Palm Beach County Fire Rescue SOG 420-05 Ventilation

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the basics, methods, equipment, and safety considerations for mechanical and natural ventilation according to SOG 420-05.

SOG 420-05 Purpose

To provide guidelines that enable Fire Rescue personnel to make sound decisions regarding the use of mechanical or natural ventilation to remove an IDLH atmosphere from a specified area.

Vent for Life Safety

Clearing a contaminated atmosphere from a structure to give occupants a better chance to survive.

Vent for Fire Containment

Releasing a contaminated atmosphere to the exterior to prevent it from spreading throughout the interior of a structure.

Vent for Property Conservation

The principle that ventilation can significantly limit property damage.

Vertical Ventilation

A technique involving openings in roofs or floors that takes advantage of the natural tendency of heat to rise.

Horizontal Ventilation

The use of doors and windows on the same level as the fire; it is described as usually safer and faster than vertical ventilation.

Natural Ventilation

Ventilation that depends on convection currents, wind, and other natural air movements to allow a contaminated atmosphere to flow out.

Mechanical Ventilation

The use of fans or other powered equipment to exhaust a contaminated atmosphere and/or introduce clean air.

Negative Pressure Ventilation

A mechanical method that uses fans to exhaust a contaminated atmosphere from a structure.

Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV)

A mechanical method using fans to introduce clean air into a structure to push the contaminated atmosphere out.

Hydraulic Ventilation

Moving air by using fog or broken-pattern fire streams to create a pressure differential behind and in front of the nozzle.

Super Vac P164 Series

The specific electric fan utilized by Fire Rescue for negative pressure ventilation.

RAMFAN

The high-volume velocity fan utilized by Fire Rescue for positive pressure ventilation, capable of providing up to $13,000\,cfm$.

PPV Placement Distance

The RAMFAN should be placed on the windward side, $4-10\,feet$$ outside the ventilation opening.

PPV Exhaust Opening Size

When selecting an exhaust opening for PPV, it should be $1-2$ times the size of the ventilation opening.

Pre-flashover Signs

The five impending signs are: high heat; thick, turbulent, black smoke; roll-over; uncontrolled fire in the interior; and auto-ignition (vent-point ignition).

Auto-ignition

A condition also known as vent-point ignition of smoke at exhaust openings, which is an impending sign of pre-flashover.