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Gen. Mike Minihan, Commander of Air Mobility Command, visits the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station June 8, 2024.

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Annual fire hose inspection

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Joseph McKee
  • 914th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station --  Niagara Falls Air Reserve Fire department hydro tests their fire hoses by the flightline. Hydrostatic tests are conducted under the constraints of either the industry's or the customer's specifications. The vessel is filled with nearly incompressible liquid, water in this case and examined for leaks or permanent changes in shape. The test pressure is always considerably higher than the operating pressure to give a margin for safety. This margin of safety is typically 150% or 5/3 of the design pressure, depending on the regulations that apply. Fire hoses are hydro tested to almost double their working pressure to test for leaks or any damage that might have occurred during use. Smaller hoses 1 ¾ -3 inch diameter are tested at 400 PSI while 5 inch diameter supply hose is tested up at 200 psi. Fire hose inspections are performed annually to ensure the hose, coupling assemblies and nozzles will perform as designed. A maximum of 300 feet of hose can be hydro tested at one time. The Niagara Falls Air Reserve Fire department has 10,000 feet of hose. Like all essential equipment testing and maintenance is crucial to safety and mission readiness.