Frozen Fire Hoses?

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – It’s well known that water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and that water is the most common substance used to extinguish structure fires.

But what happens when structure fires happen during extreme cold temperatures? Zanesville Firefighter/EMT Khen Kim explains some of the adjustments firefighters make to adapt to the colder weather. 

“Before the winters come, we do hydrant checks where we flush… pump the hydrants out and make sure there’s no water in there, at least three times per hydrant,” Kim said. “So we’re ready if we have a fire during the winter, there’s no freezing water in the hydrants. The engineer of the fire truck, they’re definitely on their game when there’s subfreezing temperature like days. They make sure the pump’s running, like it’s not running too hot (of) water. You know everything, they’re on it everyday to make sure the water’s flowing correctly.”

The turnout gear that firefighters wear works very well during adverse conditions year round. But Kim mentioned special suits that the first responders wear during winter underwater rescues.   

“We call that the Mustang suit,” Kim said. “I believe it keeps your body temperature at like, you know, normal temperature. But when you wear that (when) you’re doing winter water rescue, you can dive down pretty deep. That’s the only way you want to get into the ice when you’re like helping somebody out.”

Kim Noted that one of their biggest fears is responding to automobile accidents during icy conditions because of oblivious motorists not respecting their workspace. Oftentimes fire engines and large equipment are parked differently to provide a barrier between the rescuers and out of control vehicles.