SOP Manual - Cleveland Fire Department

Cleveland Fire Department
Operations Manual
Means of Ventilation
Forced, mechanical or positive pressure ventilation is usually accomplished through the use of smoke
ejectors (fan), fog streams, or blowers.
1. Smoke Ejectors
a. Fan Placement
Fans are most effective when placed where they tend to increase natural air flow. They
should, therefore, be positioned in windows, doorways, roof openings, basement
openings, or openings that have been made to ventilate the building.
When a fan is positioned in a window or doorway, all shades, drapes, blinds, curtains and
screens should be removed to eliminate restriction of airflow. If possible, the open area
around a fan should be closed with salvage covers or whatever materials are available;
this increases the fan’s efficiency by directing air to and through the opening and by
preventing smoke from reentering.
Firefighters must be careful when positioning fans not to exhaust smoke into congested
areas. Fans must be placed so no smoke is blown into the open windows of nearby
buildings or into the intakes of heating and cooling systems.
b. Fans in Tandem
2. Fog Streams
Fans can be especially effective when used in pairs. When two (2) fans are being used to
exhaust smoke, one should be placed near an outside opening so it blows smoke out of
the building; the other should be positioned inside the room so it blows smoke toward the
first fan.
Two fans can also be positioned to exhaust smoke and draw in fresh air at the same time.
The exhaust fan should be mounted high in a ventilation opening where smoke and gases
have collected. The intake fan should be lower, at floor level if necessary, so that working
firefighters will benefit from the fresh air.
Fog streams can be used to start ventilating immediately after the fire has been knocked down in a
room. For this, the stream must be directed out of a window in such a way that it draws out the
remaining smoke and gases.
The stream should be positioned so the fog pattern covers most of the window opening. This
usually means that the nozzle should be held a few feet inside the window.
Fog stream venting should be a short term operation. If the operation is obviously ineffective in a
particular situation, other venting techniques should be used.
Effective: June 1, 1997 Revised: 5/14/2009 Page | 205
Approved by: Chief Chuck Atchley