The Conductive Performance Assessment Apparatus: The Design and Development of a Rigorous Conduction Test for Fire Attack Hoses

Recent events have shown that fire attack hoses are burning through on the fire ground, leaving firefighters without water and putting their lives at risk. To address this concern, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is contemplating how to revise its standard to include a more rigorous thermal performance test for fire hoses when no rigorous standardized tests currently exist. The Conductive Performance Assessment Apparatus was designed and created for this exact purpose, to expose hoses to conductive heat transfer at intensities similar to those found on the fire ground. If adopted into the national standards, this apparatus will eventually be used to test all new hoses entering the fire service