Positive pressure was first used in the fire service to ventilate a structure after the fire was knocked down. Authors Kriss Garcia and Reinhard Kauffmann have taken positive pressure a step further to achieve effective ventilation in coordination with aggressive fire attack, called positive pressure attack (PPA). Properly used PPA allows firefighters great control over the interior environment of a fire building, and starts at the earliest stages of the operation when ventilation can provide the greatest benefit for victims, firefighters, and the structure. With a small investment in equipment and a commitment to training, any fire department can implement PPA at the company level.
Subjects covered in this book include:
- Basics of positive pressure and how to maximize its effectiveness for fireground ventilation.
- PPA: how effective ventilation can be coordinated to support an aggressive fire attack.
- Safety considerations and limitations of PPA and positive pressure.
- Other ways positive pressure blowers can be used to help victims and firefighters in a variety of situations.
- Implementing PPA on a department, and how to train each engine company to become its own firefighting force that can accomplish both ventilation and fire attack.