Michael Lopez
Firefighter
Clinton Township (MI) Fire Department
All the opinions offered on PPV are very well though out and insightful. One of the problems I see with PPV is that people often blur its use as a smoke-removal tool after knockdown with its use in conjunction with the initial attack line. Your contributors make a clear distinction here.
One of the big issues regarding using PPV with the initial line is staffing. If you have to take two firefighters from one of the first-arriving companies (usually the first truck) to set up the fan, where are these firefighters coming from? Something else has to be getting sacrificed (or you have some impressive company staffing). If the first truck sets up the fan, who is going inside to do the primary search? Who is going around back to vent behind the fire? If it`s an engine company setting up the fan, what are you doing for a water supply? How many people are assigned to the first line?
My department staffs every company with three firefighters. As a company officer, I cannot see where I can spare two people that early in the operation to get the fan. If you wait until a later-arriving company arrives on the scene, the PPV now becomes a smoke-removal tool (the first companies have already entered).
Also, personnel really need to understand PPV before employing it. I have personally witnessed some disastrous results because of a lack of knowledge/training.
Lastly, do not overlook the carbon monoxide issue. My department has experienced some dramatic increases in CO levels from the gas-powered fan. To counter this, we purchased a “tailpipe” extension; however, this after-market tool has had limited success. Many firefighters remove their masks during overhaul when PPV is in operation because the smoke is being cleared. However, the CO levels may remain dangerously high.
