Day 1 focused on Groundscrapers, Modern Construction & Big-Box Buildings all tied together by one operational reality that never blinks – firefighter air supply
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, UNITED STATES, April 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — FDIC International 2026 kicks off the two-day Mid-Rise / High-Rise Symposium beginning April 20, 2026.
Day 1 tackles the built environment firefighters face — from groundscrapers to big box fires — with air supply as the common thread. From the “born, sick, and dying” life cycle of buildings to the operational choke points of long stretches, limited access, staffing demands, and extended work cycles, Day 1 keeps the conversation grounded in what firefighters’ face when the building and the incident outpace the bottle.
The Firefighter Air Coalition, primary sponsor of the symposium, anchors the event’s central message: there’s only so much air in a cylinder—and new technology is changing the equation. The coalition will spotlight emerging solutions, including air standpipe technology, designed to help address air logistics and improve operational endurance in the vertical and expansive environments that define these mega structures.
“Firefighters don’t run out of courage—they run out of air,” said Mike Gagliano, President of Firefighter Air. “As buildings get bigger, more complex, and more demanding, the air problem becomes the common denominator. New approaches like air standpipe systems have the potential to change how we think about sustaining interior operations
Day 1 Featured Sessions & Speakers (April 20)
Buildings Born, Sick and Dying
Gerald Tracy & Jim Kane — Fire Service Industry Experts
Tracy and Kane open Day 1 with a building construction deep dive that tracks how structures evolve over time—and how that evolution changes fire behavior, survivability profiles, and the demands placed on interior crews. Their message to attendees: understanding the building’s “life cycle” is not academic—it directly affects time, workload, and air consumption.
The Modern Groundscraper Mid-Rise Building Fire Attack
Capt. Jimmy Davis (Chicago Fire Department) — Groundscraper / Mid-Rise Fire Attack
Groundscrapers—long, sprawling mid-rise buildings—create unique operational penalties: extended stretches, delayed access to the seat, and longer interior travel distances. Capt. Davis brings a street-forward look at today’s groundscraper fire attack environment and why these incidents can quietly turn into air-management emergencies without disciplined planning.
“Groundscrapers can eat time—and time eats air,” said Capt. Jimmy Davis. “If we don’t treat air like the limited resource that it is, the building will make that decision for us.”
Big Box Fires: Challenges & Obstacles
Capt. Clark Lamping (Clark County Fire / Las Vegas) — Big Box Fires & Built Environment Challenges
Big box occupancies test firefighters with massive footprints, complex layouts, high fuel loads, and long operational durations. Capt. Lamping focuses on the obstacles that routinely slow progress and extend interior work cycles—conditions that intensify the air problem for crews operating deep inside the structure.
“Big box fires punish inefficiency,” said Lamping. “When your work cycle stretches out because the building is working against you, your air plan has to be just as deliberate as your water plan.”
Fire in the Sky – And Now You’re Out of Air
Mike Gagliano — Retired Captain Seattle Fire, co-author of the Rules of Air Management
A recognized leader in air management and SCBA operations, Gagliano closes Day 1 with a plainspoken, firefighter look at what happens when the incident goes long, conditions deteriorate, and the air supply runs short. His session reinforces a core symposium truth: air is time, and time is strategy. It also connects directly to how emerging solutions—including air standpipe systems—may reshape firefighter air logistics for extended operations.
“Air is the one thing you can’t improvise when it’s gone,” said Gagliano. “We have to train and operate like the bottle is a countdown timer—because it is. The good news is that technology and smarter air logistics are starting to catch up with the buildings we’re fighting in.”
Air Supply: The Operational Thread That Connects the Built Environment
Across all Day 1 topics, the symposium will repeatedly return to one question: How do we sustain firefighters in the environments we’re being sent into? Groundscrapers, modern construction features, and big box layouts share a set of operational stressors—distance, duration, disorientation potential, workload, and staffing demands—that all drive faster consumption and harder-to-manage air cycles.
With the Firefighter Air Coalition’s support, attendees will also engage with the evolving conversation around air standpipe technology and other emerging approaches aimed at improving interior endurance, crew safety, and tactical flexibility.
IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND. Without Air – there is no search and rescue, or interior fire attack. This new built environment needs to embrace that if buildings keep getting bigger, the design concept and philosophy for firefighters must be More Air, More Time.
Registration
FDIC International 2026 takes place in Indianapolis, with the Mid-Rise & High-Rise Symposium running April 20–21, 2026.
For registration and speaker details, visit fdic.com**.
About Firefighter Air
Firefighter Air is committed to advancing firefighter safety and operational capability by improving how the fire service thinks about, plans for, and sustains air supply—especially in complex environments where distance and duration challenge traditional SCBA operations. Firefighter Air is helping bring new attention to emerging solutions, including air standpipe systems, to meet the demands of today’s-built environment.
#FDIC2026 #FirefighterAirCoalition #HighRise #AirSupply #Groundscraper**
Shawn Longerich
Firefighter Air Coalition
+1 317-690-2542
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