Editor’s Note: This article kicks off a new FireRescue1 audience series, Inside the Hosebed, where firefighters share how their engines are set up — and why.
Across the country, departments solve similar challenges in different ways based on staffing, first-due areas, apparatus space and local response needs. By showcasing real-world hosebed layouts from the field, we hope to create a practical library of ideas firefighters can learn from, compare against and adapt for their own operations.
If you’d like to have your engine featured, we want to hear from you. Submit your photos and details to: editor@firerescue1.com. Please include “Inside the Hosebed” in the subject line.
HYATTSVILLE, Md. — The Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department in Prince George’s County operates two engines — a 2020 Seagrave Capitol Cab and a 2011 Pierce Arrow XT. Each has the same hosebed arrangement and tools.
Left to right:
- 400ft 1¾ (150ft/150ft/100ft) with a breakaway smooth bore nozzle with a ⅞" tip, 160 GPM
- Reverse lay 1,000ft 3" supply (850ft flat/150ft accordion) gated wye w/ 3" male to male Adapter
- Forward lay 1,000ft 3" supply (950ft flat/50ft layout). Layout Pack: Rope hose tool, hydrant wrench, male/male adapter
- 300ft 1¾" (100ft/100ft/100ft) with a breakaway combination nozzle, 150 GPM
- 300ft 2" (100ft/100ft/100ft) with a breakaway smooth bore nozzle with a 1" tip, 210 GPM
The Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department’s first-due area is a mix of residential and commercial stock, varying from Cape Cod-style single-family dwellings and garden-style apartments to residential and commercial high-rises as well as townhomes.
Just outside Washington, D.C., the department’s response area stretches from Takoma Park to Lanham, Bladensburg, Riverdale, College Park, Chillum and Mount Rainier, providing firefighting, rescue, extrication, prevention education and EMS.
The department is part of the larger Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department, a combination service staffed by volunteers after 3 p.m. on weekdays and around the clock on weekends and holidays, with county career firefighters and EMT/paramedics covering 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hyattsville hosts college students through a rent-free bunkroom program in exchange for staffing.
Want to have your engine featured in FireRescue1’s Inside the Hosebed?
Send us your photos and details at editor@firerescue1.com. Be sure to include:
- Hoseline size, length and nozzle tip, listed from left to right
- Information about your first-due area and any unique response considerations
- Why your hosebed is set up the way it is
- Clear, focused photos with permission from your department to share
Submissions don’t need to be long or polished — we’re looking for real-world setups and the thinking behind them.
All submissions are reviewed by FireRescue1 editors before publication. Content should reflect your department’s experience and follow standard professionalism and safety considerations.
