I want to keep the firehouse up to date with their monthly drills for the kitchen table.  Perhaps someone will print this one and throw it on the table as well!

This is a cross-post from our Facebook page.  If you haven’t added yourself to our Facebook page, feel free to follow the link and add yourself.  There are several other daily/weekly drills that are posted there in addition to class photos and upcoming classes.

This photo provides a great overview of operations in a commercial-type warehouse. Several points of discussion are present:

- The roll-down gate was able to be raised without defeating it, most likely with this type of door, it was raised by using the chain inside the building. The door must be secured open in case of failure, and since this is a large door for a vehicle, conventional methods are not useful. Here a ladder company has used a 24′ portable ladder to assure that the door does not drop down pinching hose lines and trapping members. This is a very simple solution to an often overlooked and very dangerous issue.

- A heavy fire condition in the building with little or no smoke showing from the doorway. This indicates that vertical ventilation is working well, or that the ceilings are of very high and heat and smoke is building up drastically. Communication with members operating on the roof is paramount.

Members must be EXTREMELY AWARE of this build-up. In the photo, visibility is great, even near the fire area. This “false-sense of security” can lure members into trap-like conditions. Once the ceiling reaches the correct temperature, roll-over will occur and fire will rapidly drop down on the members and overwhelm hose lines (in some cases even 2 1/2″ hose lines). The only way to guard against this is by communication and awareness. Use thermal imaging cameras (also in the photo) and 2 1/2″ attack lines. The reach and “punch” of the stream will darken fire down well in advance of the nozzle team.

- The 10′ hook on the right side of the photo is also a must if ceilings must be pulled down. A member in this building with a 6′ hook is all but useless. As a rule, I will drop the 6′ hook and take a 10′ hook at most commercial fires. This will allow me to pull the multiple ceilings typically found in these old buildings. Don’t stop pulling until you’ve reached the roof boards. Sometimes, the 10′ hook can be used as a “thermometer” of sorts in the absence of a thermal imaging camera. You can extend the hook into the smoke above you, then lower it and CAREFULLY feel the head of the hook. This may give you an idea of the conditions above you if you cannot “see” them with a TIC. This will keep you from getting too deep, too fast and getting into trouble.

- A search rope is also present on a few members in this photo. Remember to secure the search rope on the EXTERIOR (parking meter, street light, rig, car, etc…) of the building regardless of conditions inside the building as you enter. Although clear in the building presently, if conditions deteriorate, you want the search line to bring you back to the street, NOT 20′ inside the door, which is now banked down to the floor and you have to “guess” the rest of the way.

- Water run-off: In this photo there is a single 2 1/2″ attack line flowing 250-300 gallons per minute. The trickle of water coming out of the overhead door is not nearly the amount of water being poured into the building. Perhaps it is going to a harmless point in the building, a drain, the basement, out another door due to the natural slope, etc…

What if it is not running off harmlessly? In this case it was being soaked into all of those pallets filled with antique furniture and other combustible and “sponge-like” items. Those items were stacked floor to ceiling, across TWO FLOORS of this 300×300 warehouse. Simple math: 250gpms at 8lbs per gallon = 2,000lbs (or 1 TON) of water per minute PER HOSE LINE! There were at least 8 attack lines on this fire during the offensive stage. That doesn’t even account for the floor load already present.

ALWAYS watch the water run-off. If it is going in, and not coming out it is going somewhere. This is equally important during exterior operations while utilizing master streams. After the bulk of the fire has been knocked down, the tendency is to enter the building to extinguish stubborn pockets of fire. The video below illustrates why that may not be such a good idea if the building is not allowing the water to run-off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SUuBXRQyXk

In the video above in Midtown Manhattan serves as a great purpose for watching water run off. D/C Vincent Dunn had command of this fire, and would not allow members to enter the building to extinguish pockets of fire. At :53 seconds, you will see his reasoning.  The early video of the fire, you see no run-off even though several tower ladders throw TONS of water per minute into the building. If you listen to the video, the building was FILLED FLOOR TO CEILING with shoe boxes (excellent sponges).  They flowed water via master streams for ELEVEN hours.  Listen closely to the audio at 1:50 as well. “Engineers” declared this building “structurally stable” 3hrs before the collapse.

Feel free to jump in with any comments or questions.  I also want to extend a warm welcome to the members of the firehouse that are keeping up with the current events of Brotherhood Instructors, LLC.  ;-)

Stay safe,

Nate DeMarse
Brotherhood Instructors, LLC.
ndemarse.broinstructors@gmail.com

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.

The Prop Shop- Forcible Entry Door Simulator

By: Andrew Brassard

Forcible entry door simulators have been around in some shape or form since there was a need on the fireground to force a door. Most of these door props where spawned in the stuffy old basements of many firehouses, where most of these props still stand today. Props were built by welding the steel directly to the structural supports of the firehouse, where they were used to drill the firefighters in the true art of forcible entry, by challenging everyone who used them from the probie to the senior man. These props offered the most realistic training that could be provided without using an acquired structure.

Construction

Door props like this are very basic in construction, typically pieces of heavy gauge “C” channel or tube steel where used to create the door frame and a heavy piece of flat stock metal was welded on to create a door stop. The door hinges can be constructed in a variety of different ways, the key with hinges is that you make it very easy to change the doors that will be forced in and out of the frame. An easy way to construct a basic hinge set up is to weld a piece of ¼” sheet metal onto three standard door hinges. Drill rows of 1/4 inch holes into the sheet metal; this will allow you to screw the doors in at various heights and in various places to get around damage of the door, windows, etc.

To lock the door, use a piece of “C” channel and drill three evenly spaced out ¼ inch holes in one side and seven to nine  10/32 holes into the other end. The end with the 3 holes will bolt to the “C” channel frame using two or three 10/32 machine screws and other end will be screwed into the door using 1 inch self tapping metal screws. When building the frame, screw the same hole pattern that is on your “C” channel resistance bracket onto the door frame at various heights, this will allow you to place the “lock” at various heights and it will also allow you to lock the door in multiple different spots at the same time to simulate multiple locks on the rear of the door. Having the ability to lock the door at any level will also allow you to use the entire side of the door and get more evolutions out of each side of the door.

A Prop Variation

In my department there was absolutely no way that they would allow me to weld a forcible entry prop into the structural components of the firehouse so I set out to find a way to make a prop that would hold up to the abuse of constant forces and I also wanted to be able to convert it into a wall breech prop. I searched around on the internet, looked at different props that people had made, talked to people about different things they liked and did not like about ones they had made, etc. One of the biggest things that I noticed was that a lot of these portable door props that I saw where very flimsy and would be moving all over the place when you tried to force a door in them. I used channel steel and ¼ inch diamond plate to make the base. I then used 4×4 metal tubes to make the uprights and the header. One inch steel tubing was then used to make the braces that supported the “C” channel that made up the frame for the door.

Doors

The biggest complaints that I hear about this type of door prop is that it is very material and labor intensive, in this case both complaints are very true. This type of forcible entry training is requires a lot of material to put on. You will need a steady supply of doors coming in since you will only get about 10-15 forces out of a door, the best places to look for doors is at the following places:

Ø      Demolition Sites- Stop by and talk to the Forman, most of the time they are more than willing to give you any of the doors that they are going to be throwing away.

Ø      Door Factories- If you have a door manufacturing facility in your city or town pay them a visit and see if they will give you some doors the have “manufacturing defects”.

Ø      Door Instillation Companies- I you talk to the owner allot of the time they will be more than willing to help out with getting you some old doors.

Ø      Hardware Stores- Talk to the store manager and see if he will put aside all the doors that get scratched, dented, water damaged, etc. Most of the times these doors will be going into the garbage anyway they will usually be very happy to give them to the local fire department.

Ø      Scrap Yards- most scrap yard come by metal doors quite frequently, if you make the arrangements (case of beer) with the scrap yard manager they will probably put them aside for you.

This type of forcible door prop will require a large quantity of the self-tapping screws and machine bolts.  Consider purchasing these items in bulk from a wholesale distributor instead of from your local hardware or “big box” type store to save money.

Another big thing that I see with doors is the fantastic opportunity for forcible entry saw training. After both sides of the door have been used the door can be taken out of the frame and then used for forcible entry saw training.

Wall Breach Option

Another great option for having a very sturdy forcible entry prop is setting it up for a wall breach scenario for rapid intervention operations. You can utilize two hardwood skids bolted into the door frame secured in place with two long pieces of threaded rod (similar to a H.U.D. window) and depending on how difficult you want to make it, the pallets  could be covered by plywood and drywall.

There are many fantastic forcible entry training props on the market today but nothing will compare to forcing real doors if you have the resources to do so. Forcing doors with traditional forcible entry tools (axe and halligan) is a dying art, it is a skill like any other we posses it must be practiced often to remain sharp. The more realistic that we can make training for our members the more we can help to ensure that they will go home to their loved ones at the end of their tour.

As the forcible entry and nozzle teams ascend to the second floor, they are met with a heavy smoke condition.  As they near this apartment, heavy smoke and fire are pushing from the cracks in the door shown above.  The paint is peeling, the top one third of the door glowing and distorted.  Time to go to work!

Destroying the integrity of this door during a forcible entry operation will certainly spell disaster for anyone (civilian or firefighter) operating or caught above the fire floor.  Many uninformed firefighters will opt to simply “bash” the door out of the frame (usually from the hinged side) with a sledge hammer/maul.  This technique is dangerous and unprofessional, and in many cases will not work!

If you are a firefighter that likes to “bash” the door in like a SWAT team, ask yourself these questions:

- What is the plan for door control if the engine is on a frozen/broken hydrant?
- What is the plan if the engine loses water?
- What is the plan if the fire cannot be controlled?

We are professionals, and our forcible entry operation should reflect as such:  This door (as should all doors) should be taken with the Irons, using conventional forcible entry techniques.  Gap the door, set the forks, and force the door ON THE LOCK SIDE.  Then CONTROL THE DOOR by grabbing the door with the Halligan or reaching in with a hook (pike pole) to close the door until a charged attack line is in position.  If any of the questions above surface during our operation, members can withdraw to the safety of the public hallway, and close the door until the problem is rectified, then resume the attack.

Note the cable wire (held in place in the ceiling corner by a plastic cover).  This plastic covering melts with very little exposure to heat, dropping the cable onto members entering/leaving the doorway below.

This photo shows two side-by-side doorways, typically both apartments will share the wall that runs between the doorways to an exterior wall.  A firefighter entering the right door to perform a search should know that there are probably no rooms on the left wall, and probably all of the rooms will be on the right wall.  The apartment on the left will most likely be a mirror image of the right apartment.

This fire was on the second floor of a 6 story brick apartment building.  Several civilians were trapped on the floors above, including 6 unconscious civilians (an entire family) that were trying to make their way to the roof, but were trapped behind a locked steel gate in the bulkhead.  The civilians were actually found by the first and second due Roof Firefighters performing a sweep of the bulkhead (after forcing the bulkhead door to vent). All six civilians survived.

Although some departments may not have H-types or 6 story apartment buildings, the rules above also apply to garden apartments, “Main Street type” apartment buildings or private houses converted to apartments.

Feel free to leave your comments or questions.

I recently took delivery of the Fire Department Training Network’s DVD’s on firefighter survival and on rapid intervention When I watched these movies they definetly did not disappoint. Both videos are fantastic and Jim McCormack and his crew at the Fire Department Training Network have done a fantastic job producing these videos and bringing their training expertise from their training ground to yours. I would highly recommend the purchase of these videos to any department that is serious about firefighter safety and rapid intervention.

DVD 1 Firefighter Survival

This DVD should be required viewing for all firefighters that ever don a fire helmet on the fire ground. The firefighter survival skills demonstrated in this video will help to ensure that your members will be safer on the fireground, remember that “Everyone Goes Home” is not just a catch phrase or a sticker on your car…… it is an attitude that must be enforced through aggressive realistic training. Every member of your fire company for the probie to the senior man will get something out of this DVD. The thing that I enjoyed the most about this DVD was the fact that it was kept basic and real world, it was not filled with lots of fancy stuff that is not fireground practical.

The DVD includes the following information:

• Developing a Survival Attitude
• SCBA Knowledge
• Mayday Management
• SCBA Low Profile Emergencies
• SCBA Entanglement Emergencies
• Disorientation Emergencies
• Wall Breaching
• Ladder Slide

DVD 2 Rapid Intervention

Jim McCormack and his crew carried on the great easy to follow format that they did for their first DVD and brought it into the second DVD. If your department has an established RIT team and or RIT training program or your department is looking at getting into this type of training this DVD is for you!!!

The DVD includes the following information:

DVD CHAPTERS INCLUDE:

• RIT Positions & Assignments
• Searching for a Firefighter
• Securing the RIT Tag Line
• Converting the SCBA Waiststrap
• Emergency Air Supply
• Firefighter Drags
• Firefighter Rescue Up/Down Stairs
• A RIT Scenario: Putting It All Together
• Ladder Rescues
• Rescue from Entanglement
• Rescue from Collapse
• Rescues through the Floor
• Air Management and RIT
• Commanding a RIT Operation
• RIT Benchmarks

You can pick these DVD’s and other great training material at:

www.fdtraining.com

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.

Size up of forcible entry operations is one of the most important functions of forcing entry into a building. Being able to identify what exactly is locking the door is half the battle, knowing your locks and secondary locking mechanisms are paramount. The best way to know your locks is to get out in your area and visit hardware stores and locksmiths and see the types of locks that are being purchased and installed in your area, and the other way to see the forcible entry problems in your area is to get into the buildings you will be responding to.

This following drill will show you several different forcible entry problems and then we will ask you to add your comments and ideas for forcing entry into the following buildings. On some of the doors only the exterior will be shown initially, this will allow you to make your forcible entry decisions based on only your knowledge, experience and training. Not on what you know is there because you can see it. The back side of the door will be shown at a later date to allow you to see if your forcible entry procedure would be effective or not.

Door 1

What type of door construction are we dealing with?

What are the primary locking devices?

What are the secondary locking devices?
What forcible entry tools would you want to have with you?

What forcible entry techniques would you use here?

Inside of the door will be shown later

Door 2

What is the primary locking device?

What are the secondary locking devices?

What forcible entry techniques would you use here?

Door 3

What way does this door swing?

What locking devices are on this door?

What additional forcible entry issues might you have?

What forcible entry techniques would you use here?

Inside of the door will be shown later

Door 4

This is an interior view of a double door in the rear of a commercial building.

What forcible entry techniques would you use here?

Door 5

Answer the following question without the use of a power saw.

What way does this door swing?

What are the primary locking devices on this door?

What are the secondary locking devices on this door?

What forcible entry techniques would you use here?

Inside of the door will be shown later

Door 6

What are the primary locking devices on this door?

What are the secondary locking devices on this door?

What forcible entry techniques would you use here?

Door 7

This next door is located at the rear of a supermarket in Clinton, Ontario. Clinton is a very small rural community in Southern Ontario, as you can see having heavily fortified doors in your community is not just a problem for large cities.

What are the primary locking devices on this door?

What are the secondary locking devices on this door?

What forcible entry techniques would you use here?

Inside of the door will be shown later

Door 8

What are the primary locking devices?

What are the secondary locking devices?
What forcible entry tools would you want to have with you?

What forcible entry techniques would you use here?

What would your back up plan be if your initial forcible entry plan failed?

Inside of the door will be shown later

All of the questions can be cut and pasted into your answers. The Interior views will be posted in a months time so you can see how close your tactics where.

Special thanks to Josh Materi from Seattle Ladder 3 and Chris Collier FDNY Ladder 49 for the use of their pictures.

All answers must be posted with your full name and department, no unsigned posts will be posted.

Machine rescue calls, sometimes referred to as “Man-in-a-Machine” calls are somewhat infrequent. The most common machinery rescue calls involve people trapped in dough mixers, conveyor belts, meat grinders and snow blowers, etc… Although this type of call may be rare, when they occur they have potential to be very taxing on manpower and resources. Rescue calls such as this will most likely require specialized training and equipment.

Although infrequent, it is important that all firefighters understand that they may be called to one of these incidents at any time. All firefighters should possess some sort of game plan to mitigate a “man in a machine” incident in the quickest and most efficient manner possible. Equally important to the game plan, those firefighters must also possess the proper tools and skill to successfully disentangle a victim from within the given machine. Some fire companies assemble and carry what is affectionately termed as a “Man-in-a-Machine” kit. Typically, these kits are assembled so that commonly used tools are in one location. This assures that the tools are easy to find, and that nothing will be left on the rig when it is needed.

In most cases, three kits that are commonly brought to the scene of a “Man-in-a-Machine” call. Those three kits are: The “man-in-a-machine”, air tool and lock-out/tag-out kits. These kits function very well together, providing a proper amount of redundancy in the event that several of the same types or various sizes of the same tools are needed.

The “Man-in-a-Machine” Kit

The “Man-in-a-Machine” kit is quite simple to assemble. This kit assembles all of the common tools that may be used to extricate a person from machinery. If you are unsure of the types of tools that may be needed, you have a secondary job to accomplish. Stop by your local butcher, baker and print shops and ask them what tools that they use to disassemble and reassemble common components of their machines. Depending on your response area, you may also add lawn-mower shops, small engine shops and factories to your list. Who better to ask of the tool selection than the experts in their respective fields? You may also find a use for this kit at other emergency calls, auto extrications or implements.

Once you have decided on the assortment of tools, the collection may be stored in a Pelican-type case for rapid access and deployment. This case will also double as a impromptu tool staging area since all tools will be present and centralized. It is important to allow a little extra room in your kit to accommodate any extra tools that you may find useful as time passes. Always remain alert of changing or new industry that moves into your area to stay abreast of changing “man-in-a-machine” needs.

Basic components of a typical “Man-in-a-Machine” kit include the following:

Ø Various sized of hacksaws

Ø Wooden wedges

Ø Steel wedges

Ø Cordless Sawzall and batteries

Ø Tin snips

Ø Saline solution

Ø Liquid soap

Ø Ball-peen hammer

Ø Various sizes and types of screw drivers

Ø Various sizes and types of adjustable and box wrenches

Ø Ring cutter

Ø Various sizes and types of pliers, vise grips, channel locks and angled, etc…

Ø Metal shims

Ø Various sizes and types of pipe wrenches

Firefighters must also remain cognizant of other tools that may be needed for more complex machinery extrications. You will have to decide which tools are most appropriate for you after reviewing your response area. Those tools may include:

Ø The irons

Ø Oxy-acetylene torch (or other available type of torch)

Ø Medical kits and/or trauma bags

Ø Extra blankets to cover patient

Ø Water extinguisher (if sparks are being generated while cutting)

Ø Pry bars

Ø Lighting (time of day, visibility conditions, etc…)

Ø Portable generators

Ø Hydraulic forcible entry tool

Ø Hydraulic extrication tools

Ø Cribbing

Air Tool Kit

Air tools may also be needed at a machinery extrication call. This kit, like the aforementioned kit, stores all of the air tools in one location for easy access and deployment. An air supply will also be needed, but will most likely be too large to fit inside the kit. Air supplies may include a portable air compressor, an air cylinder with regulator and/or an air cart with the appropriate attachment for your tools.

Components of an air tool kit may include:

Ø An air-powered drill, impact gun, Whizzer saw (die grinder), angle grinder, angle grinder and chisel

Ø Various sections of air hose

Ø Air fittings for various types of air lines

Ø Drill bits

Ø Screw drivers & bits

Ø Wrenches

Ø Air chisel tips and attachments

Ø Extra grinding and cutting disks

Ø Air socket set (Metric and Standard)

Ø Thin metal shims

Air-powered tools are excellent alternatives to cut away machine parts in an effort to free trapped limbs or appendages. If cutting metal is your plan of attack, the patient must be covered with blankets to avoid further injury due to sparks, etc… If you intend to cover the patient with a standard medical blanket, the blanket must be dampened to avoid catching fire from the sparks. Additionally, the metal surface as the cut is performed will conduct heat to the patient. It is imperative that the surface of the metal be kept cool to avoid further injury. Some air-powered cutting tools may spin at 10,000-20,000 rpm’s, and will heat up metal surfaces very quickly. A pressurized water extinguisher is one way to keep metal surfaces surface cool and it is readily available.

Lock-out/Tag-out Kit

A proper “Lock-out/Tag-out” kit should be present at any machinery extrication. While some departments combined their lock-out/tag-out kit with their man-in-the-machine kit, this is sometimes counter-productive. One reason that you may want to keep this kit separate from other kits is because it is useful at other emergencies. The “Lock-out/Tag-out” kit is useful at elevator rescues and emergencies, electrical emergencies and confined space rescues. It is important to note that before ANY operation begins at a machinery extrication incident, the power must be shut off and all moving parts in a machine or product line must be lock and tagged out of service. If manpower permits, a member of the company that is operating in/on the machine should standby at the location of the shut-off. This will prevent power restoration by an unknowing civilian or firefighter.

A typical “Lock-out/Tag-out” kit may include

Ø Padlocks

Ø Tags (should have FD markings and instructions)

Ø Chain

Ø Valve covers

Ø Ball-valve lock-out covers

Ø Light switch lock-outs

Ø Electrical plug lock-outs

Ø Circuit breaker lock-outs

In this article we have reviewed many different tools and a few options for carrying, transporting and deploying those tools. The use of the “kit-concept” mentioned above will allow you to deploy most of the commonly needed tools for a typical machinery rescue call. Since these machinery extrication calls do not happen frequently, it is important to keep the needed tools together to avoid unprofessional and time-consuming trips to the rig to gather tools.

Machinery extrication may be one of the most challenging types of extrication. The tools and equipment must be reviewed often, and realistic training must be completed on a regular basis. This is the only way to insure and efficient and smooth operation on the rescue ground. Our recommendation for “man-in-a-machine” training is Long Island Rescue Inc. For further information, contact Joseph DiBernardo Jr. http://longislandrescue.com/machinery.html.

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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