A deluge gun, fire monitor, master stream or deck gun is an aimable controllable high-capacity water jet used for manual
firefighting
Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter.
Firefighters typically ...
or automatic
fire protection
Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of potentially destructive fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, compartmentalisation, suppression and investigation of fire and its related emergencies, as we ...
systems. Deluge guns are often designed to accommodate foam which has been injected in the upstream piping.
Installation
Deluge guns are often fitted to
fire boats,
tug boat
A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...
s, and atop large
fire truck
A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an i ...
s for use in manual firefighting, where they can be aimed and operated by one firefighter and are used to deliver water or foam from outside the immediate area of the fire. Deluge guns are sometimes installed in fixed fire protection systems to protect high hazards, such as aviation hangars and helicopter landing pads. Similarly, facilities with highly flammable material such as
oil refineries
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, li ...
may have permanently-installed deluge guns. Most apparatus-mounted deluge guns can be directed by a single firefighter, compared to a standard fire hose which normally requires several. Deluge guns can be automatically positioned for fixed systems, or may have portable designs. The latter option enables a firefighter to set up the gun to apply water to a blaze, before leaving it in place to attend to other tasks.
Capacity
A deluge gun can discharge per minute or more. A master stream is a
fire service
A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...
term for a water stream of per minute or greater. It is delivered by a master stream device, such as a deck gun, deluge gun, or fire monitor. Master streams are often found at the end of
aerial ladders, tele-squirt nozzles, or monitor nozzles. The high pressure that they require renders them unsuitable for handline use.
Risks
A master stream brings with it many risks when used in an urban setting. A master stream should never be fired into an occupied building, as the force could knock down a supporting wall and crush victims. Also, the steam from the high volume of water delivered could cause a
blowout
Blowout or Blow out may refer to:
Film and television
*''Blow Out'', a 1981 film by Brian De Palma
* ''The Blow Out'', a 1936 short film
* ''Blow Out'' (TV series), a TV series on Bravo
* "Blow Out" (''Prison Break''), an episode of ''Prison ...
or displace oxygen from an enclosed area, creating a risk of
asphyxiation
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can ...
.
See also
*
Standpipe (firefighting)
In North America, a standpipe is a type of rigid water piping which is built into multi-story buildings in a vertical position, or into bridges in a horizontal position, to which fire hoses can be connected, allowing manual application of water t ...
*
Water cannon
A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-velocity stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of meters. They are used in firefighting, large vehicle washing, riot control, and mining ...
*
Water gun
A water gun (or water pistol, water blaster, or squirt gun) is a type of toy gun designed to shoot jets of water. Similar to water balloons, the primary purpose of the toy is to soak another person in a recreational game such as water fight. ...
*
Water salutes, often carried out with deluge guns
References
*
US Patent for improved mobile fire apparatusABS Rules for Steel Vessels 2007 5C.9.11/3 Specific Vessel Types- Chemical Carriers, Fire Protection and Fire Extinction
{{Fire fighting
Fire protection
Firefighting equipment