FORCIBLE ENTRY SITUATIONS

Areas where
normal
openings are:
Locked

 Blocked

 Nonexistent
 FUNCTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH FORCIBLE ENTRY
 Rescue
 Ventilation
 Access to victims
 Access to fire area
 Locked or blocked
egress
 Fire attack
 Salvage and overhaul
 Retreat or escape
 TRY
BEFORE
YOU
PRY!
CUTTING TOOLS

Flat-head axe
Pick-head axe
Effective for
cutting through
wood, shingles
and other natural
and lightweight
materials
CUTTING TOOLS

Hand saws
Rotary/circular
saws
Reciprocating
saws
Chain saws
Ventilation saws
Never push a saw
beyond its design
and purposes or
failure or injury
could occur

Never use a power

saw in a flammable
atmosphere
Always use eye
protection when
operating any saw
 Bolt Cutters
Used to cut bolts, iron bars, pins,
cables, hasps, chains, and some
padlock shackles
Never attempt to cut case-
hardened materials

Cutting Torches
Can generate a flame of over
5,700oF
Only personnel trained in the
proper use should attempt to
use a cutting torch
Manual Prying Tools
Crowbar Halligan bar
Hooligan bar Pry bar
Claw tool Pry axe
Hux bar Kelly tool
 Hydraulic
Rescue
Spreader

Hydraulic Door
Opener
 PUSHING - PULLING TOOLS
Used for breaking glass and
opening walls or ceilings

Clemens Hook

Pike Poles Drywall Hook Trash Hook

STRIKING TOOLS

Sledgehammer

Battering ram Flat-head axe

 Fire fighters
must be
properly trained
and familiar
with all tools
they may use

When tools are

not being used,
they should be
placed in
designated
areas
 CARRYING AXES
 Close to body
 Points protected

 Never carry
on shoulder
 CARRYING PIKE POLES
When outside, carry these
tools with the tool head
down, close to the ground
and ahead of the body

When entering a building,

invert the tool and carry it
with the head upright
close to the body
FORCING METHODS
If there is a glass
pane near the
locking
mechanism, it
will be faster and
cause less
damage to break
the glass and
reach through to
unlock the door
FORCING SWINGING
DOORS

A prying tool is
placed above or
below the lock
between the door
and jamb

Drive the tool

between the door
and jamb with a flat-
head axe
FORCING SWINGING
DOORS

For inward swing

doors, move the
tool toward the
door

For outward
swing doors, pull
the tool away
from the door
If the door
hinges
can be
seen, it
swings
toward
you
Forcing sliding doors
May be forced by using a
prying tool to pry the door
away from the jamb to
break the lock striker

The glass may

have to broken
as a last resort:
Tempered glass shatters into small
cube-like pieces when broken
Strike the glass with the pick of a
tool in a bottom corner
 FORCING OVERHEAD DOORS
For sectional or
folding overhead
doors:

Remove a panel
or break a window
and operate the
latch from the
inside or pull the
release handle on
the track
FORCING OVERHEAD DOORS
For rolling steel overhead doors:

Cut a
triangle-
shaped
opening large
enough for
entry
All overhead
doors should
be blocked
open to
prevent injury
should the
control
mechanism
fail
Breaking the
glass of the
wrong window
can intensify
the fire and
draw it to
uninvolved
areas
Stand with the wind to the back
Hold the tool with the hands higher
than the point of impact to prevent
glass from falling on them
Use the flat side of an axe or a pike
pole
Clear the
window
frame of:
Remaining
glass
All curtains
and blinds
Breaching load-bearing walls
can be very dangerous
Breaching an improper
location or removing too
many structural members can
lead to collapse
 Watch for:
Wiring - Plumbing - Gas lines
 Opening Interior Partition Walls
1. Select location
2. Check for plugs,
switches, and
plumbing fixtures
3. Sound the wall
for studs
4. Cut along studs
5. Break sheetrock
CHECKING FOR FIRE IN
PARTITION WALLS

 Feel for hot spots

 Look for
discoloration
 Listen for sounds
of burning
 Check for smoke
BRICK AND MASONRY WALLS

The hardest type of walls to breach

Battering ram
Rotary power saws with
masonry blades

Sledgehammer: difficult
and time-consuming
WOOD FLOOR
FORCING METHODS
Caution must be
exercised to avoid
cutting floor support
joists

Determine the location

for hole
Remove floor
coverings such as tile
and carpet
Sound for floor joists
Cut each side of the
finished floor using
angle cuts
Remove the finished
flooring with the pick of
an axe
Use the same
techniques to cut the
subfloor
If using a power saw,
remove carpeting before
making any cuts
FORCING CEILINGS

Penetrate
ceiling with
pike pole
Pull down and
away

Stay between the area being pulled

and the doorway to keep the exit route
from becoming blocked
 Always wear full
protective equipment

If area above is unvented, fire

could be forced downward
when ceiling is penetrated
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
TRY BEFORE
 Carry tools safely
YOU PRY!
 Watch for
explosive
atmospheres
 Block open doors
and windows
 Place tools out of
the way
 Stand to side when
breaking glass
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

 Block open
overhead doors
 Check overhead obstructions
and bystanders
 Watch for plumbing & wiring
 One large opening is better than
several small ones
 Have charged line ready