Smooth vs. Fog Nozzles: Are We Still Having This Debate?

In this week’s #HumpdayHangout, Rick Lasky, Scott Thompson, Terry McGrath, and John Salka weigh in on the seemingly eternal smooth bore vs. fog nozzle debate among firefighters.
#FETalk

[@taylor_smith]

I feel like a fly on the wall getting to listen to some salty fireman sitting around the kitchen table just discussing the subject. Awesome conversation! Thank you for this video.

[@matthewgromelski223]

Gentleman, I always enjoy your table talks! You gotta do your own research and take an internal look at your department and first due needs. Nozzles flow water and put out fire, it’s that simple. A true nozzle man will use either nozzle type and put the fire out. I love the guys who LOVE SB’s but can’t ventilate with them. On the flip side I love the anti-fog guys who won’t use a fog nozzle on anything expect a car fire because the variable pattern might require two or more brain cells to operate lol.

[@lynskeyti9940]

We are running chief 150 @50 breakaway tip with 15/16 tip behind..... your choice which you use

[@hvjcvhfjv]

Hey there! We used those exact nozzles for a few months at my department and then realized we weren’t getting the correct gpm out of the fog nozzle (I’m assuming because of the SB slug behind the fog tip. We ended up buying new bales and putting dedicated SB tips 4:21 or fog nozzles on them. Just an FYI!

[@brofessormex]

I'm digging my heels in on innovation. Hope everyone stays well.

[@JB91710]

I hopped through this and couldn't listen to more than 20% before I realized that this talk is no different than what I have heard from humans for my 73 years. "This works for me." or "This is right and that is wrong." with no explanation for why and how. You can't teach of convince someone of your point of view by just saying, "It is" without explaining why it is. Why does a smooth bore work better than an adjustable nozzle or vice versa? How is combustion eliminated better with one or the other? How are gasses cooled better with one or the other? A smooth bore nozzle is a one blade knife with limited usage. An adjustable nozzle is a Multi Tool that can do everything that is needed including reaching the same distance as a smooth bore and applying the same amount of water on one spot. Like most things in life, humans tend to over think things. They make them way more complicated than is necessary. Heat and steam are only an issue if your initial attack is from the interior. The vast majority of fires are single family residential in nature. Every livable space in the structure has at least one egress window. That means you can find the fire from the outside. You pull a charged line to the windows, break them out to create a Pressure Release Location, which allows the heat and gasses a direct route out of the structure and away from unburned areas. Without blocking the PRL, you soak down the Visible Burning Material with tank water and cool the gasses while still allowing them to escape out the windows. You adjust the nozzle to cover the majority of the burning material while still being able to penetrate the energy of the fire. By the time this has been accomplished, an entry team has been assembled, gotten fully dressed and have the front door open. Now, the victims and firefighters have a much safer structure to be in and you can use an adjustable cone of water to cover as much material as possible while using the least amount of water. Steam and heat are not an issue if you stop combustion quickly and cool the gasses and allow them to leave the premises before you go inside.

[@shanestamball1886]

The number 1 issue with a smooth bore, is if or when you get STUCK in a fully involved room. The last thing you want is a nozzle that has zero curtain protection. A PW works great with a thumb over the tip. Do you think you can one handed hold a 50psi line and put your other hand over a 7/8" tip flowing 160 and keep your glove on? Or getting a protection curtain where its needed? Maximum gpm only puts out fire if you get it directly on the base of the fire. There's a lot of pros but there is likely more cons to only be using smooth bore.