Choosing the Right Fire Nozzle

The fire nozzle on the end of your hose is one of the most important tools you have when fighting a fire. It’s what determines the power of the stream you shoot, whether it’s a fog spray for radiant heat protection or a straight stream for penetration and extinguishing. Choosing the right fire nozzle depends on tactics, performance and the specific application, including structural firefighting, high-rise, foam operations, or extended line applications.

The nozzle’s size controls the flow of water, which is a function of the nozzle’s pressure and the nozzle’s outlet diameter. The restriction created by the nozzle’s orifice also changes water pressure to velocity, providing reach. The shape of the nozzle also provides the pattern, whether it’s a straight stream for penetration or a wide angle fog spray for radiant heat protection.

A firefighter’s nozzle selection is important because a mismatched nozzle type or incorrect nozzle pressure can have negative effects on the effectiveness of your fire suppression. For example, using a smoothbore nozzle for vegetation fires with a blade stream pattern increases suppression by two to three times while decreasing the amount of water used.

This is particularly true for HEN’s new state-of-the-art nozzle. Designed to provide superior penetration and fire extinguishing capability, it uses less water per minute than traditional nozzles and can significantly increase the speed of wildfire containment, saving billions of dollars in suppression costs and preventing trillions in property damage. The nozzle also requires significantly less physical strength from firefighters, which helps reduce exhaustion rates and the potential for injury.