Mattydale Lay (firefighting)

A Mattydale Lay, also called "cross-lay", "speedlay", and "transverse lay", is a method of storing hose on a fire engine. This method of storing hose is designed for rapid deployment of a hose line to attack a fire. In this manner, the hose is stored perpendicularly across the fire apparatus, usually above or adjacent to the pump panel, instead of the usual parallel storage in the rear. This allows the firefighter to pull the hose in the direction of the fire instead of having to make a turn.

History
The Mattydale Lay was designed in 1947 by Chief Burton L. Eno of the Mattydale, New York Fire Department. It was first installed on a 1939 Buffalo Fire Appliance Corp. "Pathfinder" fire engine.

Use
Most modern American fire apparatus use some sort of variation of the Mattydale Lay. There are several different types of "hose loads" in use, which is the way the hose is folded in the Lay:
 * Accordion load - The hose is loaded so that when it is flat, it is standing on end. The finished load resembles an accordion.
 * Flat load - The flat hose is simply placed in the track, so that it is stacked. Most large supply lines coming off of the back of the fire apparatus are stored using a flat load because of ease of deployment and re-packing.
 * Horseshoe load - Similar to the accordion load, but the whole load is folded in half, resembling a horseshoe. Some departments use a "reverse horseshoe" load.
 * Minuteman load - A special load that allows the firefighter to pull a large section of the hose onto their shoulder and have it drop off (called "paying out") in an organized fashion as they advance towards the fire.
 * "S" load - The hose is folded three times before being loaded. The three-fold resembles a large letter "S".  This method allows all of the hose to be deployed rapidly in an organized manner, and is particularly useful for operating in tight spaces.