Fire Service Summary Report

The fire dynamics of home fires are complex and challenging for the fire service. Ventilation is paramount to understand for safe and effective execution of the mission of the fire service to protect life and property. Vertical ventilation is especially important because it requires being positioned above the fire and can have a fast impact on interior fire conditions. This research study developed experimental fire data to demonstrate fire behavior resulting from varied ignition locations and ventilation opening locations in legacy residential structures compared to modern residential structures. This data will be disseminated to provide education and guidance to the fire service in proper use of ventilation as a firefighting tactic that will result in reduction of the risk of firefighter injury and death associated with improper use of ventilation and to better understand the relationship between ventilation and suppression operations.