Ventilation

The Firehouse.com Ventilation product category is a collection of information, product listings and resources for researching various fire service and firefighting ventilation equipment and tools, including ventilation saws, gas and electric powered smoke ejectors and removal fans and fireground ventilation options.
Photos by Jonathan Hall
Knee walls range from 3 feet tall to chest height and often are found in the finished half-stories of dwellings. Half-stories might include a collar tie, which spans the rafters on opposing sides of the structure.
Operations & Training

Engine Essentials: Extinguishing Knee Wall Fires

Nov. 10, 2023
Jonathan Hall says the fire behavior and hazards of a residential fire that involves knee walls require particular approaches to size-up and fire attack to minimize risk to firefighters...
Photo courtesy of Chief Edward Mullen, Perth Amboy, NJ, Fire Department
Lateral and vertical spread are concerns in these types of occupancies. Note the tin ceiling that’s installed above the drop-tile ceiling in this store.
Operations & Training

Fire Studies: Rules of Engagement for Strip Mall & Taxpayer Fires

Oct. 16, 2023
Michael Daley explains the particularly ways by which fires in these occupancies can injure and kill firefighters who work inside of them.
Photo by Scott Carnahan
In the process of carrying out a Milwaukee cut, a firefighter on each of two roof ladders starts by cutting an approximately four-foot vertical seam that runs parallel to each ladder beam that’s closest to the hole location.
Ventilation

Truck Tactics: Ventilation Techniques for Steep Roofs

Sept. 11, 2023
Zachary Brown instructs on how to vertically ventilate a steeply pitched roof from an aerial, from one roof ladder and from two roof ladders.
Photo 2: A common box alarm response to an apartment building fire (four engines, two trucks, one squad, EMS and two chiefs). It’s critical that all apparatus be positioned for the maximum potential of an incident and where later-arriving apparatus will position based on required assessments.
Operations & Training

Command & Control Success: When to Deviate from Foundational Tactics

Aug. 7, 2023
Curt Isakson urges fireground commanders, particularly those with county agencies, to prepare for circumstances that require "graduating beyond the basics of everyday firefighting...
Photos by Robert Policht
Overhead obstructions that you might encounter include power and communication wires. Getting the turntable under the wires makes for the most likely chance of successfully positioning the aerial to the target. That said, you also must consider your terrain (e.g., the sidewalk, a driveway, a grassy area).
Aerial

Maximizing Your Aerial Operational Potential

June 5, 2023
Robert Policht provides instruction regarding how to position an aerial ladder and aerial bucket for rescue, ventilation, master streams, ingress/egress and special situations...