History

The fire hose was first invented in Ancient Greece in the 1st century BC by Hero, in the basis of Ctesibius’ double action piston pump. Unfortunately like many great inventions of that time, the original used fire hose was largely forgotten until the middle of the 19th century.

Used Fire Hoses

In Holland, Fire Brigade Superintendent Jan van der Heydon and his son Nicholaas built the first modern fire hose in 1673. Made out of leather and sewn together like a boot leg, it allowed for closer approaches and accurate water disbursement. It was heavy, and leaked quite a bit, but was better than old approach of carrying buckets. They also had to be laid out to dry after use, otherwise they would rot.

In the 1860’s fire hoses started to became available to carry water from hand and later steam pumps to fires. In 1895 the heavy leather hoses were replaced by woven linen fire hoses. When the flax fibers of the linen became wet, they would swell up and cause the hose to become watertight. These hoses where unlined, and were eventually replaced by the rubber hose for added durability. Currently unlined used fire hoses are used for interior hose lines, and in forestry applications

After the invention of vulcanization process to cure soft rubber into a more durable, useful product. Rubber hoses (also made famous by the “Welcome Back Kotter” television show in the late 1970s) developed as multi-layer, rubber coated and lined hoses with a fabric-reinforced interior. These hoses were stiff, bulky and heavy, like older leather hoses, but conveniently didn’t leak.

Modern Construction of Used Fire Hoses

Used Fire Hoses

Currently modern fire hoses are constructed with a variety of natural and synthetic fabric combined with elastomers. These modern fire hoses are more convenient; they can be stored wet without rotting, can withstand exposure to chemicals and sunlight, and are much lighter to carry. The modern construction of used fire hoses enables durability that you can use for many different applications in agriculture, construction, industrial and craft uses.

 

At International Fire Equipment, we carry all different sizes, diameters, and types of used fire hoses and accessories that are perfect for all sorts of applications. Please call us today at +1(888) 286-6650 or order online.

2 comments

  • I am creating a hose manual for my department. This is a requirement of the National Fire Academy’s Managing Officer Program. I would like to site this article in my manual but to properly cite the work, I need an authors name please.

    Bennie Kennedy
  • more on greece PLZ ily lol hi thx

    baconboy baggins

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2 comments

  • I am creating a hose manual for my department. This is a requirement of the National Fire Academy’s Managing Officer Program. I would like to site this article in my manual but to properly cite the work, I need an authors name please.

    Bennie Kennedy
  • more on greece PLZ ily lol hi thx

    baconboy baggins
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