I’ve heard many firefighters while discussing a door with multiple locks say, “I’ll just go for the hinge side.”  If this is not something you have ever done before you are in for a real surprise when you try it.

I was going to write about: when and why to force the hinge side, sizing up the hinge side, and door control when forcing the hinge side but I think those items are better left for the discussion portion of this drill.  This drill will cover the technique of pulling the hinges using only the irons and then we’ll discuss the rest to make it more interactive and interesting.

Once you have decided that you are going to force the hinge side of the door you will typically have three hinges to pull.  Start with the top hinge.  This a good idea because the smoke will be pushing from the top of the door and taking the top hinge will allow you to take the middle and lower hinge below the smoke and heat.  Also, anyone who has done any construction or mechanical work will tell you that working with your hands above chest level for any period of time gets tiring very quickly.  Taking the top hinge first allows you to work in this difficult position at the beginning of the operation while you are still fresh.  Place the fork of the halligan under the bottom of the top hinge with the bevel side towards the door.

Next, the striking firefighter will hit the halligan with the axe as directed by the halligan firefighter.  The objective of hitting the halligan is to loosen up the hinge and hopefully break the screws holding the hinge into the door and the jam.  Be sure to “cross your tools” while striking the halligan.  The striking surface of the axe should come in contact with the halligan perpendicular to the adz, this increases surface area and lessens the likelihood of missing.  As you can see from picture 1 this is not a normal striking position that we are used to with the irons which makes accuracy even more important to avoid injury.  After loosening or breaking the screws by striking the halligan pry up on the halligan to pull the hinge from between the door and the jam.

Make no mistake about it, this is not easy especially on the top hinge.  Usually the hinge will pull about half way out using the halligan in this manner.  Next flip the halligan over and place the fork under the bottom of the hinge with the concave side toward the door this time to increase leverage and pry up to pull the hinge completely out.  One down, two to go!

Next, attack the middle hinge.  If you put the fork of the halligan over the top of the middle hinge the adz will be roughly where the top hinge was, which is too high to strike down on.  (Let the short jokes begin)  If you place the fork of the halligan under the bottom of the middle hinge the adz end will be roughly where the bottom hinge is which leaves only about a foot between the adz and the ground.  This is not enough space to strike the adz with the required force to loosen or break the screws holding the hinge in place.  For the middle hinge the adz is placed on top of the top hinge and then struck with the axe by the striking firefighter at the direction of the halligan firefighter.

Once the hinge is loosened up then place the fork of the halligan over the hinge either from the bottom or the top with the bevel towards the door and pry up.  As with the top hinge this will usually pull the hinge about half way out.  Then you can flip the halligan over and place the concave side against the door to increase leverage and pry the hinge completely out.  Two down, one to go!

The bottom hinge (I think) is the easiest which is part of the reason it is saved until last.  Place the fork of the halligan over the top of the bottom hinge with the bevel side against the door.  The striking firefighter then hits the halligan with the axe at the direction of the halligan firefighter just as was done for the other hinges.  This is the most natural striking position so it is best saved until last when you are fatigued from striking and prying the other two hinges.  After the screws are loosened or broken pry down on the halligan to pull the hinge.

Just as with the top and middle hinge once the hinge is pulled half way out flip the halligan over concave side towards the door and pull the hinge completely out.  Now that all three hinges are pulled the job is not done!

Now you have to force the hinge side of the door just as you would the lock side of an outward opening door.  Normaly you would begin by setting your halligan six inches above or below the lock but in this case there is no lock so go six inches above or below where the middle hinge was.  Place the adz of the halligan against the crack between the door and the jam.  Then the striking firefighter hits the halligan in at the direction of the halligan firefighter until it hits the door stop.  You will know you hit the stop when the halligan stops moving and you should be able to hear the halligan deaden out when it hits the stop.  Next the halligan firefighter pries up and down with the halligan to crush the door a little bit.  Then the halligan firefighter pulls back (away from the door) on the halligan so the adz clears the door stop and the striking firefighter drives the halligan the rest of the way in.  Finally, pry out away from the door with the halligan to pry the door out of the frame.

Quite a few steps and a LOT of effort are required to perform this operation.  It is a valuable and basic tactic that can be done with hand tools and a little determination.  There are certainly other tools usually available on the fire ground that can make this operation faster and easier.  Knowing how to get the job done with basic tools and basic skills can never be over emphasized and will never fail you.

If you are prepared, you will be confident, and will do the job.

Things are not always what they seem, this door is a good example of that. This door is on a private dwelling on the side of the house. The door is hollow core metal and the frame is wood. What looks like a fairly easy door to take with conventional forcible entry techniques may cause some unexpected delays during forcible entry operations.

The interior view reveals that the door has been covered over with plywood and then drywall. Covering doors in private dwellings is nothing new but what makes this one different is the fact that they kept the window of the door present and are using it as an interior window. This door would still be very “doable” with conventional forcible entry techniques, but it may be tougher than you may think when you go to force it. This is a great door to show the firefighters that always say “just smash out the glass and unlock the door”.

This door is a great example of the fact that you can never take anything for granted, you must always be prepared to force the toughest door of your career every time you get off the rig at a fire because the day you are not fully prepared is the day that you will encounter a door that will test your skill, knowledge, experience, and preparation…….. and all of those things come back to your level of training!!

After locating a downed firefighter the packaging and removal process of the firefighter will be the next step. Packaging and removing a downed firefighter will without question be one of the toughest and most stressful operations that a firefighter will ever have to do in his/her career because we are now rescuing one of our own, the patient is no longer a faceless person but a fellow colleague and fellow brother.

After locating the downed firefighter a rapid and thorough size up of not only the patient but of the scene and conditions of the area were crews will be operating can make or break your RIT operation. A failed size up can lead to costly time delays or even worse causing your RIT team to be caught in a potentially life threatening situation (i.e. floor collapse, wall collapse, flashover, etc.)

Once the downed firefighter is located the RIT officer can start doing his/her size up, part of the RIT size up can include the S.A.F.E.S. acronym.

S- Size Up

Not only must the downed firefighter be sized up but the surroundings and location must be sized up as well, the use of a thermal imaging camera will pay huge divides in this situation. Things you want to look for in your size up should include:

Ø      Location of the firefighter

Ø      Conditions (fire and or heat) in the immediate area

Ø      Condition of the downed firefighter (is he or she breathing? Is there face piece still on? Are thy pinned or entangled?

If you do not have a TIC or the TIC is rendered useless due to fire conditions or a malfunction of the camera the size up will have to be done largely by feel. If the TIC does malfunction the RIT officer should call for an additional one to be brought to there location immediately should one be available. A TIC is an asset during the size up, that can sometimes be used to establish weather or not the downed firefighter is breathing. If the firefighter is passing air through the SCBA (breathing) the air bottle should be cold, this will cause the air bottle and air line to show up dark on the image from the TIC. This is not going to happen all the time based on fire/heat conditions and the downed firefighter exposure to heat or fire. As with all use of the thermal imager the user must be able to interpret what they are seeing in the image based on the fire/heat conditions around them.

You also want to get a sense of what kind of condition the downed firefighter is in:

Ø      Are they entangled? – do we have wire cutters to cut them out?

Ø      Are they pinned underneath something? – are we able to free them with the tools, equipment, and man power we have?

Ø      Do they have a face piece on? Is the SCBA or face piece they have on damaged? – do we have a way of getting this firefighter air? Do we have a new mask?

You also want to pay close attention to the fire and or heat conditions around the area of operation, is the area tenable, can we maintain an air supply to the victim and is there extra time to properly package the patient? Or are conditions rapidly deteriorating and we must remove the patient as quickly as possible? Remember the TIC may not give you a good indication of rapidly deteriorating conditions, only you experience and senses will give you a true sense of the heat conditions.

A- Assessment

Once you have located the downed firefighter you will want to complete a quick, proper, and thorough assessment of the firefighter to be removed. The best way to do this is to sit the firefighter up, one firefighter in behind the downed firefighter and on in front. Once you have the firefighter in position you can start your assessment, using the acronym

M. A. B. C. you can size use the air needs of the downed firefighter.

M- Mask- is the firefighters mask and regulator on and in place? Is it melted? Is it leaking air? There is not much point in attempting to transfill the firefighter’s air if it is going to leak out. Does this firefighter need his/her face piece changed out?

A- Air Exchange- Is the firefighter exchanging air (breathing)? The best way to tell this is to hold your breath and get your ear down towards the exhalation valve of the face piece.

B- By Pass- does the firefighters By Pass work?

C- Cylinder Pressure- What is the cylinder pressure of the downed firefighter? Do you need to transfill there air supply?

If the firefighter is found without there face piece on I would recommend utilizing the face piece in the RIT Kit, the reason for this is you would hate to go through all of the work to put the firefighters face piece on only to realize that it is defective and that was the reason for the firefighter having removed it in the first place.

F- Firefighter Needs

After insuring that the firefighter has an adequate air supply you can start to figure out what types of needs the firefighter will require to help with the extrication of the firefighter, the firefighter may only require to be extricated form the environment or he may require some additional equipment and or personal. Some of the additional firefighter needs maybe extensive depending of how trapped the downed firefighter is, some additional resources maybe as follow:

Ø      Bottle jacks

Ø      Pry bars

Ø      Air bags

Ø      Air tools

Ø      Saws

Ø      Rebar cutter

Ø      Etc.

You may also require additional personal to help clear out clutter or ensure that a clear path is ready for the extrication of the patient.

E- Extrication

Once the firefighter has been given a positive air supply we are ready to package and extricate the down firefighter. The quickest way to remove the firefighter is to do a conversion of his/her SCBA straps into a harness. There is nothing fancy about the removal of a firefighter in distress, it is simply a lot of work and there is no real way around it. There are some things that can and will make the removal of the firefighter easier, some of the ways are:

Ø      Utilizing a 2:1 mechanical advantage

Ø      Using your tools to help drag

Ø      Using the push pull method

Remember don’t waste valuable time doing the fancy a creative things the best thing for that firefighter is going to be getting them out of the IDLH atmosphere and into the hands of Paramedics, remember that the more simple you keep it the easier it will be to remember in a pressure situation.

S- Situational Awareness

Situational Awareness is probably the most overlooked part of the RIT process, but it is also the most vital. Firefighters tend to get caught up in the tasks of the RIT operation and tend to loose sight of what is happening around them. Maintaining that situational awareness is a very hard thing to teach firefighters, and it is an even harder thing to ask firefighters to do when they are focusing so hard on the monumental task in front of them. This is where the RIT officer must come in, the RIT officer must try to stay as “hands off” as possible to prevent getting tunnel vision and loose his/her situational awareness. Some things that you will want to constantly be aware of and monitor are:

Ø      Heat Conditions

Ø      Fire Conditions

Ø      Air Supply of your crew and yourself, you may have to call a “freeze” every once in a while and have the members check there air supply.

Ø      Monitor the progress of the crew; are they trying something that is not going to work? Do you have a different idea in mind? Are they making progress?

Ø      Monitor the radio

Ø      Give Command up dates as needed

Ø      Do you need a handline?

Ø      Additional resources? Try to stay 10 steps ahead of the game, don’t wait until something is needed before calling for it…… try to stay progressive

Ø      Is there another/better way out of here?

Remember that the best thing that you can do for the downed member is to get the out of the building as quick as possible, your size up should be very thorough but also must be very quick.  A proper a thorough size up can make or break your RIT operation or it could make the situation worse by creating additional downed members that must be rescued. The only way to become proficient at the task of a proper downed firefighter is through aggressive, realistic, and frequent training.

Door 1

This door appears to be a wood door with a metal door bolted/lagged it, this will cause serious issues with a proper size up due to the metal door hiding bolt patterns. The door has two substancial security bars and a small hasp and padlock. This door could cause serious issues for even a seasoned forcible entry team.

Door 3

The two brackets that house the drop bar are welded to the door, the drop bar is also secured with a padlock on the hinge side. One additional issue that you may have with this door is the space that you will have to work, in the first photo you can see a railing and a wall on either side which may cause issues.

Door 5

As you can see the door is equipped with a surface mounted Mul T Lock, it is also equipped with a mortise key in the knob lock and deadbolt.

Door 7

As you can see from the interior view of the door it has been heavily fortified from the inside, all of the hardware (including the hinges) have been welded to either the door or the frame. It is a double hung inward swinging door which will make it very difficult to force by conventional methods, it also has no real indication of locking mechanisms from the outside. The metal strip that protects the middle of the doors on the outside is welded to the door also, this will make getting a prying tool or a saw blade in the middle of the two doors very difficult. Better bring a saw and a couple of blades!!

Door 8

As you can see this door also has a surface mounted Mul T Lock.

Thanks to Walt Lewis, Ryan Royal, and Nick Chapel for their responses to the post, very insighful brothers!! great job!! I would also like to apologize to Josh Materi for the spelling of his name on the photos.

There appears to be a current trend for Incident Commanders to keep their RIT/FAST team standing in the front yard like a piece of ugly lawn art. Most firefighters have an inherent nature and work ethic that is not conducive to standing in front of the building, and watching everyone else work. All of us know the feeling that occurs when responding to a confirmed fire. You are struggling to listen to the radio, adrenaline flows, you from a loose game plan….building layout…..type of building. As you pull out of your first due response area continuing towards the fire, you hear over the department radio, “Ladder XX, you are responding as the RIT team!”

The members in the rig immediately feel “deflated”. In addition, groans and sighs immediately follow the transmission, and typically members will again start talking about ESPN or dinner plans. This is very common in today’s fire service, as these highly motivated firefighters feel that they will most likely be standing in the front yard. The “deflation” is a very dangerous condition and may be considered one of the rawest forms of complacency. Why not give these firefighters active tasks that correspond with their RIT assignment, and improve the safety of members operating on the interior? These tasks will be completed on the exterior of the building, and still allow the RIT team to remain available in case needed.

Of course there are members of “management” who will resist this or similar operations. Those individuals will most likely hide behind the word, “freelancing”. In reality, the RIT team is not freelancing. They have been given assigned tasks and locations by their officer and are conducting those tasks to PREVENT a “mayday” situation. In fact, they are proactively starting or accomplishing their job! In the event of a “mayday” transmission, the RIT team members will return to the designated RIT area (where they would have been standing), and deploy to assist the stricken member(s).

Example:
A RIT company arrives to a fire in a single family or small apartment building. Upon arrival, the company officer locates the incident commander to confirm his arrival, and gather a briefing on the incident. The officer may even perform a quick 360 degree walk-around while the firefighters gather equipment and transport it to the designated RIT area. Upon the officer’s return, he/she may assign them to tasks that will aid the RIT team in case they are activated for a downed firefighter. These tasks WILL NOT include suppression operations, and will be conducted on the exterior of the building.

Example tasks:

- Perform forcible entry on rear and side doors
- Remove window bars
- Placing portable ladders under sills of upper floor windows.
- Clear out sashes of windows taken by interior companies

ALL tasks mentioned above provide egress for members operating within the building. ALL tasks mentioned above provide access for the RIT team, in the event the RIT team is activated. Finally, many of the aforementioned tasks can be accomplished in a few minutes, and usually with little exertion by the RIT team.

Modifications

Proactive RIT operations may be modified to various building types. In the event of a fire in a multiple dwelling/apartment building, the RIT team may add a lower floor reconnaissance to their list of possibilities. This will provide a layout of the fire apartment above. A radio transmission stating, “I am trapped in a rear bedroom” will no longer leave guesswork to the RIT team that is going to get the stricken member. Those members now know that they enter the apartment door, move down a hallway passing two doorways (a bathroom and a closet) and will then enter the third doorway to the bedroom. If an exterior route is chosen, they will know which windows to start placing ladders. If a fire occurs within a warehouse or other large commercial building, the RIT team may be utilizing search ropes or a LAST (Large Area Search Team) to rescue the stricken member. The RIT team may proactively look for objects to secure the rope, points of entry, etc…

Possible Obstacle and/or Problem

The proactive RIT assignments that are discussed above are all completed while in direct communication of the RIT officer. At any time, RIT team members performing proactive tasks can drop what they are doing and report to the RIT staging area for deployment. The proactive RIT concept is not an excuse to “freelance”. If a team has a plan of attack, known assignments and are being supervised by their officer (either directly or via radio), it is not considered freelancing.

Advantages of Proactive FAST/RIT Operations

One advantage of the proactive RIT team lies in the fact that there will be a crew operating on the exterior of a fire building constantly performing a size-up and providing feedback to the RIT officer and the incident commander. While crews perform this size-up, they are gathering information on building construction, smoke conditions, fire travel and the progress and location of crews operating within the building. This information may allow crews to “predict” when and where a problem or “mayday” may occur and plan for those issues. The best “mayday” is one that is resolved before the RIT team is in operation.

Imagine a ladder company operating on the floor above the fire. A charged line is aggressively being advanced in the fire apartment and things appear normal. The ladder company above is conducting searches and opening up to check for fire extension. Suddenly, conditions change and the crew cannot exit from the entry point that they used. Conditions worsen, heat continues to increase rapidly while smoke banks down, and “maydays” are transmitted as they work their way to the rear bedroom window. Seconds later, the RIT team, (deploying to assist the stricken members) round the corner into the rear yard. They witness two members descending the ladder and the last member, an officer, stepping out of the window and onto the portable ladder. Over his head, heavy black, velvety, churning smoke is pushing under pressure from the window. The room lights up as the officer descends the ladder. The officer notifies the incident commander that all of his members are accounted for in the rear yard, and that his “mayday” can be cancelled.

This tragedy was averted because of proactive RIT/FAST team operations. Minutes before, the RIT team had placed portable ladders to several windows in the rear of the building. In the above case, the members on the floor above would have most likely resulted to jumping from the upper floor windows, unable to await the assistance of the RIT team. Proactive RIT/FAST operations turned a tragedy into a mere “close-call”.

Brotherhood Instructors, LLC. believes in “Proactive RIT/FAST Operations. If you are interested in the concept, or would like to host a class centered on this topic, please feel free to contact us at brotherhoodinstructors@gmail.com. As always, feel free to add comments or questions to the article. We appreciate your feedback, and your continued interest.

Stay safe!

Dusty joined the Appleton City Volunteer Fire Dept (Appleton City, MO) in 1996, In 1998 he started as a part-time firefighter with the West Peculiar Fire Protection District(Peculiar, MO) Dusty was hired as a full-time firefighter with the Southern Platte Fire Protection District(Parkville, MO) in 1999 and later in 1999 left South Platte when he was hired by the Kansas City Fire Department(Kansas City, MO) In 2001 Dusty transferred to a rescue company and is currently assigned to Rescue 31 where he has been since 2005. Dusty also serves as in Instructor for the University of Missouri Fire and Rescue Training Institute.

Wayne Benner (Port Colborne, Ontario FD) sent us this photo compilation video of several of our class photos taken from our website.  Wayne took our “Back to Basics” Engine & Ladder Company Operations class in Oakville, Ontario last year and has been in contact ever since.  Thanks Wayne, nice work!

In addition, there are two other conventional forcible entry videos uploaded to Youtube as well.  Feel free to subscribe to the Brotherhood Instructors, LLC Youtube channel, and you will be notified when other videos are posted.  We hope to post an Engine Operations video in the very near future.

Class Announcements:
We have several class announcements that we would like to make everyone aware of.  All class announcements are always posted on our “Upcoming Classes” page.

• July 6th-9th:  MABAS Division 10 (Western Chicago Suburbs):  3-hour Power Saw Operations discussion/demonstration
• July 26th:  Beeton, Ontario - Basic Forcible Entry Operations at FFAO Training Weekend
• August 21st & 22nd:  Frankfort, IL - ‘Back-to-Basics’ Engine & Ladder Company Operations (open enrollment)
• September 17th: Wildwood, NJ - Basic Forcible Entry Operations at the NJ State Firefighter’s Convention (open enrollment)
• September 19th: Centerville, MA - Basic Forcible Entry Operations (open enrollment)
• October 10th: Hughsonville, NY (Dutchess County) - Basic Forcible Entry Operations (open enrollment)

Past Classes:
Our “Past Classes” page has a new look.  Now all photos are uploaded and can be viewed as a slideshow instead of the multi-click that we used to have.  We are working to upload all of our classes to the new format.

Facebook Page:
The Brotherhood Instructors, LLC. Facebook page has nearly 400 members.  If you are a Facebook member, we invite you to join us.  All of our class announcements are posted in the form of events, class photos and videos are posted.  Facebook also allows the members who took the class to post their photos as well.  In addition, we have some quick-drill training videos, and discussions.

Hugh Halligan served the Fire Department of New York from 1916 until 1959. In those years of service, he had developed the most versatile and functional forcible entry tool ever conceived…The Halligan tool.

Although nearly 50 years old and no longer manufactured, the original Halligan tool has changed little in design. Today’s Pro Bar design closely models the original design, but does contain some slight improvements. The Halligan family can stand proud of the fact that this tool remains the tool of choice for any fire department that is serious about forcible entry.

Not long after Melisi’s modification, several versions of the “widened adz” concept were born throughout the FDNY.

After years of forcing countless doors, the Halligan tool’s thickness would start to wear down near the chisel end. In some cases the tool would wear so thin, that the weld would either dimple, crack or even break. To defeat the wear issues, Firefighter Kevin LeGacy (FDNY Squad 61) came up with his own solution. Utilizing a MIG welder, Kevin would repeatedly lay down a weld on either side of the Halligan tool’s adz until the width of the adz was approximately doubled. After widening, he would smooth out the additional material with a file. A chiseled end is finally added to the adz to finish the job.

The impact of the wide adz is tremendous. On an inward swinging door, by simply placing the adz end between the door and the stop and prying up or down, (depending on which way the door opens) will allow members to defeat most doors in the “gap” stage of our forcible entry procedures.

It is important to keep in mind that some departments in the United States respond with only ONE FIREFIGHTER on a truck company.

In our opinion, this is a near-criminal act that is committed by the penny-pinchers at city hall.  However, it is reality that this scenario occurs.

This is just one tool for the tool-box concerning a one-firefighter ladder raise.  Feel free to comment or question below.

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Any firefighter who has been assigned to force entry in limited visibility conditions understands that it is one of the toughest challenges of all forcible entry tasks. Forcing entry in limited visibility will test any firefighter’s training and knowledge. Forcing entry while subject to limited visibility requires careful coordination, patience and precise communications between the members at the door. A failure in any one of these three things could result in an injury to either member.

As with any forcible entry operation, the correct tools must be selected to be most efficient. Those tools may consist of a true set of “Irons” (an 8 pound flat-head axe and a one piece dropped-forged Halligan tool), a six foot hook, a lock pulling tool (“K” tool, Rex Tool, Morris Tool, etc.), and depending on building type a Hydra-Ram, Rabbit Tool or other hydraulic forcible entry tool may be needed. Some departments also arm their forcible entry team with a 2 ½ gallon water extinguisher. Obviously all firefighters should also be equipped with their full PPE and standard equipment which should include a flashlight, radio, etc…

Note: The Halligan Tool should be modified by squaring of the shoulder behind the fork. This provides a better striking surface for operating in limited/zero visibility conditions. This striking surface is also essential for scenarios involving tight hallways or restricted areas where a full swing is not possible.

Communication

Clear and concise communication between the firefighter holding the Halligan (Irons Firefighter) and the firefighter swinging the axe (Striking Firefighter) is critical. A break-down in communication between these two members can result in a failed forcible entry operation, and can even result in a serious injury to the firefighter holding the Halligan if he is struck by the axe. It is imperative that both firefighters know and understand all of the commands that YOUR DEPARTMENT uses. Commands must be simple, unmistakable, and stated loudly and with purpose. Below is a list of forcible entry commands and the action(s) that should result from each command. While these commands may not be the same as your department, they can be modified to suit your needs.

• “HIT” - Once the Halligan is set, the Irons firefighter can call “HIT”. This command summons the Striking firefighter to swing the tool ONE TIME. Avoid words such as “NOW” or “GO” for this command. These terms can be misunderstood if spoken through a face piece. A mistake in terms at this stage could result in a serious injury if the command is misunderstood. Another option for this command is to use the term “STRIKE”.
• “DRIVE” – When the Irons firefighter has maneuvered the fork around the lip of the door, assuring that the forks are between the door and the jamb, he may give this command. The “DRIVE” command confirms to the Striking firefighter that the Halligan Tool is in good position (horizontal with the door frame) and that the fork must be driven into the optimal position to force the door (crotch of the fork level with the stop). This is the only command that the Striking firefighter has the flexibility to strike the Halligan repeatedly until a “STOP” command is given.
• “STOP” – This command is relatively simple. When the Irons firefighter calls “STOP”, do not swing the axe again! Failure to heed this command could cause a serious injury to the Irons firefighter, or drive the fork past optimal positioning or completely past the door. If the fork is driven too far, the shoulder will pass the inside of the door and the Halligan tool will be pinned in the door. This will render this tool useless and time will be lost trying to secure another tool to force the door. As the Striking firefighter has to take care to listen and react to specific commands, it is equally important for the Irons firefighter to allow time for the Striking firefighter to react. For example, if the Irons firefighter calls “STOP”, he must wait a few seconds before repositioning the Halligan to assure that the Striking firefighter is not in mid-swing when the command was given.
• “GAP HIT” - Alerts the Striking firefighter to reposition to strike the adz or hydraulic forcible entry tool to gain a purchase point between the door and the stop (on an inward swinging door). This “GAP HIT” will allow the Irons firefighter to set the adz so the door can be gapped.
• “SHOULDER HIT” – Alerts the Striking firefighter to reposition so that the axe can be slid down the shaft of the Halligan striking the squared off shoulder behind the fork.
• “CONTROL” – This command alerts the Striking firefighter that the Halligan is SET and the door is ready to be forced. The striking firefighter will stand prepared to control the door with the hook if needed.

All of the commands listed above should remain constant. Whether forcing a door in a drill situation, or at a fire on the floor above in zero or limited visibility. By keeping continuity in the commands, it will promote good habits and smooth forcible entry operations.

Don’t Get Tunnel Vision

In my experience, the most frequent mistake observed in a forcible entry operation is a firefighter falling victim to “tunnel vision”. Some firefighters tend to solely focus on the task at hand and cease to pay attention to fire and smoke conditions. Frequently during a forcible entry operation, fire and smoke conditions must be monitored for changes. It is vitally important that you also monitor the radio for updates and notify command of your progress.

The Technique

When forcing entry in zero/limited visibility you must follow those same steps as when forcing a door in good visibility. The following steps should be followed:

Size Up

Door size-up in zero/limited visibility could be a very complicated procedure. A firefighter will most likely have to rely on the sense of touch and feel and rely less on the sense of sight to size-up the door. Some forcible entry size-up information may be gathered either upon arrival at an incident, or while in-transit to your operation area. Simply asking the questions below may provide you with answers that could assist you with your task.

• What type of building is it? Knowing the building type in which you are operating may provide information regarding the types of doors that you may be called upon to force. Apartment buildings and single family dwellings primarily house inward swinging doors. Consequently, commercial, industrial and public assembly buildings house outward swinging doors due to fire codes and mandates.
• What is the building construction? The construction of a particular building may provide tips on the types of doors that may be encountered. The doors in a balloon-frame, single family dwelling will have vast differences than those encountered in a fire-proof multiple dwelling. Firefighters should know what types of door construction and which way most doors will swing in the various types of building construction. The tools required to force entry into these various building types may vary.
• Which way does the door swing? This is typically one of two answers: Inward or Outward. Identifying the swing of an unknown door in a zero/limited visibility environment is easiest done by feeling it. As a “rule-of-thumb”, if a door is recessed into a wall, and you cannot feel hinges, the door will open away from you (inward). Consequently, if a door is flush to the wall and hinges can be felt, then the door opens towards you (outward).
• What are the primary locking devices? Can you feel any locks on the door? Most primary locks can be identified by either a dead-bolt, rim cylinder, cylinder guard or a key-in-the-knob lock. Any one or all of these can be felt with a gloved hand during your door size-up steps.
• What are the Secondary Locking Devices? Can you feel bolt heads, or screws protruding through the skin of the door? Simply count all locking mechanisms that are felt during your door size-up and systematically attack these locks one at a time starting at the top and working towards the bottom.
• What are fire conditions on the other side of the door? Does the door feel hot to the touch? Is the door discolored or paint peeling? Can you hear the fire behind the door? If the answer to one or all of the previous questions is yes, then door control is paramount. Another option for establishing if there is a fire condition directly on the other side of the door is to shut-off your flashlights. Once the glare from the hand-light is eliminated, a glow from around the frame, especially on the floor may be observed. If there is a fire condition present immediately on the other side of the door, you must be prepared. Control the door, and if needed, wait for a charged attack line before opening the door to the fire area.

Although the steps above take a few minutes to read, they are quickly performed at a fire. The steps outlined above will allow for a quick, yet thorough size-up. Once the size-up is completed, forcible entry operations can commence. From this point, you and your partner will follow the same steps as if you were forcing entry in full visibility. To review, those steps are:

• TRY
• GAP
• SET
• FORCE

Below we have listed two techniques and a tool variation that may assist you in forcing a door in zero/limited visibility. Although these techniques are usually not required for normal forcible entry operations, they do become useful when forcing doors in zero/limited visibility.

Double Hit Method

As a habit, some firefighters perform this technique at every single forcible entry operation. It simply boils down to preference for some. It is very useful for increasing your accuracy in zero/limited visibility environments.

This method is preformed by lightly tapping the adz with the axe to “sound” where the Halligan is placed. Once again, this should only occur after the “irons” firefighter calls “hit”. Performing hits in this manner serves two purposes:

1) Alerts the “irons” firefighter that the full hit is coming immediately and that the Halligan tool should not be moved.

2) Assists the swinging firefighter to find his/her range which will limit the potential for a miss in poor visibility.

Prior to the forcible entry operation, the use of this technique must be made clear. If the two firefighters are not on the same page, the irons firefighter may move the Halligan while the axe firefighter is in the process of a full-swing. As with any forcible entry technique, this technique must be practiced often and under a realistic environment to remain safe and effective.

Hitting the Shoulder

The Halligan tool must be modified to safely perform this task. The shoulder of the fork must be squared off by either using a hand file or grinder. By modifying the tool, the axe may now be slid down the shaft of the Halligan, striking behind the forks and driving the tool into the door.

This modification will make forcible entry operations in zero/limited visibility more simplistic. When utilizing this procedure, follow all of the normal forcible entry steps until it is time to utilize the Halligan forks in the door jamb. Place the forked-end (bevel/curve towards the door), into the jamb between the door and the jamb. Since a full-swing of an axe in a zero/limited visibility environment could prove to be dangerous, this should not be attempted. Instead, place the head of the axe on the shaft of the Halligan. Slide the axe down the shaft of the Halligan, striking the back of the fork. This will drive the Halligan to the proper SET position, without striking your partner. The firefighter holding the

Halligan should place his/her hands at the back of the halligan by the adz.

This will allow the axe firefighter to perform the most efficient “slide” to hit the squared-off shoulder. Constant inward pressure must be applied to the Halligan so it does not slip out of the door due to the weight of the axe. Constant inward pressure will also prevent the tool from being pushed out of the door when the tool is hit. Once the tool has been SET, the door can be forced as normal.

Hydra Ram or Rabbit Tool

Utilizing the Hydra-Ram or Rabbit Tool to force doors in zero/limited visibility is fairly easy and effective. These two tools certainly have less skill involved and cause some members to become complacent with their conventional forcible entry techniques. It must be noted that if the hydraulic forcible entry tool fails, the firefighters that are assigned to force entry in zero/limited visibility MUST have a plan AND be proficient in the techniques outlined above to defeat the toughest doors. The only way to remain proficient at those techniques is to practice under realistic conditions. The time to learn or practice the above techniques are not when smoke is banked down to the floor and it is discovered that the seal has blown on your hydraulic forcible entry tool

On September 13th and 14th, 2008, Brotherhood Instructors, LLC in conjunction with Andrew Brassard’s forcible entry training company conducted their first “Back to Basics - Hands On Training Weekend” at the Oakville, Ontario Fire Training Center.  This was Brotherhood Instructors, LLC. first international class.  Thirty-five members from departments in Canada and Upstate New York attended.

 Day #1 Rotations: Conventional Forcible Entry; VES; Conventional Search Tips & Techniques; Power Saw Forcible Entry; Forcing Entry from the Hinged-Side; Through-the-Lock Forcible Entry and Flat Roof Operations.

Day #2 Rotations: Nozzle & Back-up Firefighter Tips & Techniques & Utilizing a 2 1/2″ as an Attack Line;  Advancing the Initial Attack Line; Stretching from Static/Dead Loads; Well-hole & Rope Stretches; Estimating the Stretch & Engine Company Officer Responsibilities and Private Dwelling Fire Scenarios.

In our opinion, and judging by the class evaluations, this class was a huge success.  All of our instructors had an outstanding time and enjoyed teaching and learning from all of the members in attendance.

Brotherhood Instructors,
LLC. would like to thank everyone again for having us, extending your hospitality and your friendship to our guys during our 4-day stay!  Thanks again!

For more class photos, visit our “Past Classes” area: http://brotherhoodinstructors.com/photos/2008-09OakvilleCombinedOps/oakvillephotogallery.html

Contact us at info@brotherhoodinstructors.com if your department interested in scheduling or hosting a similar event.