Coordinating Ventilation: Supporting Extinguishment & Survivability
Nicholas Papa
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Ventilation can make or break the outcome of a fire. Successful execution requires an understanding of how it works and the precautions that must be taken. This class defines ventilation and its relationship with fire dynamics, firefighting operations, and most importantly, victim survivability. A universal framework is provided and is applicable to any environment – from the smallest rural town to the largest metropolitan city. With a practical basis of ventilation, participants can streamline their size-up and decision-making process and enhance their performance. By rapidly assessing conditions, prioritizing objectives, and intervening in the most impactful manner, ventilation can be leveraged to its full potential.
Nicholas Papa
Nicholas Papa is a second-generation firefighter with 20 years of experience in the fire Nicholas Papa is a deputy chief with the New Britain (CT) Fire Department, where he has served since 2007, presently assigned as the shift commander of Group B. A second-generation firefighter, he entered the fire service in 2003, volunteering for a neighboring suburb until his appointment to the NBFD. He is the Fire Engineering best-selling author of the book Coordinating Ventilation: Supporting Extinguishment and Survivability, an FDIC educational advisory board member and instructor, as well as a past FSRI technical panelist for the Study on Coordinated Fire Attack. Nick is also the founder of the fire service training and consulting organization, Fireside Training, LLC (www.firesidetraining.org).
