* Photo: Stan Musilek * What it is: Rosenbauer SelectFlow EN
What it's used for: Keeping firefighters from getting cooked alive
Never try to battle a raging fire with a garden hose. It won't pump out enough water and does nothing to protect you from flashover — that's when fumes seeping out of walls and furniture get so hot they spontaneously ignite. To avoid getting cremated, firefighters pack nozzles like the $600 Rosenbauer SelectFlow EN. A nonslip adjustment lever on the front engages a set of 20 serrated stainless steel teeth, which spin as the water exits the nozzle. This atomizes the stream into 300-micron droplets, creating a blast of fine mist to cool any nearby gases. Once the hose wielder is protected, it's time to unleash the big gun — the SelectFlow's powerful water bore can shoot up to 100 gallons per minute as much as 140 feet away. Perfect for quenching hot spots — or cooling the rhetoric of pesky protesters.
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