Nearly two years ago my fire department was operating at an exercise where a 6" pre-con valve suddenly came apart and along with the hose moved a considerable distance from the suction intake of the engine it was attached to. I am not sure of the specifics or what water pressure the valve was under. You can see in pictures that I have of the valve that the valve had significant damage due to corrosion. The corrosion was most likely a result of about 18 years of exposure to "hard water" water in our public water system. The valve has been pre-connected to the engine since it was new in 1989. Please contact me if you would like the photos of the pre-con valve mailed to you.

Lessons Learned: We spend a lot of money every year testing our hose, but seldom test our appliances per NFPA standards. In addition to the safety hazard of flying pieces or whipping hose when a valve fails, the failure may result in the loss of water pressure to firefighters operating inside a building. Frequent leaks in apparatus piping and fittings is one indication that you could have a problem caused by corrosion. Relief valves on LDH appliances need to be exercised often to ensure their operability. In addition the relief valve setting needs to be checked to ensure that it operates at no higher than your typical expected maximum water pressure. Any time LDH appliances are dropped they should be static tested. Fire departments should consider not pre-connecting these appliances to LDN, as they often get dropped hard into the street when hose is laid out. Take the time to attached the appliance after the hose hits the street or ground.