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A wired sensor network was created to measure water-flow rate in a fire hose. An integrated electronic piezoelectric (IEPE) accelerometer was chosen as the sensor to measure the flow rate based on the vibrations generated by water flowing through a fire hose. These sensors are small, lightweight, and they can be attached to the outside of the hose, not obstructing the water's flow path. A relationship was determined between the flow rate of the water and vibration detected by the accelerometer for a range of flow rates. The raw acceleration signal was used to calculate two metrics: the dominant frequency and the standard deviation of acceleration. In a future study, the relationship between the dominant-frequency metric and the flow rate will be applied to a wireless accelerometer network. The relationship will be used to determine the real-time fire hose flow rate critical for improving situational awareness on the fireground.

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A wireless sensor network was created to measure water-flow rate in a fire hose. An integrated electronic piezoelectric (IEPE) accelerometer was chosen as the sensor to measure the flow rate based on the vibrations generated by water flowing through a fire hose close to the hose nozzle. These sensors are small, lightweight, and they can attach to the outside of the hose, not obstructing the water's flow path. A relationship between the dominantfrequency metric and the flow rate was applied and used to determine real-time water flow in a fire hose critical for improving fireground situational awareness. A nearly monotonic relationship of flow rate to the dominant frequency was established and then used in a custom graphical user interface for quick, real-time, visual referencing by fire personnel of flow rate in a fire hose. While more work is needed, such as improved physical robustness of the sensor-node assembly and increase robustness of the signal metric, this preliminary study showed the potential of a "smart" fire hose for improved situational awareness during a fire attack.

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