There are almost as many ways to rack and deploy your lines as there are departments in this country. But it doesn’t matter, as long as it works for you.

Deciding how you store and stretch your lines is purely a ‘what’s right for your district’ issue.

The only caveat should be that it’s effective and simple.

Oh, and you should have drilled on it a million times so that at the fire your line set up and stretching skills are not the issue.

In our department we run a district with many row homes and over the years we’ve developed a crosslay package that works for us. Of course it’s not for everyone, but take it as a tool in the box for tightly pack neighborhoods and minimal manpower.

Engine companies are set up with 6 crosslays, 1 – 150’, 1-200’ and 1-250’ on each side. Off the back is a 300’ 2” and a 150’ 2
1⁄2 “ line, a 200 3”line with a step gun and 600’ of 3” as well as a bed of 5” with varying amounts depending on the rig. There is also a 100’ 1 3⁄4 “ trash line off the bumper.

We usually have one engine close to the fire on tight streets with many homes. Due to the set up with multiple lines available and ease of deployment we can quickly have multiple lines in operation quickly.

Firefighters need to be aware however of the various types of row house construction and their layouts. They should be able to look at the home and estimate the stretch for that building.

Once that’s completed stretching around apparatus, vehicles and fences and is the next concern.

And obviously you must consider the volume of fire present and the amount of water you’ll need to deliver to control and extinguish the fire.

Row homes are narrow with small hallways and rooms and generally tend to be either void of much furniture or are packed tightly with everything under the sun.

They can also be quite chopped up or illegally divided into rooming houses. Either way you never really know what the interior conditions will be until you are on the inside.

Setting yourself up for success becomes vitally important then when stretching on the interior.

We like to bring as much line as we can with us so that we can go through the house to the exterior in the rear if needed as well as be able to reach all floors as we push upward.

That’s important to us as we may have only one company assigned to the home for quite some time.

Utilizing the homes interior space then becomes vital for staging the line. Using the stairways, hallways and rooms to lay out the line will allow you to be able to bring enough with you in most cases to continue your push to the top floor.

This is an important skill to master as there is likely no one to help you out if you mess it up. And we’ve seen it happen, either way too much line or you get to the top of the third floor stairs and can’t make the floor. Either way it creates a lot of work that you don’t need to be doing at that point.

In the images you can see how we like to lay out lines. Loops on the stairway and use of the halls and rooms to stage additional line.

Again, there are many ways to do this. And most work quite well. You need to figure out what works for your district and then use drilling to become proficient at it.

Water is what puts out fires so you better be able to quickly size up how much you need and where it needs to be applied and then get it there efficiently.

Elevating your trade to a craft happens in the details. Being good at stretching the right lines and being where you need to be when you need to be there is just part of how you elevate your craft to an art form. That doesn’t happen in the day room. Get out there and get good.