SAFETY BULLETIN #4

THE BATTLING BRESNANS

Distributor – A device that is attached to a hose line and used to deliver a diffused (broken) stream of water at a point where ordinary hose lines and nozzles cannot reach or cannot be effective. Distributors are used on fires in inaccessible areas, primarily in dust collectors and basements. They may also be used in attic fires, cocklofts, etc.

Use: The use of a distributor requires cutting a hole in the flooring approximately 10” x 10”. (Or gaining access through the top of a dust collector or bin) A gate valve is placed one length back (50’) to allow for the distributor to be attached and the control of the flow. Once attached to the end of a 2 ½” or 3” hose line, the distributor is lowered into the fire area, clearing the beams or any other obstructions and remaining at such a height as to be effective. The most common way to insure this is to lower the distributor into the opening until it strokes the floor (or stock or product) and then raise it halfway back up between that point and the bottom of the floor that you lowered it from.

This Elkhart Bresnan Distributor (Model Number 193-9) is a true Bresnan. It has a 2 ½” female coupling and a rotating head which houses nine (9) orifices. Three (3) orifices are .625”, three (3) orifices are .562” and three orifices are .5”. These openings point in different directions and form a full water pattern with approximately 75% of the water distribution delivered in a downward direction. The maximum effective radius is approximately 15 feet in all directions.