Why Do Firefighters Ventilate The Roof

Remember more heat equals more water.

Why do firefighters ventilate the roof.

Ventilate openings in the roof such as bulkheads skylights or scuttles. Another reason for venting the roof is to see how far the fire has progressed. Yes it does introduce fresh oxygen into the compartment as the fresh air entrains into the plume but with it being performed at the same time as the fire attack ventilation helps limit the fire to just one compartment or room and limits the amount of damage. A firefighter s ladder to roof guide.

The majority of roofing experts agree that ridge vents are the most effective and cost effective roof vents available. One of the fastest avenues through which fires spread is the attic. For an attic fire keep the roof tight i e do not create a hole until you have applied water and temperatures have been reduced in the attic space. It helps the fire burn better.

Heat and smoke rise into the attic where the fire can move quickly. If a large fire is not properly ventilated not only will it be much harder to fight but it could also build up enough poorly burned smoke to create a smoke explosion. Why do we ventilate. There are a few reasons for ventilation.

While hardly anybody agrees on the best roof ventilation system everybody agrees some roof vents do hardly any good at all. First it allows heated gasses to escape from the building and prevents backdrafts and smoke explosions. Vertical ventilation also provides advance over the original fire area to search for and cut off extension of fire. Believe it or not a fire that is efficiently burning is easier to con.

Simply put we ventilate fire to improve interior conditions and to reduce the chances of getting people citizens and firefighters hurt or killed. I have roof vents so i have roof ventilation. However there are many other critical steps that we need to master in order to make roof ventilation an efficient process. Take for example ridge vents.

The most severe event we face from fire is flashover and ventilation needs to be a priority to reduce the likelihood of this occurring. When we talk about roof ventilation we often focus on the cut itself. Back to basics sounding and walking on the roof using roof ladders working from an aerial cutting the hole and punching through.