If you run external suction inlet control valves on your pumper and those valves are outfitted with 4-inch or 5-inch Storz fittings, then a very important adaptor to carry is a Storz to threaded suction hose adaptor. In most cases these days, this is going to be a 4-inch or 5-inch Storz to 6-inch NH male adaptor. The purpose of the adaptor is to allow a second suction line to be brought on-line while already drafting. The better flow choice is to remove the suction inlet control valve altogether, but if that is not really possible because you are already drafting off of a different inlet and you don't want to shut down operations, then the noted adaptor can really help you out in terms of getting the second intake operational.

The photos in this news story are from Ovid, NY (another large loss fire there last week) where the pumper shown operating a fill site during our 2010 seminar used the 5-inch Storz x 6-inch NH male adaptor to complete a drafting operation.

As we have noted many times, in our opinion, a pumper can never carry have too many adaptors.