BY VINCENT J. WOLFE
You hear it at every fire: “Ladder Company, ventilate the building.” Now, what does this mean to you? What will your thinking be with this assignment? Will you ladder the roof on arrival and automatically begin vertical ventilation at every building fire, or will you step back and look at the structure to find a more efficient way to accomplish the mission at hand?
For years I have wanted to ask people the first thought they have when assigned to ventilation at a fire. Is everybody’s first instinct to perform vertical ventilation? Then what do you do when vertical ventilation is unachievable? Should horizontal ventilation always be the second choice? I hope not.
In dwellings with scuttles, skylights, or bulkheads located above an elevator shaft or stairway, vertical ventilation would be the best option, because these openings are readily accessible and easy to open. Additionally, this also relieves the mushrooming effect of smoke and gases, improving the chances of building occupants for escape, and makes for better conditions in which to begin firefighting tactics.
However, in dwellings without these roof openings or access to them, horizontal ventilation will quickly assist in removing the products of combustion and increase the survival chances of occupants. Ventilating a roof where there are no scuttles, other openings, or practical access in a life safety situation is a time-consuming and personnel-intensive task. Consequently, you must look for the quickest and most effective means of opening up a structure to relieve the interior crews and save the occupants.
DELAYED VENTILATION
At what point do you give up on vertical ventilation? At a residential fire, a ladder company was assigned to ventilate the roof of a single-story, single-family dwelling. After laddering the rear of the building and cutting a hole in the roof at a well-involved house fire, the company reported an additional roof below the opening they just cut (photo 1). Note that during initial size-up, in some dwellings with extensions built onto the original home, the two roof lines may be seen from the side of the structure. This may indicate that there are two roofs below the roof decking. However, there was no such visible indication in this case.
 (1) Photos by Charlotte Fire Investigation Task Force. |
The ladder company proceeded to cut a larger hole to gain access to the lower roof. After venting the second roof, the company reported that the attic space had a complete hardwood floor (photo 2). At this point, it was decided to perform horizontal ventilation.
 (2) |
But since the building’s construction had prevented the timely completion of the vertical ventilation, the active fire inside the building continued to grow. This resulted in a localized flashover in the rear bedroom that vented itself through the windows on the division C side of the structure (photo 3). Feeding on the oxygen introduced by the interior attack crew and the flashover, the fire rolled over the crew as it was advancing the hoseline to the seat of the fire.
 (3) |
As a result, six firefighters became separated from the hoseline and disoriented in the room adjacent to where the flashover occurred, because of the extreme unrelieved heat conditions. All six firefighters eventually exited the building and were transported to the hospital for burn injuries ranging from first-degree burns on the upper torso and arms to second-degree burns to the neck and face.
The delay in achieving ventilation resulted in a localized flashover in the rear bedroom and reached out toward the source of oxygen. Through all of this activity, when would you have changed your tactics on this building?
VENTILATION AND FIRE ATTACK
Horizontal ventilation is the most effective means of ventilating dwellings when the fire does not involve an attic area and the structure does not have roof openings or easy access to such openings. It can work on any floor with windows in the fire area or adjacent area (i.e., high-rise multiple dwellings will need horizontal ventilation). You are still releasing the products of combustion into the atmosphere, improving interior conditions and thus giving the crews operating inside an opportunity to advance on the fire and to save possible occupants.
In many communities today, the ladder company is not the first to arrive at a fire, nor is it the second or third. So in most cases, there already will be two to three companies operating inside prior to the ladder company’s arrival. You must initiate coordinated ventilation tactics earlier in the incident and not just wait for certain companies to arrive to complete the assignments. It may become the standard operating procedure for an assigned engine company to be in charge of outside ventilation when ladder companies are not on the scene.
Firefighters today must look at the building to locate and contain the fire area to the best possible location and remove the windows, window screens, curtains, and blinds from that affected area in conjunction with an attack team advancing a hoseline into the fire area. Effective radio communication is a must when coordinating the interior and exterior operations. Knowing when the attack team has a charged hoseline in place and is ready for ventilation will ease the operation and prevent any premature actions by the attack or ventilation team.
Overall, the United States fire service predominately favors fast, aggressive interior fire attack. However, as a result, we are sending firefighters into the structure without any ventilation except for the open front or back door through which the attack team entered the building.
We must implement an aggressive ventilation attack together with the placement of attack teams with charged hoselines into the fire area. By initiating horizontal ventilation in the fire area, we can reduce the possibility of a flashover or a backdraft occurring while firefighters are operating inside. It will also help in reducing fireground firefighter injuries and fatalities.
SURVEYING LOCAL CONSTRUCTION
If your building construction knowledge is based solely on the two days it was covered in probie school, you cannot realistically expect to recognize all of these hazards out on the streets. You have to get out and survey your response area and look for hazardous building conditions that could possibly result in a structural failure.
With lightweight construction, prefabricated trusses, slate tile shingles, and metal residential roofs becoming more common in new construction, roof failure is certain in today’s structure fires. Firefighters may have only an eight- to 10-minute window in which to complete any type of roof operation before structural failure is imminent. Because of increasing construction costs, builders are using lighter and less expensive construction methods and other shortcuts to save time and money. Firefighters must recognize these fireground dangers to survive.
Look for indicators of the building’s age and condition, such as cracks running through walls, wall reinforcements, and tie-rods. Identify abandoned buildings and structures with freestanding walls; large, open floor plans indicating truss construction; structural additions; and alterations.
How old are the buildings in your response area? Are there any that are 50 to 100 years old? If so, what kind of fire conditions can you expect from these structures? They might be of balloon-frame construction, which are susceptible to rapid fire spread from the lower to the upper stories through unobstructed stud channels. In the lightweight construction, rapid fire spread is also possible, and if structural members are weakened, collapse is possible much earlier in the incident. Also look for possible structural instability, indicated by reinforcing members and cracked or spalled masonry walls resulting from a previous fire or weather damage.
Tour your commercial occupancies frequently to see any possible changes, alterations, or additions that may have occurred. This will enable you to become familiar with the building’s interior layout, predict the fire spread and smoke movement in the building, and plan an appropriate ventilation strategy.
Perform area surveys of your residential buildings to address possible interior layout and access problems for the entire structure. Note any new additions and the problems they may pose to operations in an incident. Observe the locations and sizes of windows around a structure, which may indicate the building’s layout.
Pay special attention to any new construction going on in your district; this is an opportunity to observe construction methods and see what holds these buildings together. Knowing the construction methods used will allow you to better prepare for an incident at these locations.
With all the information gathered and today’s advanced communications systems, you can have your dispatch centers place address alerts or note hazardous conditions on the buildings in which you find potential hazards, which can be passed along to all responding companies. Some departments have laptops in the chief’s vehicles and in the fire companies, allowing company officers to review building information and any associated hazards while en route. This will be very valuable to the initial incident commander for size-up and decision making throughout an incident.
Horizontal ventilation is not a new tactic, but it hasn’t been used to its fullest potential over the years. More people can be saved by proper horizontal ventilation than vertical ventilation on buildings without roof openings. This will allow you to bring these incidents quickly and safely under control, reduce fire damage, and improve your department’s professional image.
VINCENT J. WOLFE is a fourth-generation firefighterand a member of the Charlotte (NC) Fire Department, assigned to Engine 39. He has served in the fire service for nine years, previously serving with the Hope Mills (NC) Fire Department. Wolfe is a North Carolina fire instructor II and is working toward an associate degree in fire science.
