Fire Critic An Unadulterated View of the Fire Service
The Cleveland load (aka Metro load or Roundabout load) is handline load primarily used for high-rise applications from what I have found. Other applications would be when deploying a handline not pre-connected to the engine. For instance, connecting it to a gated 2 1/2″ for apartment fires or other deploys requiring longer attack hose lays away from the engine. In reviewing videos about this load over the past several years, I have seen it primarily used with 1 3/4″ lines. I have trained using the cleveland load before, but it was deployed from a minuteman configuration (bottom video shows that sequence).
Does your department use the Cleveland load? For what applications?
Depending on how your department operates, you might find this load to be useful in certain applications. Some of the benefits of the Cleveland load are:
- Once you reach the point of entry, you can charge the line without flaking it out to keep the hose from kinking once charged.
- The hose deploys from a looped bundle once charged.
- One person can carry the load, freeing others firefighters for other tasks.
The main drawback for utilizing the Cleveland load for high-rise applications is for departments who use 2 1/2″ hose. This is due to the weight of having 100′ – 200′ of 2 1/2″ hose connected in the same load for one person to carry. Whether your department uses the Cleveland load or not, it is always nice to see what other departments are doing and training to see if it would work for you.
The videos below show setting up the Cleveland load as well as deploying. I have incorporated several videos to show variations in setting it up.
