Forcible Entry Two-Man Away | Forcible Entry Tool Training

‘When Things Go Bad Inc.’ instructor Rick Spear teaches firefighters how to force open an away swinging heavy door at Colorado State Fire Fighter Association’s Fire College 2022 in Parker, CO

In this forcible entry fireground training, firefighter two-man crews learn how to force open a heavy, away swinging door using a halligan bar and a fire axe.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION:

Little bit about our Halligan here.

A 30 inch pro-bar halligan. It’s got a few notches in it about an inch three quarters. That’s generally the depth on the other side, right from the door to the jam.

Got some marks here on end of our forks to help us kind of guide through, are we deep enough? Are we behind the jams to go ahead and pry it.

It’s tempting to do this cause it kind of goes and it doesn’t dig into jam section of the door, right.

But really, when we force it, when do our last move, we want it in this direction.

Anything away, I’m going to sound it. I’m gonna sound it hard. But I’m looking for loss. I’m looking for things that are going to jam me up when I get there. By doing that, I might have dented the wood enough, that I can start without him knocking my halligan, right?

Like one of the cheats we can do, putting our feet in here. This might be tight, right? But down here’s not. Because I’m using my foot to help me out.

So the two man, this door is tight and I can’t get in it. That’s when you come in. Like, alright, we’re going to set the adz.

Strike, one hit. I say, drive, you swing how I say stop. I’m gonna set the angle of my adz near the lock so I can get through that jam, so strike, strike, good.

He’s gonna set the axe down and lean it in so it doesn’t fall out. Okay. So I can reset my tool without losing my progress.

When things go bad instructor Paul Capo instructs firefighters to “strike” perpendicularly during a two-man forcible entry scenario

This grip, where you’re holding the halligan, I like underneath and in where if I go over the top, I just gave them a target. Right? Blew up on my, so I don’t want that. So underneath and in. And I’m using my fresh, my body weight push a little bit, to help the forks pop over the jam.

Right. So I’m holding the forks end away from the jam ever so slightly, so he can hit.

Strike. Strike. OK, drive it… good.

Once we get there, we get deep enough, you can go ahead and pry here. Great. You can set that axe. I’m out, right? If you got a busted pretty much, you do a little prying move here and finish it up.