There is a reason research shows that many firefighters call in sick on hose testing day. They hate doing it. Hose Testing is dangerous if handled in house because of the strain placed on your equipment. Waterway can perform all aspects of the hose testing process and will test on equipment specially designed to test fire hose.
Recently, a department that now employs Waterway's services suffered $70,000 worth of damage to vital equipment by testing hose on their own engines. During a drill night while the driver was bringing the pressure up in the hose that was being tested, the engine started to shake and bang. The impellers in the pump overheated and cracked the $35,000 pump housing. In an effort to complete the task, the chief ordered another engine to the test site, hooked the hose up and attempted to repeat the process. You guessed it; engine #2 was also damaged.
Fire hose testing takes up more time and effort than just about any other task on drill days. With families at home and two full time jobs, a volunteer firefighter's time is better spent on tasks other than testing fire hose. By employing Waterway's expertise, you can save your team hours and sometimes days of drill time.
In case of property damage or loss of life during a fire fighting operation that suffered from equipment failure, your department may be scrutinized. You could be held liable for malfunctions due to improper testing, personnel training, gauge calibration, and more. Post-911, a lot of scrutiny has been placed on the daily operations of the fire service. Be prepared by entrusting Waterway to handle all of your fire hose testing requirements.
Identifying each hose length and recording test results provides your department with an organized catalog of your routine testing, limiting liability. It also prevents accidental use of a failed hose. Without proper records, all the effort that was put into the testing process goes to waste. Record keeping becomes the most important aspect of hose testing. Well maintained hose test records can be used for new hose purchasing plans. You will have on-line access to your hose records 24/7.
O.S.H.A., I.S.O. & N.F.P.A regulation compliance is complicated and confusing. In an effort to be compliant with fire hose testing standards, it is genuinely valuable to have a third party test your fire hose and record the results. Waterway will take all the guess work out of hose compliance. With decades of experience in the fire service, Waterway founders know firsthand that your men have more important tasks at hand than testing fire hose. Fire hose is put back on your truck in our parade style pack or your own initial unique style.
Waterway has been audited and certified in all of our functional areas. The ISO certification included all processes, procedures, documentation, equipment calibration, customer quality and customer feedback areas.
Waterway has implemented a defect cause analysis system for preventive and corrective action for continued quality improvements and customer satisfaction.
Waterway is NOT a simple pump and truck operation but a value added company. We are the ONLY ISO Quality Certified hose testing company in the USA.
"Waterway has tested the complete hose inventory for the Seaside Heights Fire Department since 1995. We look forward to their arrival each year to test the hose because we know the hose is going to be tested properly and put back on our apparatus so perfect that we are reluctant to take it off for a fire call. Great bunch of guys, wouldn't consider using any other company.
