Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

2 1/2 INCH FOG NOZZLE

Date Range From

1970

Date Range To

1995

Materials

METAL, PLASTIC, RUBBER

No. Pieces

1

Height

16.0

Length

50.3

Width

27.6

Description

FIRE-HOSE NOZZLE. SILVER COLOURED METAL, BLACK RUBBER AND PLASTIC. TWO LARGE BLACK RUBBER HANDLES COME OUT FROM THE CYLINDRICAL PORTION OF THE NOZZLE, MAKING A ROUNDED-CORNER SQUARE, WITH THE BODY OF THE NOZZLE GOING DOWN THE MIDDLE. "L" SHAPED METAL HANDLE WHERE BLACK RUBBER HANDLE MEETS BODY OF NOZZLE. DARK GREY COUPLING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NOZZLE ALLOWS THE LOWER HANDLE PORTION TO BE REMOVED. STAMPED INTO THE DARK GREY METAL: "AKRON NPSH". SILVER METAL ADJUSTABLE HANDLE ALLOWS THE NOZZLE TO BE OPENED OR CLOSED AND IS EMBOSSED WITH "CLOSED" AND "OPEN" ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE HANDLE. STAMPED INTO THE METAL NEAR THIS OPEN/CLOSE LEVER IS "AKRON" AND THERE IS ALSO A BLACK STICKER OF "A1". ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THIS LEVER IS A SQUARE PATCH OF MEDIUM BLUE PAINT AND SCRATCHED INTO THE METAL IS "16 B". ABOVE THIS IS AN ADJUSTABLE RING, STAMPED WITH THE FOLLOWING MEASUREMENTS: "120 3/4; 150 7/8; 200 1; 250 1 1/8" (THESE MEASUREMENTS INDICATE HOW MANY GALLONS OF WATER PER MINUTE THE NOZZLE WILL EXPEL). IT IS ALSO STAMPED WITH: "FLUSH" AND "AKRON TURBOJET". THIS RING HAS 24 RAISED SQUARES FOR GRIPPING. BEYOND THIS IS ANOTHER ADJUSTABLE RING, STAMPED WITH "I V V", WHERE THE FIRST 'V' IS EXAGERATED AND EXTRA WIDE. (ADJUSTING THIS RING ADJUSTS THE FLOW OF WATER FROM A STRAIGHT STREAM TO A MIST OR FOG). THE BACKGROUND OF THESE STAMPS IS RED. BLACK RUBBER ABUTS THE ADJUSTABLE RING. THE RUBBER SECTION IS 7.7CM LONG AND IS TEXTURED, FIRST WITH A WIDE SET OF LINES, THEN ON THE VERY EDGE OF THE NOZZLE WITH A VERY CLOSE SET SECTION OF LINES. EMBOSSED ON THIS RUBBER SECTION IS: "US PAT. 3,387,791 - CAN PATENTED 1969". THE VERY END OF THE NOZZLE, WHERE THE WATER COMES OUT, HAS 24 BLACK PLASTIC TEETH. OVERALL IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. SIGNS OF WEAR ON THE SILVER FINISH, ESPECIALLY ON ADJUSTABLE OPEN/CLOSED HANDLE AND THE "L" SHAPED HANDLE.

Subjects

REGULATIVE & PROTECTIVE T&E

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

History

THIS FIRE-HOSE NOZZLE WAS USED BY THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT. IN THE SUMMER OF 2015, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN, CONDUCTED A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS WITH CURRENT AND FORMER MEMBERS OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING: CLIFF “CHARLIE” BROWN (HIRED IN 1966, RETIRED 2004), TREVOR LAZENBY (HIRED IN 1994), AND LAWRENCE DZUREN (HIRED 1959, RETIRED 1992). BROWN EXPLAINED THAT THIS NOZZLE WAS “PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS WEAPONS WE’VE GOT ON THAT DEPARTMENT. YOU HAD TO HAVE TWO GUYS HOLDING THAT THING … IT WAS FOR LARGER FIRES. YOU DIDN’T TAKE THAT INTO FIRES, BECAUSE YOU COULDN’T CONTROL IT. YOU’D TAKE IT MAYBE TO A DOOR OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THIS HERE NOZZLE – YOU’D TURN – IT WOULD BE A SPRAY OR A STRAIGHT STREAM. IF YOU PUT IT ON NON-STRAIGHT STREAM, IT WOULD DRAG YOU ALL OVER THE GROUND. I CAN REMEMBER SEEING GUYS ON THIS NOZZLE, SNAKING BACK AND FORTH LIKE THAT, AND THEM HANGING ONTO THE NOZZLE BEFORE THEY COULD GET THEIR BALANCE TO SHUT IT OFF … YOU HAD TO HAVE TWO GUYS ON IT, AND IF BY CHANCE, THEY FELL OFF IT, AND THEY LET IT LOOSE, WELL, YOU CAN IMAGINE. THAT THING PROBABLY WEIGHED … I’M GUESSING 40 POUNDS; IT WAS A VERY HEAVY NOZZLE. IF IT HIT ANYBODY … IT WOULD BE PRETTY HARD. SO, IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE TWO GUYS ON THAT NOZZLE, YOU’D TAKE IT AND YOU’D MAKE A CIRCLE ON IT, AND YOU’D SIT ON THE CIRCLE WITH THE NOZZLE LIKE THAT, AND JUST THAT LITTLE CIRCLE WOULD SORT OF KNOCK THE PRESSURE, SO IT DIDN’T ALL COME OUT OF THE NOZZLE. IT WOULD BE BACK IN THAT LITTLE CIRCLE SO ONE GUY COULD HOLD IT. BUT YOU’D PRETTY WELL HAVE TO SIT ON THAT NOZZLE. AND, AFTER YOU WERE ON THAT NOZZLE FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES, YOU WERE JUST WIPED. IT WAS LIKE FIGHTING A TOUGH LITTLE CALF. BUT THAT WAS JUST MORE OR LESS FOR THE BIG FIRES, AND FOR THE FIRES YOU COULDN’T GET INTO.” LAZENBY EXPANDED SAYING: “IT’S A TWO AND A HALF INCH NOZZLE AND THIS WAS NEARING THE END OF ITS LIFE SPAN WHEN I WAS HIRED. THIS IS A FOG NOZZLE, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU CAN CHANGE THE PATTERN OF THE WATER FROM A RELATIVELY SMOOTH OR STRAIGHT STREAM INTO A 75 DEGREE FOG FOR YOUR PROTECTION. BEING A TWO AND HALF INCH NOZZLE, THIS CAN FLOW AN AWFUL LOT OF WATER … I BELIEVE THE ERGONOMIC PLASTIC HANDLES WERE JUST FOR ERGONOMICS AND EASE OF HOLDING ON TO THAT. THIS HOSE WAS BIG ENOUGH THAT TYPICALLY ONE PERSON WOULDN’T WANT TO OPERATE THAT BY THEMSELVES, UNLESS YOU’RE A REALLY BIG, STRONG GUY. EVEN EMPLOYING WHAT WAS CALLED THE KEENAN HOSE LOOP AND ACTUALLY ROTATE THE NOZZLE UNDERNEATH, AROUND AND UNDERNEATH ITSELF, UNDER THE HOSE AND YOU WOULD SIT ON THE CROSS OF THE HOSE SO THAT WOULD BEAR ALL THE NOZZLE REACTION AND ALL YOU WOULD HAVE TO DO IS DIRECT THE STREAM … GOOD NOZZLE, BUT QUITE HEAVY AND WE WERE GOING AWAY FROM THESE IN FAVOUR OF A NEWER, PISTOL-GRIP STYLE OF NOZZLE WHERE IT WAS ACTUALLY LIKE A PISTOL HANDLE WITH THE BALE FIXED ON TOP THAT IT JUST GAVE YOU A LITTLE BIT EASIER USE, LESS CUMBERSOME … I NEVER ACTUALLY USED ONE OF THESE EXCEPT FOR IN TRAINING, BUT THEY WERE ON OUR BACKUP ENGINES – THEY WEREN’T FRONT LINE, BUT THEY WERE ON THE BACKUP ENGINES WHEN I STARTED.” DZUREN ADDED: “THERE’S USUALLY EITHER TWO OR THREE GUYS, DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU WERE USING IT. BECAUSE THE PRESSURE ON THAT, YOU HAD TO HAVE FAIRLY HIGH PRESSURE TO HAVE THAT EVEN FUNCTION PROPERLY. SO YOU WOULD NEED TO HAVE ONE GUY THAT WOULD OPERATE THIS TRIGGER VALVE HERE, OR THE SPRAY VALVE, AND SOMEBODY WOULD BE BEHIND YOU MAKING SURE THAT IT DIDN’T GET AWAY ON YOU, BECAUSE IF A HOSE GOT AWAY ON YOU WITH IT RUNNING, IT WOULD … IT COULD BREAK A PERSON’S LEG OR KILL A PERSON … IF IT GOT AWAY FROM THEM.” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

Catalogue Number

P20150010010

Acquisition Date

2015-02

Collection

Museum

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