Coordinating Ventilation: Supporting Extinguishment and Survivability, 2nd ed.

By: Nicholas Papa

In this significantly expanded Second Edition, Nicholas Papa—firefighter, instructor, and author—delivers a deeper, more refined exploration of ventilation as a fireground support function. With clarity and operational focus, Papa explains how to apply ventilation not as a standalone tactic, but as a coordinated action that improves firefighting operations and victim survivability. 

Blending fireground experience with fire dynamics research and case study data, this updated edition provides additional content. Papa addresses specific conditions and factors that can alter the ventilation profile, the supplemental use of thermal imagers, identifying and operating in specific dwelling types and layouts, the impact and optimal deployment of fire streams, and the human factor. Whether you are in a small rural town or a dense urban city, this book offers a universal framework for effective and efficient performance on the fireground. 

 
What’s new in the Second Edition: 

• Wind-impacted and below-grade fires  

• Integration of thermal imagers 

• Multiple-dwelling occupancy types 

• Human performance and decision-making 

• Size-up and residential occupancy layouts  

• Water mapping and air entrainment 

Key features: 

• Lessons learned from actual incidents  

• Findings from the latest research studies 

• Data from civilian rescue surveys  

• Guiding principles and practices for the fireground  

• Fusing the art of firefighting with the science of fire dynamics 

Check out the first edition of Coordinated Ventilation: Supporting Extinguishment and Survivability! 

*****

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

1. The Drill Ground versus the Fireground
2. Fire Dynamics
3. Ventilation Defined
4. Ventilation Objectives and Principles
5. Operational Methods
6. Operational Practices
7. Size-Up and Decision-Making
8. Chapter Review Answers
9. Additional Guidance

Postface

Glossary

Additional Resources

Notes

Index

About the Author