Hose lay

A hose lay or hose load is a preconfigured arrangement of fire hose that facilitates deployment under high-stress, high-danger situations.

A Mattydale lay, also called "cross-lay", "speedlay", and "transverse lay", is a method of storing hose on a fire engine. This method of storing hose is designed for rapid deployment of a hose line to attack a fire. In this manner, the hose is stored perpendicularly across the fire apparatus, usually above or adjacent to the pump panel, instead of the usual parallel storage in the rear. This allows the firefighter to pull the hose in the direction of the fire instead of having to make a turn.

The Mattydale lay was designed in 1947 by Chief Burton L. Eno of the Mattydale, New York Fire Department. It was first installed on a 1939 Buffalo Fire Appliance Corp. "Pathfinder" fire engine.

Most modern American fire apparatus use some sort of variation of the Mattydale lay. There are several different types of "hose loads" in use, which is the way the hose is folded in the lay:

Generally it takes several individuals to build a hose load, at least one on each end. A third person handing the hose to the two individuals on the ends facilitates the process. After the desired length of hose is connected, and sometimes the air removed from the interior with a fire hose vacuum, it is laid in a compartment or hose bed in a predetermined manner depending on the type of lay being built. Almost always the nozzle or female end or both are made easily accessible from the exterior. In the case of a "pre-connect", the female coupling is attached to a discharge on the engine, making deployment even faster.

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