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.

The wake will be held on Sunday, October 4, 2009 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. and on Monday, October 5, 2009 from 2:00 to 4:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Fred H. McGrath & Son, Inc. Funeral Home, 20 Cedar Street, Bronxville, New York 10708, (914) 337-6770.

The funeral will be held on Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. at St. Margaret of Cortona Parish, 6000 Riverdale Avenue (W. 260th Street), Bronx, New York 10471, (718) 549-8053.

I’ve seen or been a part of a wide spectrum of events during my life. Many of them have involved the fire service.  That’s how it goes when you grow up in a firehouse and you learn the rules, codes (written and unwritten), and behaviors that co-exist with this type of life.  Many of these traits are still held dear to me today and I try to practice them every time I get a chance.

The thing that stood out the most was the Brotherhood.  I didn’t know the word “Brotherhood” or even what it meant at such a young age, but I could see that these firemen took care of each other.  This behavior was visible on and off the job and is the foundation of what has turned into many life-long friendships. 

I’ll have some stories to tell and examples to give, but the Brotherhood will show through in each example. 

I was five years old when my parents decided to add on to our house.  As was common practice back in the day, my Dad subcontracted all the work to firemen.  They would make a little money and you’d get a good job at a great price.  That is, if they didn’t do it for materials only! On one occasion, my mom and dad went to run an errand and I was left with a fireman who was one of my dad’s best friends (and still is today).  He was busy painting part of the addition.  The carpet had not been laid so there would be no chance for an accident.  Little did we know, the accident was me.  Long story short, I knocked over a gallon of light blue paint, which quickly spread over the sub floor.  When my parents returned, there was no avoiding the spill.  Dad asked, “What happened?” and the fireman replied, “Shit happens.  I didn’t see the paint and knocked it over.  I tried to clean it up the best I could”.  Dad agreed and asked if he needed to go get more paint.

This fireman took care of me then, as he did for many years.  He rose up through the ranks of the NFD and is now an assistant chief.  He finally told my dad what happened about four years after the incident.  The paint was spilled, it was an accident, and this mentor of mine didn’t want to see me get in trouble.  This of one of many times that Brotherhood was shown to me by a family friend/fireman.  Thanks, Chief Smith.

Unfortunately, I’ve had three of my four grandparents die in the last six years.  All had lived long lives, but it’s still hard to deal with.  The guys I work with were always there.  There were phone calls, beautiful flowers sent to the funeral home, and many brothers that came to visitations on each occasion.

I’ll never forget the death of my Grandpa (the first of the three to go).  All of our family was at visitation and the room was fairly full.  I’ll never forget the feeling I had as my nine co-workers filed into the room.  They brought comfort, peace, love, sympathy, laughter, etc…all the things that encompass this Brotherhood that we are speaking of.  They met my family and stayed until visitation was finished.  We all went out and ate afterward.  The next day was the funeral, which was going to be extremely hard.  It was my shift that day, so I knew my friends wouldn’t be around for comfort.  I had to sing a song with my cousin and I knew it would be hard to complete the task.  Five minutes before we started, the family filed into the auditorium.  At the same time, I heard an old familiar Jake Brake engage outside the church.  As I began to take my seat, the four members of 3 Truck “A” filed in wearing full dress uniforms.  To say they turned everyone’s heads is an understatement.  This event and many others over the years have kept me at NFD Station 3 for close to nine years.  There have been marriages, births, holidays, rafting trips, a few promotions, and many shifts, but the quality of people has remained the same.

I’ve gone to deck building parties, put on shingles after storms, cleaned rental properties, put in hardwood floors, mowed grass, and the list goes on and on.  I’ve been on the receiving end of many things, as well. 

The on-duty things matter too: compromising on meal selections or the consideration of folding co-workers clothes when you take them out of the dryer to put yours in; swapping days off, so a friend can go to a kids ballgame or take in a training class; building training props that can be used to sharpen skills; or pulling off attack/supply hoselines and reloading them because their appearance doesn’t meet your shift’s standards.  The life and times you share at the station or on the scene seal your bond with the individuals you work with.  As my best friend says, “You did crime or time together”.

I started tagging along with my dad to various fire events when I was six years old.  I made my first structural fire attack when I was seven.  I began riding fire apparatus during this time as well.  I have never stopped since.  The many runs, training sessions, conversations, etc. have made me the fireman I am today.  These opportunities presented themselves because somebody (in fact, many people) gave a shit.  Taking time to care about me, my family, this profession, its traditions, and the brotherhood of the fire service made the difference…and it’s my duty to give this back.  I was allowed to learn from some of the greatest and put the knowledge I gained to work under their supervision.  It’s a gift that I can never give back, but only hope to repay by passing on to someone else.

I’ve been privileged to sit on several interview panels for hiring of new firefighters. One of my final questions is always “Why do you think you want to be a fireman?” I’ve heard a wide range of answers, but the one that normally shines through is the draw to Brotherhood.  These applicants are fascinated by the thought of a second family, a tight-knit group, camaraderie, and sharing good and bad times with a “Brother”.  The idea of knowing someone has your back through thick or thin is appealing to us all, and few professions even have the possibility for something so special to exist.  If you have the opportunity to be that “Brother”, I hope you take it…as the gift will continue and not die with you.  

A firefighter on my shift in Nashville is dealing with a tough family situation.  His two-year-old daughter has cancer and it is in an advanced stage.  I can only imagine the pain his family has and the times they are facing.  Several brothers have taken off to go “ride” for this Firefighter so he can take care of his family needs.  I only made a few fires with this Firefighter, as 3 Truck is the second due truck in his part of town.  He has always been about business on scene, but is a nice guy as well.  I had a few extra days, took off, and “rode” for him for 24 hours on a Sunday.  The NFD’s newly promoted deputy chief (the top guy in the Fire Suppression Bureau, who works a 40-hour week/Monday-Friday) came in off-duty to take a Saturday 24-hour shift.  The Chief of Department wouldn’t let the new deputy chief ride the back step of the engine, but he was allowed to work as the shift commander.  This added an additional person to the manpower for the shift, allowing someone to cover the needed firefighter slot. Nobody told anyone they had to “ride” or come in, or give up time…they did it because it is the right thing to do, and because brotherhood does still exist in the fire service. I had always been very impressed with our new deputy chief, and he has many years with the NFD, but he really raised the bar with his commitment and “never forget where you came from” attitude to help a “Brother”

There are many more stories I would love to share, but I think you get the point that I’m trying to get across. The tradition of “taking care of our own” has existed for a long time, but could stand to be reinforced.  There will be times that it’s easy to celebrate successes; like a promotion, kid’s graduations, marriage, births, etc. But with the good there comes the bad, and your “brother” will need you. Deaths, sicknesses, divorces, break-ups, and disappointments on and off the job will always be a part of life. There will be projects at home and around the station where help will be needed. Be the guy that they can depend on. Sign up for the station/shift picnic or canoeing trip. The life and times you share during “battle”, at the station, and off-duty build the bond and lets you know who you can believe in when you need them most.

So, when you hear “That Brotherhood bullshit is gone, and won’t be tolerated”….don’t drink the Kool-Aid. You might have to look for it harder than you did back in the day, but the tradition of “Brotherhood” and taking care of our own is alive and well in the fire service. It is up to you to live it, love it, and pass it on.  There are some that will try to bring you down….”for personal reasons”, but the traditions of this craft were here when we came, and will hopefully be here when we’re gone. 

This “Brotherhood” we speak of was put in place by many firefighters that came before us, so who are we to let it go by the wayside? Company moral will soar, you’ll form a cohesive team that is good at what they do, you’ll genuinely care for each other, and you’ll find yourself enjoying “The Job” more than ever before. This pride will be contagious, and others will want what you have. It won’t necessarily be easy, but if it’s worth having…it requires effort.

Train hard, remember fallen brothers, stay safe…and don’t let the “Brotherhood” die. The future of the fire service is in your hands. FTM-PTB.

Trey is the President of the Middle TN FOOLS and a Firefighter with Nashville Truck-3

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.

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.

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.

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.