Ventilation Practices

• When appropriate, members working in a smoke filled environment will ventilate as they go.
• All ventilation actions must be carefully coordinated with fire suppression efforts.
• In critical rescue situations the first arriving company will immediately ventilate the structure from the outside
• Vertical ventilation will be accomplished prior to entry into a facility in which backdraft conditions are suspected.
• Upper floor windows will be removed using a ladder or a pike pole.
• When performing roof work, crews will utilize roof ladders.
• All tools necessary for roof ventilation will be in place before starting the work.  Power saws will be start-tested prior to being raised to the roof.
• When possible, ladders being placed to a roof will have three rungs extended above the roofline for visibility.  Ladders are never moved until everyone that went up the ladder is off the roof.
• A secondary escape route will be provided.
• Crews will step down onto roofs, not up to them.
• The first fire fighter on the roof will carry an axe to sound the roof.
• The officer in charge will designate a “roof division” officer prior to initiating a roof operation and ensure the officer has a portable radio.
• The Incident Commander shall determine whether positive pressure ventilation should be used in a fire attack situation
• The IC shall advise the unit officer at which entrance to place the blower.
• The IC shall ensure that there is an appropriate ventilation exhaust point.
• The unit officer shall ensure that the blower is placed properly and started in coordination with the attack line entering the building.

July 2003