The Booster Line - Keep it or Ditch it?

[Remember585 815]

Looking for opinions and thoughts on the use of the booster reel. I've got my opinions - but I would rather wait and see what others think.

Fire away!

Edited February 22, 2009 by Remember585

[FDVA356 23]

Used to make sense to have it, but now if you have a fire that turns out to be bigger then you orginally thought, you have the 1 3/4" stretched already. When you used to stretch the booster before, you would have to back track and go back and pull the crosslay. So now you got 2 lines to pack.

[x648eng119 2]

Looking for opinions and thoughts on the use of the booster reel. I've got my opinions - but I would rather wait and see what others think.

Fire away!

DITCH IT, DITCH IT, DITCH IT!!!!!!!!!!

When we were going over the specs for our Seagrave, I was a little disappointed that there wouldn't be a booster reel. If nothing else, I liked it for cleaning equipment. After we got the rig, with the trash line on front that takes up a hell of a lot less space, and can be used for the same thing, I don't miss the booster reel at all. It's pretty much useless on anything other than a small brush fire or dumpster fire, and with the trash line, you can just take off one length and use that.

[gpdexplorer 46]

Its occasionally warranted for. I've seen it used for very small areas of smoldering brush, a garbage can fire and things of that nature, but I would never think to use it as a primary attack line.

[Guest]

How much easier is it to use a booster reel than to pack an 1-3/4" line? and is that 'ease' worth the risk of someone being lazy and pulling it and then needing more water? a trash line on the bumper is a great alternative I think.

[Guest truckiehand]

I would have to agree with x648eng119, when we got our new seagrave with the front trash line (which we are able to pack 150' of 1 3/4" line) we pretty much have no use for a booster line. The water flow which the booster line puts out is not enough to make an effective push on anything bigger then a small rubbish fire and in some cases we were pulling it for other uses that were not appropriate. I personally feel better having the greater gpm flow of an 1 3/4" in cases things turn south in a hurry, which I am sure many of you can attest to.

[OLDGUY19 6]

Good for limited man power depts. but must be use correctly.

[x648eng119 2]

Good for limited man power depts. but must be use correctly.

I'm not trying to stir the pot, but what would you define as correct usage? Anything within a structure requires much more flow than a booster line can put out. With modern synthetics and construction, the heat and fireload is way too much for that to handle.

[Remember585 815]

I'm not trying to stir the pot, but what would you define as correct usage? Anything within a structure requires much more flow than a booster line can put out. With modern synthetics and construction, the heat and fireload is way too much for that to handle.

Glad to see my fellow Crotonites agreeing with my thoughts. Booster lines belong on brush rigs and antiques. If you leave it on your Class A Engine chances are someone will pull it when you need something bigger. Maybe it works once in the while, but luck always runs out.

And the way I see it, if it's bigger then what you can put down with a can, use the 1 3/4". Even if you pull 50 feet off, how hard is it to put back?

As for limited manpower departments, there's career departments running around with two on a rig and they can rack the 1 3/4" OK....

[SteveOFD 176]

DITCH IT!!!

With the increasing adoption of trashlines (preconnected 1 3/4" hose upto 100' in length), there is absolutely no reason for this antique piece of equipment on modern state of the art firefighting apparatus. It is like keeping 1 1/2" hose instead of upgrading to the more efficient 1 3/4" hose because "it is what what we have always used".

As for the comments (here and elsewhere) that the booster line is for certain limited manpower situations, I can not see the big difference (using only a single Firefighter) between having to place a short 1 3/4" trashline in a tray, and having to press a rewind button while simultaneously trying to feed the booster hose on the reel without it rewinding in a mess. Most of the time if there is any length of booster line out it is easier to repack with two people.

The ony reason to keep it is found in the saying "The voluteer fire service, 200 years of tradition, unimpeded by progress".

[x648eng119 2]

Another reason I don't like the booster... sure, it was easy to wind up after a call, but what about cleaning and repacking it for a parade? I dont know about anyone else, but I could never get that thing packed up right. Folding up 150' of 1 3/4" is so much easier.

[aacofd40 6]

I think the booster line is very useful for brush, mulch, trash etc.. It is maneuverable, applicable at varying distances, and quickly deployed. I would much rather have a booster line - and pull it - then have have to pull a trash line, and have to add lengths for brush. The value of the booster is not the ease of taking up, but rather having a preconnected hose of significant length for a small fire load that can be operated by a single fireman.

I can't imagine pulling a booster line for a vehicle fire, any structure, or even a dumpster.

[x648eng119 2]

I agree with you there, but based on the lack of brush work we do in Croton, and the amount of space the reel takes up, we opted to go without it. Do you have a lot of brush jobs in Maryland that it is that much easier to pull a booster than to pull an extra 2 lengths of 1 3/4"

[aacofd40 6]

I agree with you there, but based on the lack of brush work we do in Croton, and the amount of space the reel takes up, we opted to go without it. Do you have a lot of brush jobs in Maryland that it is that much easier to pull a booster than to pull an extra 2 lengths of 1 3/4"

We run a fair amount of brush that we put a booster on every engine. We do run a lot of smoldering mulch - in median strips, bushes in front of malls, etc..- that need more than a can and the booster is very useful. Pull up, grab the nozzle, pull about 15 feet of hose, and drown for a few minutes.

[Guest ffjay376]

like every one is saying they have there place. nfpa says that the smallest for an interior line has to be at least 1 3/4 and for car fires its the same. My dept. has a booster line on our first due engine. all we use it for is garbage fires, brush fires, overhaule and to clean tools. the fire service needs to start thinking safely. yes the life members might grabble and say they put out house fires with a booster line but people need to say times are diffrent and we cant do what ever we want.

[Remember585 815]

yes the life members might grabble and say they put out house fires with a booster line but people need to say times are diffrent and we cant do what ever we want.

Yeah, and all that's left of those fires is door knobs and memories...

[Dondestro 9]

We have a booster line on our cureent rig and i cant count the amount of illegal burns we have used it on. our new rig will most likely have one in addition hopefully a trashline in the bummper or step as it is a 50/50 split in our house on who wants a trashline. like everyone has said though there r places where you can u use it but even more places you shouldnt even think about it

[Guest Dept 10]

A booster line is like any thing else you may have on your rig you need to know its proper use and limits and train with it. Proper line selection for any fire is a must! and if you have any second thoughts go larger. As far as space on your new rig thats something you have to decide as to what best fits your departments needs.

[gamewell45 258]

Booster lines have their place; they are good for very small piles of leaves burning or perhaps a waste paper basket; I wouldn't use it on anything else tho'.

[dfdallen 13]

In the area we cover it is a lot easier to pull the booster off when on the highway and drown the brush fires that are down the embankments, especially with the limited manpower we have during the day.

[Guest]

Booster lines are good on utilities as far as brush fires goes use forestry hose

[x635 4,066]

From a Texas Firefighter's perspective, KEEP IT! It's almost standard on any apparatus with water down here.

The main purpose is that it's rapidly deployable (and stowable) to chase grass fires. It can also flow CAFS for the grass fires.

[Patch6713 18]

I think booster lines have their uses, but they are limited. I think it really matters what types of calls you run. If you run a lot of small brush fires and illegal burns and don't have a brush truck, it might be useful. If you do have one it is important to know when to use it. If you try and use it in the wrong places, you will defiantly be in more trouble then when you started.

[Monty 35]

Booster lines are good on utilities as far as brush fires goes use forestry hose

When I was upstate, my department did away with the booster. What we ended up with instead was a small reel, like those for an air line, or extension cord - and we rolled 1" forestry hose on it.

For those small brush fires, or other situations where you just need a bit more water than a 2.5 gallon can this worked well. Pretty easy to deploy - certainly easy to pack and takes up much less space than a booster reel.

[Bnechis 3,961]

All tools have a place, if they are used correctly. The problem with the booster line can be summed up in one word: "Charlston"

I hate to have to dumb down the fire service, but it appears that we have less issues when we do.

[tdc202 0]

I used to like them when they were on the engines but now I like them better on Utility's only.I find the trash line on the front bumper just as good if not better than a booster line.

[Deputy Chief Doug 0]

what a waste of space, ,we have 2 bumpers lines. 1 is 100' of 1 3/4" for a car fire line and the other is 100' (50' preconnected) of 1" trash line. pull it, put the nussance fire out and worst case senario throw it in a compartment and bring it back to pack

[FFPCogs 863]

Well I can honestly say that I've put out a lot of fire with a booster line way back when. But then again way back when we just did what we had to to get the job done, we didn't need OSHA, the NFPA or any other pencil pushers to tell us how.

Cogs

[FiftyOnePride 100]

We have to booster reels on our front line engine, can't say I have used it much. On the brush truck though - a number of times.

[Guest SQUADco119]

Just like my chief(remember585) and alot of others have said it has its place(the booster line). Brush trucks/utilities. Also if thats what works for department great. Just like Bnechis said every tool has its place if used correctly. Thats what our officers are for to determine what will be needed to handle the task at hand. The booster came in handy on our old rig for nuisiance fires like garbage cans etc. But if your a department that handles alot of brush why not forestry hose? We had a brush fire deep in the woods and we used 1 3/4 and 2' to feed the forestry hose and it worked great. If we would have had our old rig with a booster line it would have never made the stretch.

I guess its preference but I say unless its a brush truck or your engine runs alot of brush calls DITCH IT!