire ground. That’s why every rookie learns this position first and practices it until they can they do it with their eyes closed.
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