High-Pressure vs. High-Volume Portable Pumps: Which Does Your Department Need?

High-Pressure vs. High-Volume Portable Pumps: Which Does Your Department Need?

pumps
A high-pressure portable fire pump is engineered to push water through hose at higher PSI. A high-volume portable fire pump is engineered to move a...
High-Pressure vs. High-Volume Portable Pumps: Which Does Your Department Need?

High-Pressure vs. High-Volume Portable Pumps: Which Does Your Department Need?

pumps
A high-pressure portable fire pump is engineered to push water through hose at higher PSI. A high-volume portable fire pump is engineered to move a...
Electric Start vs. Pull Start Portable Fire Pumps: Which Should You Buy?

Electric Start vs. Pull Start Portable Fire Pumps: Which Should You Buy?

pumps
Electric start and pull start are the two ways a gas-powered portable fire pump's engine gets started. Electric start uses a battery and starter mo...
Skid-Mounted vs. Portable Fire Pumps: What's the Difference?

Skid-Mounted vs. Portable Fire Pumps: What's the Difference?

pumps
A portable fire pump ships on a carry-style frame that firefighters can lift and move by hand. A skid-mounted fire pump bolts or straps into a fixe...
Portable Fire Pump Maintenance and Off-Season Storage Checklist

Portable Fire Pump Maintenance and Off-Season Storage Checklist

pumps
Portable fire pump maintenance is the routine of post-use cleaning, periodic function testing, and off-season storage prep that keeps a gas or dies...
How to Choose a Portable Fire Pump: A Buying Guide

How to Choose a Portable Fire Pump: A Buying Guide

pumps
A portable fire pump is a self-contained, engine-driven pump a firefighter can carry to a water source and use to draft, transfer, or pressurize wa...
Wildland and Forestry Nozzle Buying Guide

Wildland and Forestry Nozzle Buying Guide

nozzles
Wildland and forestry nozzles are built around a different water math than structural firefighting equipment. Flows run lower, hose is smaller in d...
Piercing Nozzle vs. Cellar Nozzle: What's the Difference

Piercing Nozzle vs. Cellar Nozzle: What's the Difference

nozzles
A piercing nozzle and a cellar nozzle both exist to get water into a fire a hoseline can't reach directly, but they solve two different access prob...
Outfitting a New Engine Company: Nozzles, Hose, and Adapters Checklist

Outfitting a New Engine Company: Nozzles, Hose, and Adapters Checklist

adapters
Outfitting a new engine company means more than filling compartments with whatever's in the budget. Every nozzle, hose length, and adapter has to w...
Types of Fire Hose Nozzles: A Complete Buyer's Guide

Types of Fire Hose Nozzles: A Complete Buyer's Guide

nozzles
A fire hose nozzle is the tool that turns pump pressure into a usable fire stream, and picking the wrong one costs a crew reach, flow, or control a...
Smooth Bore vs. Fog Nozzles: Which One Does Your Crew Need

Smooth Bore vs. Fog Nozzles: Which One Does Your Crew Need

nozzles
Smooth bore and fog nozzles solve the same problem, getting water on fire, with opposite design philosophies. A smooth bore nozzle is a fixed-orifi...
Lithium Battery Fire Extinguisher Options: What Actually Works

Lithium Battery Fire Extinguisher Options: What Actually Works

blankets
Key takeaways: No standard portable extinguisher fully addresses lithium battery thermal runaway. CO2 and dry powder suppress surface flames withou...
Lithium Battery Fire Hazards: What Every Fire Department Should Know

Lithium Battery Fire Hazards: What Every Fire Department Should Know

blankets
Key takeaways: Lithium battery fires release hydrogen fluoride (HF) gas, carbon monoxide, and other toxic byproducts — SCBA is required for all cre...
Can You Put Out a Lithium Battery Fire With Water?

Can You Put Out a Lithium Battery Fire With Water?

blankets
Key takeaways: Water cools lithium battery fires but does not suppress thermal runaway. Large, sustained volumes are required. Standard extinguishe...