It is with our deepest regard to announce the Line of Duty Death of firefighter Cody Renfroe, 24, of the Crossville Fire Department.
Firefighter Renfroe and another Crossville firefighter were searching a burning residential structure for a possible victim when the alarm to the other firefighter’s air pack sounded. The other firefighter exited the structure, believing Renfroe was behind him.
When Firefighter Renfroe did not come out of the residence, firefighters and law enforcement from several departments began efforts to rescue him. One Crossville police officer climbed a ladder on the outside of the house and, through a window, could see that Renfroe was still inside.
Only after overcoming fire conditions were firefighters able to get to Renfroe. However, he did not survive. Investigation continues into the incident.
Cody Renfroe is the 96th firefighter to be killed in the line of duty in 2008. May he rest in peace and all of us at Brotherhood Instructors LLC would like to give our condolences to the entire Crossville Fire Department and the Renfroe Family.
This article is intended to inform and possibly clear up any myths regarding through-the-lock forcible entry, specifically pertaining commercial stile doors. Sometimes these commercial stile doors are also referred to as aluminum stile doors.
First, lets have a refresher on through-the-lock forcible entry:
Through-the-lock forcible entry was originally developed in the 1960’s in response to Americans becoming more security conscious.
Business owners started placing better quality locks and more of them on their establishments.
Firefighters sometimes found it faster and less labor intensive to perform “through-the-lock” techniques instead of conventionally forcing the door.
The main purpose of through-the-lock is the duplication of the action that the key performs within the lock
Simply stated, it is a two-step process which involves removing the lock cylinder and then manipulating the locking mechanism.
Step #1: The removal of the cylinder may be accomplished by any one of the four following techniques:
Spinning off/Unscrewing the cylinder with channel locks or water pump pliers
Forcing the cylinder off of the door with a K-Tool
Forcing the cylinder off of the door with a Rex Tool
Forcing the cylinder off of the door using the adz end of a Halligan tool.
The mortise lock is benchmarked with the location of the keyway (photo #2). Think of the keyway as a clock. The actuation of the lock is generally either in a clockwise motion from five o’clock to seven o’clock or counterclockwise from seven o’clock to five o’clock.
Once the cylinder is removed, the lock must now be actuated through the use of a key or Kerry Tool (Photo #3)
Take a look at some video examples of through-the-lock techniques:
In video #1 we see the cylinder being pulled with a Rex-Tool and then the lock manipulated with the Key tool.
In video #2 we see the adz end of a Halligan tool being used to shear the cylinder from the keyway. After the cylinder is sheared from the keyway, a key tool is then inserted to manipulate the locking mechanism which unlocks the door.
“Take The Glass”
Time and time again, with any forcible entry option there are always those firefighters who proclaim, “Well, I would just take the glass!” Let us explore this option more in depth below:
Yes, taking the glass may very well gain access into the structure, BUT by taking the glass, you have violated the Cardinal Sin of forcible entry. That cardinal sin is maintaining the integrity of the door. There are countless articles regarding the importance of controlling the door with regards to improper ventilation and how it effects fire spread. Lets further examine a few scenarios:
Scenario #1:
A firefighter has made the decision to force entry to a storefront aluminum stile door by breaking the glass. This firefighter was lucky enough that it was tempered glass and not Lexan glass. The result of this scenario is that firefighters are now crawling over and dragging vital hose lines over shards of broken glass.
Scenario #2:
This firefighter has also made the decision to break the glass to gain entry into the store. In many areas throughout the country, store owners are replacing their easily defeated tempered glass windows and doors with laminated glass or Lexan. Only a few years ago, this was typically only the case in inner-city areas, now this new security feature has been sighted throughout the country in communities of all sizes. Laminated or Lexan windows will certainly cause significant delays in getting inside the building when attempting to “save time” by breaking glass.
Scenario #3:
Once you have taken the glass (if you are able to) on these doors, now what? Remember, we are at the scene of a fire, the glass is gone and smoke and fire are now meeting you at the new ventilation opening that was just created. If the glass is broken out of these windows, a rotary saw will now be needed to remove the window bars now impeding our entry into the store. All of us know that time is a very important commodity on the scene of a fire (especially a commercial fire). Through-the-lock techniques will solve the problems in all of the above scenarios, and it will typically solve them all FASTER!
The following videos demonstrate the time difference between “taking the glass” and performing through-the-lock forcible entry. Feel free to play them all at once to see which is the most professional, efficient and fastest way to gain entry.
Through-the-lock with the Rex Tool
Breaking tempered glass and removing cross-members:
Another video that shows the resilience of laminated or Lexan glass
There are a million ways to skin a cat, and there may be those rare instances where taking the glass is the only option. Through-the-lock is becoming a lost art and as professional firefighters, we must seek training to improve ourselves and educate our brother and sister firefighters.
This firefighter has also made the decision to break the glass to gain entry into the store. In many areas throughout the country, store owners are replacing their easily defeated tempered glass windows and doors with laminated glass or Lexan. Only a few years ago, this was typically only the case in inner-city areas, now this new security feature has been sighted throughout the country in communities of all sizes. Laminated or Lexan windows will certainly cause significant delays in getting inside the building when attempting to “save time” by breaking glass.
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