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# Ventilation at High-Rise Fires At some point in every serious fire, you will have to take steps to remove the smoke and heat that build up. Among the options to consider are: * Vertical ventilation up stairways * Horizontal ventilation out windows * Ventilation by means of HVAC or smoke-control...

# Ventilation at High-Rise Fires At some point in every serious fire, you will have to take steps to remove the smoke and heat that build up. Among the options to consider are: * Vertical ventilation up stairways * Horizontal ventilation out windows * Ventilation by means of HVAC or smoke-control systems Any or all of these means may be used, and an option exists to use either natural or mechanical means to move the fire gases. Prior to selecting a ventilation strategy, the fire officer must recall that the following two factors outweigh all others in high-rise ventilation: * Wind * The stack effect Let’s look at the types of ventilation available and the advantages and disadvantages of each. As we have discussed, using the HVAC system can provide beneficial results if it is properly designed and used. This is especially true in cases of relatively small fires that don't justify breaking the sealed windows. A moderate amount of smoke can be handled in this manner — as long as it isn't so hot as to melt fusible links on fire dampers in the ductwork. These fusible links hold the fire dampers in the open position during normal operation, and if they are heated, they release a fire rated barrier that should slow or stop fire travel through the