Skip to content

Archives for

See all posts in the network tagged with

“Chalk Talk” Forcible Entry Size-up – By: Andrew Brassard

2 comments

Growing up I played lacrosse, not the typical hockey that most Canadian kids played. I was fortunate enough to play at a very high level and had the privilege of playing for some great coaches.  They taught me not only about the game of lacrosse but great lessons about life that I carried over into the fire service. I had one coach that always said “you can’t learn this game in a book; you have to get out on the floor and play the game”. I could not agree more, to truly learn this job aggressive and realistic training along with experience is required. That being said my coach would also say “you want to be great at this game, be a student of the game”, I would see my Coach constantly looking at plays, statistics, equipment, etc. and he was a true student of the game and one of the best players ever to play box lacrosse. The point is that you need the knowledge and the understanding of what you’re doing to go along with your hands on training. We would practice some days until we would literally be throwing up on the floor, we would also spend some days in the class room in front of the chalk board going over plays. This was just as important to the development as us as lacrosse players and a team as going out and throwing the ball around the floor. We are going to look at a quick drill that you can do at your firehouse, this type of drill we call “chalk talk”.

Chalk talk drills are those types of drills that are great for rainy days, these types of drills are good because they often get great discussions going and it allows some of the senior members in the company to pass along their experiences and knowledge to the younger guys.  Some of the best training that I have ever done has been sitting at the kitchen table, around the tailboard of the rig, or sitting in front of a white board talking shop with a warm cup of coffee and the company of some great firemen. Not all training has to be blood, sweat, and tears, here is a good “rainy day” forcible entry drill that you can do with your crew.

 

Forcible Entry Size up Drill

A hard thing to practice and drill on is forcible entry size up. One thing I use to do was go out and take pictures of doors in our area, we would put them into a PowerPoint and then talk about methods for forcing entry into these buildings. It was great training and great discussions with guys.  We would talk about the different locks that they were dealing with and the methods and tools that they would use for getting in. Great debates, discussions, and arguments would steam from the slideshows. The problem with this method was that it was time consuming to go out gather the photos and then put the PowerPoint together, the training had great value it was just not something that could be done at the drop of a hat if the crew says “let’s do some training”. Also it does not take long for the guys to get tired of looking at and talking about the same doors over and over again.

To try to add some variety to the training and be able to put the training on I set out to make a series of props that would allow me to do quick, realistic, and optionless forcible entry size up training. I wanted to build a series of magnetic locks that could be stuck onto any regular metal door in the firehouse, out doing building inspections, etc. These locks would look exactly (or as close to it as possible) like their real lock counterparts. I took the basic type locks that me and the crews in my fire department would encounter during a forcible entry operation, these locks included:

  • Key in the Knob Locks
  • Tubular Deadbolts
  • Rim Locks
  • Rim Cylinder Guards 
  • Carriage Bolts (drop bars, slide bolts, etc.)

After I narrowed down the most common type locks that I wanted to simulate I made a trip to a local machining shop and had them mill out exact likenesses of a key in the knob lock and a couple of tubular deadbolts, because of the weight associated with making these locks out of metal PVC was used instead. On the backside of the locks a counter sunk hole was drilled and then a heavy duty magnet was secured into place using epoxy. To make the cylinder guards, 10 gauge metal plates were cut to the size of a standard cylinder guard. After the cylinder guards were cut ¼ inch carriage bolt heads were welded on the corners and then magnetic stripping was added to the backside of the guards. Finally, ¼ inch carriage bolts were taken and the threaded rod was cut off the back leaving just the heads, a hole was counter sunk into the back of the carriage bolt head and a magnate was held in place with epoxy. Having these magnet props allows you to gather the crew around any metal door in the firehouse and set up any forcible entry scenario your imagination can dream up. These drills at my firehouse have been invaluable; the guys at the station love it and get very engaged in the discussion about tactics and forcible entry size up.

The total cost of the magnet props was around $200, but if you are fairly handy or know someone who can use a machining lathe you could probably get them made for a lot less money.

This will be the first article in a series of articles that will give you great training ideas that you can do at your firehouse. If you want to train you can train.

Posted by on May 31, 2011 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Forcible Entry, Ladder Company Ops, RIT or FAST Operations, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged:

Memorial Day

No comments

The staff of Brotherhood Instructors, LLC would like to take a moment to thank the men and women of our Armed Forces for their dedication and selfless service to their country.  We hope everyone has a safe weekend while keeping the true meaning of Memorial Day in mind – honoring the men and women who have paid for our freedom and safety with their lives. 

Memorial Day Video

The owners of Brotherhood Instructors, LLC. would like to thank the following members of our staff for their service to their respective countries:

 

Tom Dalton, United States Marine Corps – FDNY

Mark Becica, United States Army – Baltimore City FD

Matt Black, United States Coast Guard – Kansas City MO FD

Chris Overpeck, United States Navy – Elkhart IN FD

 

 

Bruno Lamare, Canadian Forces & British Army – Mississauga FD

 

Posted by on May 27, 2011 • Filed under: Uncategorized

“Slipping Through the Cracks” – By: Josh Materi

No comments

Does this look familiar?  Have you been to a fire where companies failed to remove bars off the windows?  I am sure by now we all understand how important this is to the safety of our members operating inside, much less the occupants that are cut off by fire.  So what’s the problem?   

Is it a system or operational problem?  

How strong are your fireground SOP’s, do they cover this important fireground task?  

Does your Training Division and Company Officers address these challenges?

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

Without strong operational standard operating procedures (SOPs) how do we ensure critical tasks do not get overlooked?  SOPs function effectively because units are assigned specific tasks based on the occupancy and response order.  An example of a department’s SOPs states that one of the responsibilities of Truck Company  members assigned to position #4, Outside Vent firefighter (OV)  is to remove  bars off of the windows, this will ensure that this critical task will not get overlooked.  This also gives ownership of the important task to these specific members.  Communicating expectations will motivate the members to focus their training on their roles on the fireground.  If this member is unable to remove the bars for some reason it is his/her responsibility to communicate this to command.

TRAINING

Are the members of your department confident in their ability to successfully remove window bars in an efficient manner?  Or, is this an issue that tends to slip through the cracks?  This is a relatively easy task that is often overlooked when planning company drills. Take the time to develop props that will reflect the challenges you will face in your district.  Realistic challenges on the training ground will build confidence on the fireground, a confident firefighter is an aggressive firefighter and the fireground needs aggressive actions.

In the photo to the left you see a member standing next to a window on floor 1 at the rear of a multiple-dwelling apartment building.  The window bars are standing proud of the wall and are connected on two sides; they are also out of reach without a ground ladder.  This window will be attacked differently than a window that is recessed into brick and mortar connected on four sides.  The member going to the rear of this structure should have a metal saw, halligan bar, 6’Hook, and 24’ extension ladder.  Without the ground ladder this member would have a difficult time addressing the window bars, not to mention reaching the floor above for ventilation and rescue.  When providing horizontal ventilation, resist the urge to take the glass prior to removing the bars.  Operating the metal saw in smoke may choke out the saw and will obscure your visibility unnecessarily making the removal more challenging and may be delayed.

Failure to plan is planning to fail…

 

This is a great company drill; grab a hook, halligan bar, metal saw and walk around your district and discuss with the crew how you would attack different challenges.  Discuss multiple techniques; have a plan A, B, and C, make sure to include conventional techniques.  Never solely rely on one technique, especially when it requires the use of a saw.  On a side note, this is a great time to reinforce why we must run the saws at the start of every shift. 

When you get back to the firehouse bring out the new window prop you built on your days off and let the crew cut re-bar and flat stock in various positions both on and off a ground ladder.  This gives the crew a chance to handle the saw other than on the morning checks or on the fireground, for most of our members this is the only occasions we operate the metal saws.  Encourage your members to test some of the theories they discussed on the pre-fire walk.  Every company has that “idea guy”.  Give that member an opportunity to test some of those good ideas.

In this job the devil is certainly in the details. Discussing the plan with your members, laying out the expectations and giving them the opportunity to train repeatedly on what they are expected to accomplish is absolutely imperative for operating at a high level on the fireground.  Having a plan on who will be responsible for removal of the bars and repetitive task level training on the plan pays off.  It pays off for the citizens that we are sworn to protect and it will pay off for our members. 

Here is a great public service announcement from Miami Dade Fire Rescue that illustrates the importance of being prepared for the worst.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEoYt-4QqBI

Posted by on May 24, 2011 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Forcible Entry, Ladder Company Ops, RIT or FAST Operations, special-operations, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Ventilation • Tagged:

The Truth About Nozzles – By: Rob Feltwell & Chris Collier

6 comments

The following article was written based on research conducted by the authors in the summer of 2010.  Our hope is to educate the fire service with real facts about nozzles.  Feel free to add your questions, comments, and suggestions.  Click any of the pictures to open the article. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nozzle Article

Thank you to the Wildwood City NJ Fire Department, West Wildwood NJ Fire Department, and Avalon NJ Fire Department for the use of their apparatus, nozzles and flow meters. 

Posted by on May 21, 2011 • Filed under: Attack Line, Engine Company Ops, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Stretching, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Water Supply • Tagged: , ,

Video – Engine Ops: Nozzle & Back-up Techniques

3 comments

The latest addition to our video training series focuses on the importance of a well coordinated nozzle team.  In this video Nate DeMarse and Chris Collier demonstrate effective nozzle and back-up firefighter techniques.  In this video a 2 1/2" line equipped with a smooth bore nozzle with a 1 1/8" tip was used.  At 50 lbs nozzle pressure this line is flowing approximately 280 gallons per minute (GPM) and can still be moved effectively by two firefighters.  The nozzle reaction of the smooth bore is approximately half that of most combination nozzles while flowing the same GPM. 

Please feel free to post your comments and questions.

Posted by on May 18, 2011 • Filed under: Attack Line, Engine Company Ops, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged:

History of Lock Pulling Tools

2 comments

Here is a great article by Nate Jamison from Midwest Firefighter about the history of lock pulling tools.  There are a few variations of these stories out there and I'm sure each has its own unique blend of history, urban legend, and firehouse rumor.  Thanks for letting us share your work Nate.

Sunila Tool

Invented by Captain Kauko E. Sunila (FDNY Engine 84) who is also accredited as the first person to start pulling lock cylinders to go through-the-lock. This tool started out as a modified pinch bar purchased at a local hardware store. The hook end was somewhat flattened and it’s claw end was sharpened.  It was later manufactured by Bridgeport Tool Company (Bridgeport was stamped on the shaft). It was officially introduced as a cylinder lock puller in the  “Autumn” 1961 WNYF.

Additional Information; Brotherhood Instructors Post: Through the Lock- The Sunillla Tool

Officer’s Tool (A/O Tool)

Taking this “A” style teeth and applying it to other fire service tools original inventor was Captain Bob Farrell (FDNY Ladder 31). As a firefighter and friend of Sunila (Sunila Tool) and McLaughlin (K Tool), Bob took his Ladder company’s FDNY owned Halligan and cut an “A” tool into the adz. His Captain was not impressed with this modification. Since the bar was FDNY property and not the company’s the Captain required him to replace the bar at his own expense. Bob traveled to Chief Hugh Halligan’s home in the Bronx where he sold him the bar at a discounted rate. Bob returned to his Captain with the new bar. Bob asked that since he replaced the bar with the new one, he’d like the one he cut the “A” tool into. The Captain simply told him “NO” and placed the new bar along side of the old one.

Now there are numerous “A” style tools on the market. They came after the K-Tool but the idea did not. No matter what tools they are machined into, they work basically the same. Here are some examples;

(Office’s Tool/A-Tool Kit)

(Mini Pro-Bar/Lil Pro Bar)

Bob Farrell, now owner of Fire Hooks Unlimited, Captain Farrell’s tenure at 82/31 was considered the “The War Years” (60’s-70’s) and was arguably the busiest firehouse in the world. In 1966 Captain Farrell was awarded FDNY’s highest medal for bravery – the James Gordon Bennett medal. Throughout his career, Bobs regard for his men’s safety carried over into the private sector designing and manufacturing fire hooks and fire tools. For nearly three decades, Bob has set the standard for excellence throughout the US in producing high quality products including the Pro-Bar, NY Roof Hook and Hydra Ram.

(Farrell giving out the “Silver Bullet” award in the 1972 documentary, Man Alive: The Bronx is Burning)

(Farrell resetting an alarm box in the 1972 documentary, Man Alive: The Bronx is Burning)

(Farrell swinging away in the 1972 documentary, Man Alive: The Bronx is Burning)

K-Tool

The K-Tool (and its associated parts) was the first tool available to firefighters that was commercially machined to pull lock cylinders. Invented and patented by Lieutenant William McLaughlin (FDNY). McLaughlin was also a registered locksmith and a mathematical  genius. His first K-Tool was made from a block of heavy duty steel.

Bill McLaughlin worked in the South Bronx in 19 Truck. He became the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st Fire Commissioner in the FDNY.

Another version of the K-Tool was made available by Ziamatic. This version was noticeable by the shape of the K. One side of the K was a little bigger than the other. They were sued and lost because of the patent on the original K-Tool.

McLaughlin is retired and living in Florida. Fire Hooks Unlimited still sells his tools. The K-Tool comes in a leather pouch with the 5/32” square key (used for the Horizontal Double Brace/Double Bar, Fox Lock), key tool, and shove knife.The K-Tool is currently the most popular lock puller sold today.

Note: William McLaughlin was a co-inventor of the Pro-Bar in the 1960′s.

R-Tool

The R-Tool was designed years later to pull all types of lock cylinders too large of the K-Tool unit, such as locks that extend out from the door and 1-inch round are easily pulled with the R-Tool.

Rex Tool

(Captain Robert Morris)

Captain Robert “Rex” Morris of Res1cue, FDNY is accredited with the invention of this U-shaped lock puller. He came to Bob Farrell (Fire Hooks Unlimited) in the 1990‘s with a version and after making some modifications it was named the Rex tool. The name Rex is of Latin origin and means King.

This king of lock pullers with the U shaped teeth and head style can pull all of the locks that the K-Tool, R-Tool, and A Tool can pull, combined.

The Rex tool comes with a 5/32” square key (used for the Horizontal Double Brace/Double Bar, Fox Lock), Shove Knife, and a Kerry Key. The Kerry key is a smaller version of the Key tool and is named after Bob Farrell’s daughter.

(Captain Morris’s Rex Tool, Andy Fredericks Training Days 2011)

 

Morris Tool (Lil Rex)

(Andrew Brassard)

Firefighter Andrew Brassard of Milton, Canada Fire Department (Co-owner of Brotherhood Instructors, LLC) was trying to think of a better way to make sure that he always had a through the lock tool with him when they ran short on the truck. The idea struck him one night to cross the K tool with the Rex tool.

The one problem with the Rex Tool was that on very short staffed departments (much like his own department) there simply are not enough hands to carry the Rex Tool. This would leave the tool on the truck a lot of the time while the firefighter (or firefighters… if they were lucky) assigned forcible entry would typically carry the irons and a saw.

So Brassard went to their fire hall and cut the handle off a standard Rex Tool and welded a bracket for the adz of the halligan to fit into (much like the one on the K Tool).

After trying the tool for several months and pulling lots of cylinders, he started to think that he may be on to something. He went to the FDIC and took Captain Robert Morris’s forcible entry class. He was rotating through the different stations of the class when he noticed almost the exact same modification on a Rex Tool on the table. He asked Captain Morris about the tool and he told him that he had been using it for a couple of years. Andrew was beaten by the “King”.

Captain Morris’s Rex Tool modification was slightly different from his own. Instead of making the bracket for the adz he welded a small piece of pipe onto the top of the tool. This would allow the user to put the pike of the halligan through the pipe and pry the cylinder out of the door.

Bob Farrell, Fire Hooks Unlimited sells the “Morris” tool as the Lil-Rex.

(The “Morris” Tool as shown by Andrew Brassard)

(The Lil-Rex by Fire Hooks Unlimited)

Posted by on May 15, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Forcible Entry, Ladder Company Ops, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged:

Video – Roof Operations: Openting Scuttle & Skylight Returns

1 comment

Ventilating Skylights 12/26/2010

Posted by on May 12, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Ladder Company Ops, Roof Ops, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Ventilation • Tagged:

Power Saw Decompression Valves – By: Andrew Brassard

2 comments

There are a tremendous amount of myths and misconceptions that circle in the fire service about the decompression valve on rotary saws.  Some of these myths and misconceptions can lead to a lack of saw performance and or and inability to put the saw into action when it is needed most.

What is a Decompression Valve?

Basically, the way that a decompression valve works is that it is a small one way valve that is bored into the saws combustion chamber. When the starter cord is pulled the recoil turns causing the piston to raise causing compression to build inside the cylinder.  This compression can make the saw hard to start due to the resistance of the compression on the saws recoil. The valve allows a bit of the compression to escape, this in turn allows for the saw to start easier. The valve is semi-automatic meaning that it must be depressed by the saw operator before starting, after the saw fires the decompression valve automatically closes.

The Myths and Misconceptions

One of the biggest myths and misconceptions about the decompression valve is whether or not it needs to be depressed every time you pull the starter cord or not.  The answer is absolutely YES!  Now the reason for this is not necessarily to make it easier for the saw operator because lets be honest, if you can’t pull the cord without pushing in the decompression valve because it is too hard…. Than riding around on a fire truck is probably not for you!  There are two reasons that you want to ensure that the decompression valve has been depressed every time:

  1. The first reason is that starting the saw without the decompression valve engaged is tremendously hard on the saws starter recoil, this can lead to the starter cord breaking during start up or the cord starting to become loose and it will tend to hang out of the recoil.
  2. The second reason is that if the saw is constantly turned over it is generating tremendous amounts of compression inside the compression chamber, that compression is constantly pushed into the closed valve. What will start to happen is the valve will wear down and start to leak compression all the time. This leak in the compression can cause serious performance issues with your saw, if you find that your saw is bogging down a lot during roof or forcible entry operations then this could be an issue with the compression of your saw.

Another myth and misconception about decompression valves is that regular maintenance is not required.  The decompression valve just like any other part of the saw requires maintenance to run in tip top shape.  It tends to be a part of the regular service of the saws that is often overlooked, forgotten, or completely ignored. Much like a spark plug the end of the decompression valve is inside the combustion chamber of the engine.  Carbon, oil, and other unburned material tend to collect on the end of the valve.  This collection of unburned carbon can cause problems in the valve opening and closing or in the seal of the valve; this valve not closing properly can leave the pathway open for the compression to constantly leak.  Again a leak due to an improper seal or a malfunction in the valve will greatly effect the saws performance.

Maintenance

Maintenance on the decompression valve should be done annually or when ever the spark plug is being changed. The best practice for the cleaning of the valve is to first clean the dust and debris from the general area of the valve.  The reason for this is you don’t want any of dirt or debris getting into the cylinder. Once the area has been cleaned the valve can be removed with a wrench, and a clean rag can be placed into the hole to prevent any dust, dirt, or debris from getting into the cylinder.  After the valve has been removed it can be soaked in gasoline or WD-40 to remove the oils and unburned carbon. Once the valve has been cleaned in can be reinstalled.

During a fire ground operation, the decompression valve not being pressed won’t ruin your saw. It is extremely important to ensure that the valve is engaged during normal daily checks and training. This will build good habits that will no doubt carry over to the fire ground.

These are a couple of small tips that can make a ton of difference with your saws on the fire ground. Saws are a mechanical piece of equipment and they need to be cared for, inspected, and maintained if you want them to run in top form.

 

 

Posted by on May 9, 2011 • Filed under: Brotherhood Topics, Email Drill Questions, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Forcible Entry, Ladder Company Ops, rescues, RIT or FAST Operations, Roof Ops, special-operations, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Ventilation • Tagged:

Why the Framing Square Sucks – By: Chris Collier

2 comments

The framing square doesn’t actually suck; it’s a great tool if you are building a house.  When it comes to forcible entry, the framing square has no place on the fireground.  The fire service has enough trouble with the basics.  Further diluting the basics with “whiz-bang” tricks like the framing square only accelerates the erosion of what basic skills we have left and instills false hope in tactics that will not always work. 

We all know that there are very very few always and never situations in the fire service.  The framing square technique will work sometimes and the irons will work almost always.  I’m much more comfortable with almost always than sometimes.  The irons also afford us many forcible entry options, a second, third, and in many cases more choices should our first attempt be unsuccessful.  The framing square is a single function tool and that function is only useful sometimes making the likelihood of the framing square technique being successful relatively low. 

Forcing an outward opening door that is only locked by panic hardware is easily done with the irons.  Most panic hardware has a spring loaded latch that is between ¾” and 1” long.  That latch is easily pulled from its receiver when the adz of the Halligan is driven between the door and the door jam.  In many instances the door can be forced at that point in the forcible entry operation.  If the door does not release at that point the tool can be driven in to capture both layers of the door as we would do normally.    When prying on the door at this point the spring loaded latch will either pull out of its receiver or the screws holding the panic hardware to the door will be stripped out of the door.  Long story short, doors locked only with panic hardware are not hard to force and are the only doors the framing square will work on. 

Any additional locking devices other than the panic hardware will make the framing square technique useless.  Business owners know that panic hardware is not a substantial locking device and commonly add additional locks to these doors whether legal or not.  You will not know that this technique will not work on any given door until you try it and when it fails, you will have to switch to the irons.  I would prefer to delete this step that doesn’t always work and start with the irons.  You will be bringing the irons anyway, I hope.  Even if the framing square technique is successful you will still need tools to use after you gain entry. 

Planning to use the framing square requires you to bring two extra tools with you, the square and the saw.  Many times this technique is discussed and planned to be used on the back door of a store or in a strip mall type configuration.  Depending on your department and apparatus you arrive on a saw may or may not be available.  If there are roll down gates I would much rather leave that saw in the front of the building to cut the gates.  If there are no gates that saw would be much better used on the roof or removing window bars than being used to force panic hardware that can be easily done with the irons. 

I’m sure someone is thinking the framing square would be a great way to force a door equipped with an arm-a-door lock.  You are right; it will work great… if that’s the only lock on the door.  If someone is going to spend $800 on an arm-a-door I would bet they have some pretty valuable property to protect.  It would not surprise me at all if there were additional locks on a door like that.  Additionally, from the exterior arm-a-door locks have the same bolt pattern as many drop bars.  I would hate to waste time plunge cutting the door and trying the framing square only to find a wood or metal drop bar instead.  These locks are just as substantial as a drop bar and just as easily defeated. 

My preferred method is to place the pike of the Halligan next to the bolt head and drive the pike through the door with a few hits from the axe.  Once this is done next to all four bolt heads I will set the adz between the door and the jam just like any other outward opening door.  Piercing the door next to each bolt head leaves only a small tab of metal holding the bolt in place.  When the door is pried with the Halligan the small metal tab will tear and the bold head will pull through the door, eliminating the locking device the bolts attached.  This technique will work for both the drop bar and the arm-a-door. 

Some doors equipped with panic hardware are also equipped with a time delay release.  This requires the panic hardware to be pressed for a prescribed amount of time before the door will be open.  Doors that have this feature usually also sound an alarm when the panic hardware is depressed.  This is allowed under fire and building codes in certain situations.  It is often allowed in facilities such as daycare centers and mercantile occupancies.  In a daycare setting this feature allows the employees a short period of time to react before a person (adult or child) who is unable to care for themselves due to age, or physical or mental disability can leave unsupervised.  In mercantile occupancies this feature allows security a short period of time to keep thieves from taking something and ducking out a side or rear door unnoticed.  The time between pressing the panic hardware and the door opening is regulated by local code and can be a minute or more in some instances.  This feature will also negate the effectiveness of the framing square by forcing the firefighter with the square to wait and see if the door opens before moving on to conventional forcible entry tactics. 

These are just a few of the reasons why I do not like the framing square.  In short, this technique is extremely prone to failure and requires extra tools.  I like to stick with what I know will work so when I am confronted with a tough door it will not be my first time forcing a door as it may be if you forced every door previously with the framing square.

Please feel free to comment with your questions or suggestions.  Comments must be signed with your first and last name or department name.  Unsigned comments will not be posted in an effort to prevent useless bashing and keep the discussion focused on learning.

Posted by on May 2, 2011 • Filed under: Brotherhood Topics, Email Drill Questions, fire-prevention-education, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Forcible Entry, Ladder Company Ops, RIT or FAST Operations, Search, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Ventilation • Tagged: