Sanford Firefighters Train on Vertical Ventilation

Sanford, Maine — September 19 — Sanford Fire Department firefighters practiced vertical ventilation skills using a local resident's building, as such training is hard to recreate in a classroom. 

D Shift members carried out vertical ventilation, the fireground tactic involving openings in a roof to release heat, smoke, and fire gases. If conditions and fireground strategy support its use, ventilation can improve interior conditions and assist crews working to locate and remove occupants and control the fire. 

The department thanked the resident who made the building available for training. Access to real structures gives firefighters opportunities to practice equipment use and roof operations in settings that more closely resemble those they may encounter during emergency responses.