escondido fire department training manual truck … · (remember: glass is cheaper and easier to...

ESCONDIDO FIRE DEPARTMENT TRAINING MANUAL TRUCK MODULE FORCIBLE ENTRY 10-27-17 PAGE 1 OF 15 Forcing Doors 402.00 Revised 12-4-18

The method used to force a swinging door is determined evaluating three factors:

How the door is Hung

Type of Construction

Locking mechanism

Before attempting to force any door, try before you Pry. Also, the conditions of the building should be observed, and hose lines should be made available for use. Firefighters should then feel the door for heat by using the back of the hand, which is more sensitive to heat. The temperature of the door will indicate whether a backdraft (explosion) is likely when the door is forced or opened.

In the past, Firefighters were encouraged to remove pins from the hinges and or cut off the hinges with a circular saw. This practice should be a last resort option. The door was designed to operate with its hinges. In this section you will learn techniques that will allow firefighters to rapidly gain access into structures and to allow the door to function as it was designed.

NOTE: As a general rule, always try to use the fastest method to gain entry and access. When it is compatible with emergency operations, choose the method that will be the cheapest to repair or replace. (REMEMBER: Glass is cheaper and easier to replace than doors.)

Breaking Glass

In some cases, less damage may be done by breaking a small glass near the lock, through which the door can be opened from the inside. The act of breaking glass must be done in a certain manner to assure safety to the firefighter, because glass will shatter into fragments of keen cutting edges. Some of the principle safety features for breaking glass are:

Full turnouts

Face shield down

Stand to the windward side if possible

Keep hands above the impact point

Look away


This procedure permits the broken particles of glass to fall downward away from the hands and to the side of where the firefighter stands. The glass may be broken with an axe or other tools. CAUTION: never break glass with your hands. Full protective clothing should always be worn when breaking glass. After the glass is broken, all jagged pieces should be removed.

NOTE: The firefighter is shown using a pike pole. When the window is above your shoulder or when further distance from the window is desirable, a pike pole should be used to break the glass.

First, scrape the edge closest to yourself, then the top, the far edge, and lastly the sill.

Picture taken from IFSTA Essentials

Door Size-up

When sizing-up doors, the following must be considered:

Type of Door: Swinging, sliding, folding, overhead, revolving, etc.

Type of Construction: Wood, metal, glass, solid, hollow, etc.


Type of Frame: Wood or metal most common.

Type of Locking Device: Padlocks, deadbolts, chains (Rim Lock), bars, etc.

Type of Hardware: Hinges, pivots, pins, guides, rollers, etc.

In addition to a visual size-up, firefighters at times need to “shock” the door. Shocking the door refers to striking the door in two or more locations prior to forcing the door. Three benefits to shocking a door are:

Help determine if additional locking devices are present.

Create a Gap / purchase point in the door jamb to insert a saw blade or hand tool

It will force open weak doors

Forcing Outward Swinging Metal Doors

The direction the door opens must be determined prior to forcing entry. The door hinges and door jamb may indicate the opening direction. If the door opens toward the firefighter, it must be forced in a certain manner. Several forcible entry tools may be used for this operation. The use of a circular saw is the preferred method when dealing with an outward swinging Metal Door. The technique written below also applies to Metal Double Swinging Doors.


Circular Saw Method

Step 1: Cut the cover plate off if present – Cut the Carriage Bolts and remove the cover Step 2: Insert the blade in the jamb and cut the bolt Step 3: Remove saw and open the door - pry open door with hand tool if necessary.

Haligan Tool Method

Step 1: Insert the blade of the tool between the door and jamb, about 6" above or below the lock.


Step 2: Force the blade in and

against the rabbet or door stop by working and pushing on the tool (the tool may be hammered with a flat head axe).

Step 3: Pry on the tool bar away from the door to move the door and jamb apart. Step 4: Pull the door open or pry open with another tool when the lock has

cleared the keeper. This procedure can be done with different tools, such as a spanner, axe blade, pry bar, pry axe or a ram bar, as well as with the Haligan Tool. If two tools are used, insert both tools between the jamb and the door, one above the lock and one below. By alternately prying with one and catching a bite with the other, more force can be applied.

Forcing Outward Swinging High Security Metal Doors

These doors are typical found in commercial strip malls, where businesses have high valued products stored in the back of the store. Examples – Cell Phone Store, Liquor Store. Based on your size up you determine that several locking devises are present. The following procedure will be effective when faced with a High Security Metal Door. Step 1. Start with a 45 Degree Cut at shoulder level in the center of the door.

Step 2. Make a second diagonal cut on the opposite side, creating an upside down V.

Step 3. Make a large horizontal cut connecting the two other cuts.

Step 4. Insert a hand tool into the hole that you cut. Utilizing the hand tool activate the

panic hardware inside.


Forcing Double Swinging Metal Doors

The following procedures are used when forcing a double swinging metal doors.

Double swinging doors should be forced by cutting the locking bolt. If cover plate is fastened to one of the doors in the center, it should be removed to expose the crack between the two doors.

If the door has a glass pane, breaking the glass may be the fastest means of entry. However, breaking the glass will make it impossible to control the flow path during offensive fire attach. Be sure to remove any grab bars or panic hardware utilizing the circular saw or striking tool.

Some double hung doors have a slide lock near the top and/or bottom of the door on one or both doors. A Circular Saw may be utilized to cut the top and bottom pins. If multiple pins are present, simply break the glass and remove the grab bar for the fastest entry.

Forcing Inward Swinging Wood Doors

If the door is in a stopped frame, the blade of the tool may be inserted between the stop and the jamb, the stop lifted, and the tool inserted between the door and jamb near the lock. By separating the door away from the jamb, you may spring it sufficiently to permit the bolt to pass the keeper. Under certain conditions, it may be better to remove the stop completely. The steps in forcing a door that opens away from you, when stops are used on the jamb, are as follows and shown in the illustration. The stop has not been completely removed from the jamb.


Step 1: Bump the cutting edge of the tool against the stop to break the paint or varnish

so the blade can be inserted.

Step 2: Loosen the stop at the lock or remove the stop completely.

Step 3: Start the blade between the door and the jamb.

Step 4: Make the initial pry only after the blade is halfway in, to permit the blade to be worked and pushed.

Step 5: With a full bite behind the door, pry the door away from the jamb until the bolt passes the keeper. If the door to be opened swings away from you is in a rabbeted jamb, it can be forced by using two tools. Prying against the door with one tool should open a crack between the door and the rabbet, into which the blade of the second tool can be inserted. After the blade of the second tool has been forced well into this opening between the door and the jamb, the door may be pried sufficiently to permit the bolt to pass the keeper. Even with two tools, forcing this type of door construction may be quite difficult.

Baseball Bat Method

This method can be performed with the pick end of an axe or the pick end of the haligan. The advantage of the baseball bat method is that it only requires one firefighter. Step1. Take an athletic stance

Step2. Swing the tool like a baseball bat.

Step3. Strike between the door and the jamb with the pick end of the tool

Step4. Step to one side of the handle and pry the door away from the jamb until the bolt

passes the keeper.


Double Swinging Wood Doors

Double swinging doors may be forced with most pry tools by prying the two doors sufficiently apart at the lock to permit the lock bolt to pass the keeper. Sometimes a wood molding is fastened to one or both wooden doors where they come together at the center. The purpose of this molding is to cover the crack between the doors when they are closed. In this event, this molding must be removed before the blade of the tool can be inserted. Swinging double doors are sometimes secured with a bar on the inside wall. If the opening between the doors is sufficient to permit the insertion of a flat tool or object, a bar can sometimes be lifted or bumped from the stirrups.

Forcing Inward Swinging Metal Doors

These doors require very specific techniques to force them open due to their construction. Unlike inward swinging wood doors, these doors are typical mounted in metal or masonry


framed wall. Therefore, limiting a Firefighters ability to separate the door from the jamb with Conventional Forcible Entry techniques.

Circular Saw Method

Step 1. Utilizing the Circular Saw cut of the handle to the door.

Step 2. Make a 45 Degree vertical cut between the door and the jamb, cutting the bolt

Step 3: Remove saw and open the door - pry open door with hand tool if necessary.

Tempered Plate Glass Doors

Recent trends in building construction and the modernizing of older structures have increased the use of tempered plate glass doors. Such installations are frequently encountered in firefighting operations. The breakage characteristics of tempered plate glass are quite different from those of ordinary plate glass. This difference is due to the heat treatment that is given to the glass during tempering. The results of heat tempering plate glass produce high tension stresses in the center of the glass and high compression stresses in the exterior surfaces. These tension and compression stresses balance each other.

The heat treatment given to tempered plate glass increases its strength and flexibility. Its resistance to shock, pressure, impacts, and temperatures is also increased. Tempered plate glass is said to be approximately four times as strong after tempering as before. It is several times more resistant to impact and will withstand, without breaking, a

temperature of 650oF (343oC) on one side while the other side is exposed to ordinary ambient temperature. When broken, the sheet of glass suddenly disintegrates in


relatively small pieces. The glass should be shattered about 14 inches, or knee-high, from the bottom and then cleaned out of the frame. To break the glass, use the pick of a pick-head axe.

Although tempered plate glass doors may be locked at the center, top, or bottom of the door, its resistance to shock and its rigid characteristic make it almost impossible to spring with forcible entry tools. Tests that have been conducted warrant the basic conclusion that firefighters should use every other available means of forcible entry before deciding to gain entrance through an opening that is blocked by a tempered plate glass door. Tempered plate glass door panels are considerably more expensive than any other glass-paneled doors of similar size. Each door is, in a sense, custom-built and the cost of installation varies. The time necessary to prepare a replacement door and have it installed may be considerably longer than for other types of doors.

Plate glass doors frequently have narrower side wing panels installed in the doorway opening. These panels should be regarded with the same precaution as the door. Whenever it is necessary to break tempered plate glass door panels the pick point of a standard fire axe should be used. A firefighter should wear a suitable faceshield to protect against eye injury, or turn away from the door as the glass is being broken.

Fragmentation of the tempered plate glass is in small granules with relatively blunt points and dull edges, while plate glass breaks into much larger sharp and pointed pieces. Plate glass fragments have sufficient weight and force to cause serious cuts or stabbing injuries. There is less hazard involved in breaking a tempered plate glass door panel than there is in breaking ordinary plate glass panels of the same size.

Residential Security Doors

These doors are common and can be found in both residential settings and commercial applications. The metal door and its frame are typical attached to the door frame with screws or bolts. The door can be forced with a circular saw or by utilizing the “Irons”.


There are several effective techniques that can be implemented. Listed below are two basic techniques.

Procedure to gain entry with a Circular Saw

Step 1. Make a horizontal cut in the metal above the locking mechanism.

Step 2. Make the second Horizontal cut in the metal just below the mechanism (View Picture #2)

Step 3. Connect the two cuts with a vertical cut. This third cut should be done away from the locking mechanism and case. Open the gate.

Procedure to gain entry with a haligan

Step 1. Punch the fork end of the tool thru the wire mesh above the handle

Step 2. With a gloved hand, reach in and turn the knob to unlock the gate.

Step 3. If the gate does not unlock, pry the gate open with the blade end of the haligan.

Sliding Doors

The sliding patio door presents the greatest problem from a forcible entry point of view. These units consist of heavy duty, full panel glass that is set into a metal, wood or vinyl frame. These glass panels are sometimes doubled, "thermopane," or tempered which adds to their value. Patio sliding doors usually slide past stationary glass panels instead of disappearing into a wall. Breaking these glass panels to gain entrance is not recommended. Old Sliding patio doors can, however, be forced open by inserting a wedge tool between the jamb and the door near the lock and prying the door away from the frame. Patio sliding doors may sometimes be barred or blocked by a metal rod or a


special device. This feature can easily be seen from the outside and it practically elimi-nates any possibility of forcing. Newer Vinyl Sliding doors my need to be cut to gain access.

Forcing sliding doors

The following procedures are used when forcing sliding doors.

You must check to see if the occupant has placed security devices on the sliding door such as wooden dowels or bolt pins.

If these devices are in place, breaking the glass or cutting the vinyl may be the fastest means of entry.

Sliding doors that have only one lock can be easily pried away from the frame.

Overhead Doors

Overhead doors may be constructed of metal, fiber glass, or wood framework with wood or glass panels. From a forcible entry point of view, the sectional door does not present a serious problem. The goal when forcing open/ cutting open these doors is to create a large entry and egress point for firefighters.

Rolling Steel Overhead Doors

Rolling steel overhead doors are found in many commercial areas. Rolling Steel doors are divided into two subcategories: Traditional Rolling Steel and Sheet Curtain. Both of these styles of doors are operated the same with a motor driven opener and a track system that guides the door as it is raised and lowered. However, Traditional Rolling steel is constructed of thicker steel channels and is typical found on older structures. Sheet Curtain Doors are constructed of light weight stapled sheet metal and are found on newer construction. Regardless of the specific type of rolling steel, If the building is involved in fire, cutting the door open is the most appropriate tactic to gain access and egress. Once again the circular saw is used to cut an opening.

Traditional Rolling Steel cutting procedure – Slice and Peel

Step 1. Using the circular saw, make a vertical cut down the center of the door.

Step 2. Start the cut at head height and continue down to the steel angle iron at the bottom.


Step 3. Next lean your body into one side of the door.

Step 4. Utilizing channel locks, pull a slate from either direction of the vertical cut.

Step 5. Continue to remove slates until a large opening is created.

Sheet Curtain Overhead doors cutting procedure

INVERTED L CUT

Step 1. Using the Circular Saw, make a vertical cut on the left or right side of the door. Begin the cut at head height and cut downward to the base of the door.

Step 2. Make a small angular cut at the base of the vertical cut to create a small opening.

Step 3. Kick in the angular section with your foot. This will expose the angle iron at the bottom and allow the saw to be inserted in the hole and completely cut the angle iron.

Step 4. Make a horizontal cut at shoulder level starting at the vertical cut.

Step 5. Use a tool to pull the panel outward to create a large opening.

Slab Overhead Doors

Slab overhead doors are most commonly found on residential homes. These doors pivot in the center. The problem encountered on these doors will be the electric door openers. This door can be forced by the following procedure:


Step 1. Cut the padlock and open the door.

Step 2. If the door will not lift, pry the door open form the bottom

Step 3. Once the door is opened, block it open with a pike pole

Sectional Overhead Doors Sectional overhead doors are most commonly found on residential homes. These doors are comprised of 4 to 5 large stamped sheet metal panels that are in a track allowing the door to raise and lower with the assistance of an electric door opener. This door can be forced by completing the Inverted L Cut or the Three Cut Method. The steps for the three cut method are listed below. Three Cut Method

Step 1. Using the Circular Saw, make a vertical cut on the left or right side of the door. Begin the cut at head height and cut downward to the base of the door. Step 2. Repeat step one on the opposite side of the door. Step 3. Join the two vertical cuts with a horizontal cut at shoulder height. It is important to make the cuts in this order. As the cuts are completed the door losses its integrity. If done out of order, the flopping panels will bind the saw or fall on the saw operator. Step 4. Remove the cut panels far from the new entry point.

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