Cody Trestrail 3/16/13 Cody Trestrail 3/16/13

Basic Irons Class Photos

The March Basic Irons class at Clark County Fire & Rescue is done, and thanks to everyone who helped make this class a success. Three days of training for 90 firefighters from Oregon and Washington produced only a few minor injuries, lots of great video and a couple truck beds full of kindling. Here's a link to our Flickr page where you can see all of the photos from our past class.

Cody Trestrail 1/26/13 Cody Trestrail 1/26/13

FDNY Forcible Entry Manual

Click to Download

The FDNY Forcible Entry reference guide is one of the most comprehensive and useful sources for Fire Service forcible entry techniques. It was compiled a few years ago by Captain John Vigiano (FDNY Ladder 176-Retired) with input from several other veteran FDNY firefighters, including Captain Robert Morris (FDNY Rescue 1).

This guide was developed to hand down techniques and skills developed through the generations, and to highlight techniques that have proven successful for members of one of the busiest fire departments in the world.

We don't all face the same challenges as the men and women who serve in New York. We may not have access to all the same tools, training, or manpower. For these reasons, some of us conclude that lessons learned from the FDNY can't apply to us- and that couldn't be further from the truth.

Here's why: The FDNY and other busy departments have tried dozens of techniques and new tools during thousands of hours of training and hundreds of thousands of fires. Their trial-and-error experience has condensed into a few proven methods to defeat the most common types of forcible entry challenges. Our benefit is that we don't have to "reinvent the wheel" with forcible entry. Padlocks behave the same way on the West Coast, so do Adams-Rite locks and steel roll-up doors.

This reference guide is a great tool for the majority of American firefighters who show up to work facing limited manpower, basic tools and limited training opportunities. When faced with challenges like this, we don't have time for ideas that don't work.

Cody Trestrail 12/5/12 Cody Trestrail 12/5/12

Rescue Mode

The photos below are a rescue by the Gresham (OR) Fire Department. This same fire could happen all over the country, as most cities have areas where window bars are present on commercial and residential buildings. Use this example to ask a few tactical questions: 1) Your engine company is first to arrive, with this person showing at the window, do you go into Rescue Mode? What does this mean for your department? Do you send your crew to the window to begin removal? Do you send your crew through the front door with a line? Do you split your crew and attempt both?

2) Where would your engine crew place the first line in a similar situation? Where would you send the second line?

3) If your truck company was delayed or a saw wouldn't start, what is your next best removal option for window bars? Is your engine equipped to rescue a victim in this situation?

On November 29th, Gresham Fire responded to a residential fire, and arrived to find fire venting from a window in the Bravo/Charlie corner of a one story manufactured home. Window bars were found on all windows and there was a barred security door on the front door. An occupant appeared at a Alpha side window, with smoke rolling over his head and window bars blocking his exit. The man was handed an SCBA mask while the bars were cut. Crews were able to cut the bottom brackets on both sides to hinge the bars up and pull him from the window.

Thanks to Greg Muhr for taking these excellent photos!

Brothers In Battle 10/22/12 Brothers In Battle 10/22/12

Securitech- Trident Multi-Point Exit Lock

Here's a new type of aftermarket lock system being installed on commercial doors that still meets fire codes for rapid egress. While this door looks formidable, a well trained FF with a set of Irons should be able to gain access fairly rapidly.

Exterior Image of system mounted on a door, the three horizontal strips with bolt heads are not part of the Trident system.

Descriptive points

Instant self-locking deadbolt protection each time the door closes
4 point locking (the door above has 6)
Stainless steel anti-pry plate
Stainless steel thru-bolt plates
Hinge side locking bolt/s protrude from door into the frame, these do not retract
Pushing the panic paddle retracts the deadbolts on the lock side

Interior image of the system

Forcing This Door

Start conventionally on the lock side with the Adz end slightly above or below the center pry plate, gap/crush the door and gain access to the backside of the door, place the Adz behind the door, begin prying out, capture the progress and identify where the resistance is coming from, move to the top where the bolt is and repeat the process, move to the bottom bolt and repeat as well. The door should go. Don't get side tracked by attacking the hinge side bolts, they will pull out of the frame when you open the door conventionally.

Check out this video on the Trident system from Securitech.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jTCzvCavtBI

Brothers In Battle 10/14/12 Brothers In Battle 10/14/12

Do you see what I see?

FIRE DRILL

You're RIT doing the walk around on this 1 story commercial, What tools do you bring ? What's your size up for this door? Do you stop to force it or make note of it? If you stop to force it whats your plan? If you don't stop to force it than explain why not?