- John J. Salka Jr. will present the pre-conference workshop, “Five Alarm Leadership” at Firehouse Expo 2023.
Vent enter search (VES) is a decades-old tactic that’s used by firefighters across the country to get into a building in an attempt to search for and rescue trapped or unconscious occupants who are threatened by fire, heat and/or smoke during a structural fire. It was developed to get firefighters into life-harboring areas from exterior entry points rather than from the doorways that normally are used by hoseline and search teams. The tactical advantages to this process are:
- Time. Firefighters enter directly into the intended search area from the window, whether off of a ladder for an upper floor or from the yard for the first floor. This makes for a much faster entry into that area, rather than entering the front door and having to “search” or travel to the area to be searched.
- Safety. Again, firefighters aren’t traveling 20, 30 or 40 feet inside of a burning house in heat and zero visibility before they locate the selected area and conduct a search. Instead, they select a window from the exterior—one that they believe to be, for example, a bedroom window—then vent and then enter that room directly from the outside. There is a much smaller chance of disorientation when entering from the window into a single room to search that room than when entering through the front door and traveling to the area to be searched.
- Air. Firefighters don’t need to go “on air” until they are just about to enter the selected area from the window, rather than using their limited air supply to make their way through the house to get to the target area to begin the search.
- Sidetracked. Firefighters have no chance of encountering a victim or other condition that would prevent them from making it to the intended search area. Other firefighters and search teams who enter through the front door can and should handle those situations.
One among multiple operations
It also must be remembered that VES is just one of the tactical operations underway at, for example, a house fire. For instance, at a two-story private dwelling where the first engine is advancing the attack hoseline into the front door to a kitchen fire on the first floor, the first search team enters the house via the same front door and begins the primary search on the fire floor, assisting the engine with locating and moving toward the fire. The members of the team also search as they move for any trapped or unconscious victims.
If the fire was right at the front door and entry by the members of the search team was slowed, they could resort to VES immediately for either the first or second floor. If there is no delay in getting inside, they can proceed as previously described.
Members of the second search team, using portable ladders, now can initiate VES. They can identify and select windows and begin the process of venting and entering those rooms for a rapid and limited search. Limited means that they will search each of the selected rooms only. That means: vent the window from the ladder; wait momentarily for the smoke to vent or lift; quickly get into the room; immediately locate and close the door to the room to keep the rising heat and smoke from entering the room; search; return to the window; and climb out. That is it. The intent of VES doesn’t include exiting the area or room into the hallway outside and continuing to search. Other areas will be covered by interior teams who ascend to the second floor after they enter the front door or after they complete the first floor search.
After the member climbs out of the window, the VES team rolls the ladder to the next selected window, and the process is repeated.
When the team comprises two firefighters, the firefighters can rotate positions at each additional window, and one can enter while the second member either climbs to the top of the ladder while the search is underway or remains at the butt of the ladder until the searching member climbs down.
Optimal utilization
Remember, VES is designed and is most useful when it’s used to make rapid exterior entry for quick, limited searches in several rooms or areas while other teams search the remaining areas of the involved building.
