On some CFR/ARFF fire trucks around the airport, you'll often see some of them with a telescoping boom on top of the rig. This telescoping boom has a fire nozzle at the end where water/foam can be pumped through. The boom/nozzle combination is known as a Snozzle, or Snorkel + Nozzle, and also known as an HRET, or High Reach Extendable Turret. A number of these Snozzle booms contain other items near the nozzle at the tip of the boom, such as video and InfraRed cameras. Many also contain a tool called a Skin Penetrating Nozzle on the end, which resembles a pointed spear. The SPN contains many holes within it, such as would be seen on a sprinkler nozzle, and it operates the same.
The design is for CFR crews to be able to penetrate the top of the fuselage of an aircraft with an interior fire, and introduce firefighting agent within in order to put out a fire. On the plus side, it's a great way to get firefighting going inside an aircraft cabin without having to take the time to set up ladders, open up exits, get firefighters inside with handlines, maneuver within the cramped interior around pax who are attempting to evacuate or who are trapped, etc. On the minus side, if the fire is big enough and it isn't venting in any way through, for example, large holes in the fuselage, there could be a significant steam conversion to the pax when the water/foam hits the fire. Though this becomes a choice between being burned to death from the fire, asphyxiated by the smoke/fumes, or steam burnt some from the firefighting.
In practice, the SPN nozzle has been utilized for the first time by the Rural/Metro Fire Department in the accident of Fedex 647 at KMEM in Dec 2003. And was very successful in gaining access to, and fighting the deep-seated fire within the MD-10s cargo hold.
The design is for CFR crews to be able to penetrate the top of the fuselage of an aircraft with an interior fire, and introduce firefighting agent within in order to put out a fire. On the plus side, it's a great way to get firefighting going inside an aircraft cabin without having to take the time to set up ladders, open up exits, get firefighters inside with handlines, maneuver within the cramped interior around pax who are attempting to evacuate or who are trapped, etc. On the minus side, if the fire is big enough and it isn't venting in any way through, for example, large holes in the fuselage, there could be a significant steam conversion to the pax when the water/foam hits the fire. Though this becomes a choice between being burned to death from the fire, asphyxiated by the smoke/fumes, or steam burnt some from the firefighting.
In practice, the SPN nozzle has been utilized for the first time by the Rural/Metro Fire Department in the accident of Fedex 647 at KMEM in Dec 2003. And was very successful in gaining access to, and fighting the deep-seated fire within the MD-10s cargo hold.
