Stairwell vs Stairway

We have a choice to make on our vertical stretches when it comes to taking the stairs. Our decision depends on the type of stairs the structure has. It will either have a STAIRWELL, where you can pull the hose straight up through the space between floors, or it will have a STAIRWAY where it’s too tight to fit the hose. Some quick scouting will tell you what your fire environment is giving you.

The rule of thumb is, if you can fit your fist in the opening between floors, then it’s considered a stairwell and should be able to accommodate 1 ¾” hose and couplings.

The advantage of using the stairwell is less hose is needed to reach the point of entry and the speed the hose can be deployed. If using a stairwell, 50’ of hose will stretch about 3-4 floors.

If using a stairway, 50’ will only stretch a little over 1 floor. This is because we have to lay out the hose on the way up. If going up a stairway, don’t pull the hose tight to inside corners or you could put a kink in the line. Instead, leave a little slack at each turn like you see here.

In either scenario, you’ll still need to tie off your hose prior to calling for water. The danger is that if you call for water prior to tying off, the weight of the water in the hose will cause it to fall back down towards the ground. Losing charged hose lines down the stairs will significantly delay operations and should be avoided.

To tie off the hose, start by tying a cow hitch or girth hitch around the hose on the pump-side of the coupling with your webbing. Then tie a clove hitch around any secure object in the area. To tie a clove hitch, simply tie two opposing half-hitches, followed by an overhand safety knot. Ensure you’ve tied the cow hitch on the pump-side of the 50’ coupling so you have that 50' of working line at the point of entry.