Question: What are the reasons for tactical ventilation?

Answer: Reducing interior heat levels

Decreasing rate of fire spread

Reducing potential extreme fire behavior

improving interior visibility

improving firefighter efficiency

improving victim survival potential

reducing smoke damage and property damage

Question: What considerations will affect the decision to ventilate?

Answer: Risk to occupants and firefighters

Building construction

Fire behavior indicators

Location and extent of the fire

type of ventilation

location of ventilation

weather conditions

exposures

staffing and available resources

Question: What are the basic means used to accomplish ventilation?

Answer: Natural ventilation (natural wind flow), Mechanical Ventilation (fans and smoke ejectors) and Hydraulic Ventilation.

Question: How do smoke, air flow, heat, and flame impact fire behavior in a structure?

Answer: They act as indicators for fire behavior. Reading the fire and understanding the effects of changes in ventilation is essential to effective tactical ventilation and fire fighter safety.

Question: What differences are there between horizontal and vertical ventilation?

Answer: Horizontal ventilation channels heat horizontally out of a structure while vertical ventilation channels heat vertically within the structure out the top.

Question: How do the advantages and disadvantages of natural, mechanical, and hydraulic ventilation compare to one another?

Answer:

Question: What are the main types of horizontal ventilation?

Answer:

Question: What are the types of vertical ventilation?

Answer:

Question: What other types of ventilation situations might firefighters encounter?

Answer:

Question: How can a built-in heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system affect tactical ventilation?

Answer: