This page is dedicated to providing firefighters a wide range of information on Positive Pressure Attack and positive pressure methods in general.

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Media &Materials

• PPA Videos On You Tube (A variety of videos on You Tube from past Instructor Academies, fires departments using PPA on fires, description of PPA components, etc. )
• The Original PPV Blower? (1926 Newspaper article describing a blower built and used by the Grand Rapids Fire Department.)
• Measuring Fan Performance
• POSITIVE PRESSURE ATTACK: Suggested Guidelines for Standard Operating Procedures ( 2008, pdf)
• Photos from the March, 2008, Instructor Academy (Gallery 1)
• Photos from the March, 2008, Instructor Academy: (Gallery 2)
• Sample PPA Evolution with Fast Attack (Courtesy Salt Lake City Fire Department, pdf)
• Sample PPA Evolution with Hydrant (Courtesy Salt Lake City Fire Department, pdf)

Articles by Garcia / Kaufmann

• Go Ahead — Blow Smoke (Positive-pressure ventilation and its cousin, positive-pressure attack, are among the best tactics for keeping firefighters safe when dealing with structure fires. By Kriss Garcia)
• Wind-Driven Structure Fires: Adjusting Tactics and Strategies by Kriss Garcia (Trying to combat the hazards associated with wind-driven fires can be alarming for firefighters. But, wind is nothing new; it has been with us from the beginning of time.)
• Index of Articles Written By Kriss Garcia (Articles written for Firefighter Nation on a variety of subjects by Kriss Garcia.)
• Re-creating Fires with Models By Kriss Garcia (Building a model of a structure fire gives firefighters a chance to do it over again)
• What's Holding Us Back? Recognition-Primed Decision-Making (Blog Post at firefighternation.com; pdf of article)
• It's About Time (By Kriss Garcia, Fire Engineering, February, 2010, pdf)
• It's All About Control (By Kriss Garcia, Fire Rescue Magazine, November, 2009, pdf)
• What Would John Wayne Do? (By Kriss Garcia, Fire Chief Magazine blog, September, 2009)
• Pressurized Fire Attack Precautions: THE “BIG THREEE” (By Kriss Garcia and Reinhard Kauffmann, pdf)
• Fire Engineering University
• Porches: Not as Inviting as You May Think (By Kriss Garcia, Fire Engineering, September, 2009, pdf)
• Mind Made Up? (By Kriss Garcia, Fire Rescue Magazine, 2009, pdf)
• Five Days of Fire (By Kriss Garcia, Fire Rescue Magazine, 2008, pdf)
• The Power of Negative Thinking (By Kriss Garcia, Fire Rescue Magazine, 2008, pdf)
• Education vs. Training in Fire Space Control (By Kriss Garcia, Fire Engineering, 2008, pdf)
• Positive Pressure Attack: Questions and Answers (By Kriss Garcia & Reinhard Kauffmann, fireengineering.com, 2007)
• Positive Reinforcement (By Kriss Garcia & Reinhard Kauffmann, Fire Chief Magazine, 2006)
• Letter to the Editor (In response to "Positive Reinforcement," Fire Chief Magazine, 2006)
• Pressure Precepts (By Kriss Garcia & Reinhard Kauffmann, Fire Chief Magazine, 2006)
• The Power of Positive Pressure (By Kriss Garcia & Reinhard Kauffmann, Fire Chief Magazine, 2005)

Other Articles

• Exterior fire Attack With PPA (A fire-ground tactic for minimum-manning response or volunteer fire departments Written by Neil Campbell )
• POSITIVE PRESSURE ATTACK-A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING BY CAPTAIN FRED MCKAY, TORONTO FIRE SERVICE (This article describes the benefits of PPA and acknowledges that it is not a solution for every situation, rather a tool in the tool box. When opening the link scroll to pages 16 & 17.)
• Technique Challenges Conventional Firefighter Training (WCPO.com, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2010; TV news story about the Green Township FD)
• Sublette County (Wyoming) PPA Training (YouTube, October, 2010)
• Video of the American Fork (Utah) Fire Department training with PPA in the Build & Burn training structure (Provo Herald Extra, 2010)
• Go With the Flow: NIST study proves PPV can save lives and improve safety (pdf, Fire Rescue Magazine, 2009)
• NIST Goes Back to School (NFPA Journal, 2008)
• NIST Test Fans the Flames for High-Rise Fire Safety (NIST Tech Beat, 2006)
• NIST Tests PPV in High Rise (Fire Chief Magazine, 2006)
• Fans Clear High-Rise Stairwells of Smoke (NIST Tech Beat, 2007)
• Positive Pressure for a Positive Advantage, Part 1 (Firenuggets.com)
• Positive Pressure for a Positive Advantage, Part 2 (Firenuggets.com)
• Positive Pressure for a Positive Advantage, Part 3 (Firenuggets.com)
• Fire Officials Tackle Challenges of High-Rise Blazes (N.Y. Times, 2008)

Reports

• Effect of Positive Pressure Ventilation on a Room Fire by Steve Kerber & William D. Walton (Fire departments may use ventilation blowers or fans to pressurize a structure prior to suppressing a fire. This pressurization or positive pressure ventilation (PPV) tactic can assist in the venting of smoke and high temperature combustion products and make attacking the fire easier than without PPV. )
• Firefighting Technology Research at NIST (During the past year, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has continued work on many projects and started a few new efforts to improve firefighter safety. In addition to the research projects listed below, the Fire Fighting Technology Group continues to improve the way that information is transferred to the fire service. The biggest change in information transfer this year is a redesigned Web site, www.fire.gov. )
• State Fire Marshall's Office, Firefighter Fatality Investigation, Investigation Number FY 07-02, Captain Kevin Williams, Firefighter Austin Cheek, Noonday Volunteer Fire Department (Texas Department of Insurance, 2007)
• Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Investigation Report: Michele Drive Line of Duty Deaths ( (CCCFPD, 2007) )
• Comments about the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Investigation Report (www.firegeezer.com)
• Residential House Fire Claims the Life of One Career Fire Fighter–Florida (NIOSH, 2001)
• Career Engineer Dies and Fire Fighter Injured After Falling Through Floor While Conducting a Primary Search at a Residential Structure Fire – Wisconsin (NIOSH, 2006)
• Basement Fire Claims the Life of Volunteer Fire Fighter - Massachusetts (NIOSH, 2004)
• Volunteer Deputy Fire Chief Dies after Falling Through Floor Hole in Residential Structure during Fire Attack—Indiana (NIOSH, 2007)
• Simulation of the Dynamics of a Fire in a One-Story Restaurant, Texas, February 14, 2000. (abstract, link to full report, link to full report, NIST, 2002)
• Floor Collapse in a Single Family Dwelling Fire Claims the Life of One Fire Fighter and Injures Another - Kentucky (NIOSH, 1997)
• Career Captain Dies After Running Out of Air at a Residential Structure Fire - Michigan (NIOSH, 2006)
• Volunteer Fire Fighter Killed and Career Chief Injured During Residential House Fire - Tennessee (NIOSH, 2002)
• Warehouse Fire Claims the Life of a Battalion Chief - Missouri (NIOSH, 2000)

Incident Related

• An Evaluation of Positive Pressure Ventilation (A 2006 research paper by David Easter that examines data on the use of PPV in various fire departments to create a SOP for PPV use in the Danbury Fire Department.)
• U.S. Fire Administration index of current national fire statistics and reports. (Click on the fire service tab.)
• Evaluating Positive Pressure Ventilation In Large Structures: School Pressure and Fire Experiments (pdf, NIST, 2008)
• The Wind of Change, A Study Investigating The Implementation Strategies And Usage of Positive Pressure Ventilation In United Kingdom Fire Services (pdf, 2002)
• Characterizing Positive Pressure Ventilation using Computational Fluid Dynamics (abstract, link to full report, link to pdf, NIST, 2003)
• Effects of PPV Attack on Thermal Conditions in a Compartment Downstream of a Fire (abstract, link to full report, springerlink.com)
• Evaluation of the Ability of Fire Dynamic Simulator to Simulate Positive Pressure Ventilation in the Laboratory and Practical Scenarios (NIST, 2006)
• Evaluating Positive Pressure Ventilation In Large Structures: High-Rise Pressure Experiments (abstract, link to full report, NIST, 2007)
• Full-Scale Evaluation of Positive Pressure Ventilation In a Fire Fighter Training Building (abstract, link to full report, NIST, 2006)
• Effect of Positive Pressure Ventilation on a Room Fire (abstract, link to full report, NIST, 2005)
• Advances in positive pressure ventilation: Live fire tests and laboratory simulation (abstract, link to full report, Fire Technology, 1994)
• Positive Pressure Ventilation in Single Medium-Sized Premises (abstract, link to full report, Fire Technology, 2004)
• Use of Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV) Fans To Reduce the Hazards of Entering Chemically Contaminated Buildings, Summary Report (Chem-bio.com, 1999)

Presentations / Training

• Positive Pressure Attack Training (This web site is dedicated to providing information and resources about the use of positive pressure on the fireground. )
• Testing Tactics Scientifically: PPV in Residential Structures (pdf, 2005)
• Extinguishing Chimney Fires with Positive Pressure Ventilation, Instructor Guide (Instructors guide to this topic)
• Positive Pressure Ventilation (Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department, MD, pdf)
• Positive Pressure Ventilation (Delaware State Fire School, pdf, 2001)

Equipment

• Tempest Technology
• Ventry
• Super Vac
• Unifire
• Ramfan
• Rosenbauer (Fanergy)
• Tele-Lite (Tele-Aire)
• Groupe-Leader
• Hale Products Europe (Typhoon Fan)

General Fire Information

• Air Movement & Control Association International, Inc. (AMCA International)
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Everyone Goes Home: Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
• Firefighter Close Calls
• National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System
• Fire Engineering Magazine
• Fire Chief Magazine
• Firehouse Magazine
• FireRescue Magazine
• Fire Engineering University

Miscellaneous

• Chicago FD structure fire and MVU (Chicago FD uses their Mobile Ventilation Unit at a 2-11 Structure fire..)
• Backdraft (Video of a backdraft created in a closed container after all oxygen has been consumed and then using a blower....a situation not recommended for the use of a blower.)
• Positive Pressure Ventilation & Casualty Location (firetactics.com)
• Economic Consequences of Firefighter Injuries and Their Prevention (abstract, link to pdf, NIST, 2005)
• Positive Pressure Ventilation(PPV), Tactical Firefighting Research (Firetactics.com)
• Chicago Fire Department Mobile Ventilation Unit in Action (You Tube video, 2007)
• Tempest MVU at Chicago High Rise Burn Test (You Tube video)
• Moroccan Fire Brigade (You Tube video)
• Truss Identification Signs - for Firefighter Safety (You Tube video)
• www.trussid.com
• Wood Truss Test Burn (You Tube video)
• Preventing Injuries and Deaths of Fire Fighters Due to Truss System Failures (NIOSH, pdf - 1.4mb, 2001)