BY DANIEL M. TROXELL
Various polls conducted in recent years have indicated that crime is one of the utmost concerns of residents in urban areas. Since the early 1980s, the wave of violent crime associated with the drug trade and gang activity has held a grip on many neighborhoods. Residents often do not feel safe in their homes. As a result of these fears, the installation of security bars on private dwellings has increased dramatically.
 |
Although found on commercial occupancies for decades, security bars are now a common site on private dwellings as well. They can often be encountered on basement doors and windows, first floors, and even upper floors of private dwellings.
These bars present many problems. Delays in gaining entry caused by security bars have sometimes allowed room-and-contents fires to escalate to extra alarms. Bars on upper-floor windows often make it difficult for firefighters to use them as a means of gaining entry for VES (vent, enter, search) operations. They can also make it impossible to use windows as a means of egress when conditions become untenable. In addition, several civilians have lost their lives at fires in recent years because residents could not escape through doors or windows blocked by bars.
In light of these problems, members of the District of Columbia Fire Department (DCFD) have developed several methods by which truck companies can gain rapid entry through security bars using minimum personnel and effort so that other critical truck company operations could be carried out simultaneously.
SECURITY BARS ON DOORS
Door Construction and Size-Up
 |
Security bar systems for residential doors/gates are usually constructed from a series of vertical and horizontal bars, which, depending on the strength and quality of the door, can be up to 11/2 inches thick. These bars are often welded onto a frame to form the door. The door is attached by hinges to a steel jamb, securely attached to the build-ing through various methods. Firefighters must become familiar with the various types of doors most commonly found in their response area.
Gaining entry through doors of this type using conventional forcible entry techniques is often difficult and time-consuming and can require the ef-forts of several firefighters. Members of the DCFD have found that when encountering bars on the doors of private dwellings, the quickest and most efficient means of gaining entry is to use a gasoline-powered saw equipped with an aluminum oxide metal-cutting blade. All DCFD truck companies and rescue squads are equipped with saws designated for forcible entry use.
Using these saws allows one member to make quick cuts at strategic and specific points on doors to gain rapid entry. Standard company operating procedures should designate who is responsible for performing this function. In the DCFD, this job is usually the responsibility of the driver/tillerman of the first-due truck company or, if those personnel are engaged in obvious rescues or laddering operations, the driver of the rescue squad.
Size-up plays an important role in performing this forcible entry function efficiently. Quite often, firefighters can be observed wasting time and effort by jumping right in, attacking the strongest parts of the door, and making numerous and difficult cuts. The weakest, thinnest, or least complicated part of the door is usually the easiest and fastest place to concentrate forcible entry efforts. By sizing up the door, these parts can be readily identified.
Cutting the Deadbolt
When sizing-up a security bar door, look first at the locking mechanism. Most of these doors use a tubular deadbolt assembly. These deadbolt assemblies normally have a double-keyed lock cylinder and can have a throw of up to two inches. Check first to see that the locking mechanism is engaged. Then, check to see if the deadbolt is exposed.
 |
If the deadbolt is exposed, place the saw blade between the door frame and jamb, and cut the deadbolt. Deadbolts are usually made of brass and are no match for the quick-cutting power of the aluminum oxide blade. More often than not, however, you will find that the deadbolt is not exposed. A protective steel guard or cover plate is often welded onto the door to conceal it. Simple guards, which cover only the deadbolt itself, may be cut off to expose the deadbolt, or the deadbolt and guard may be cut simultaneously. However, most guards extend the entire length of the door and are extremely difficult to remove or cut.
Cutting the Door
 |
If cutting the deadbolt is not an option, then look at the door’s construction. The most commonly installed security bar doors are composed of several vertical bars that extend the full height of the door and are connected by four horizontal bars. These horizontal bars are located at the top and bottom of the door; two are in the middle. They support the locking mechanism.
 |
A door such as this can most easily be opened by making a single vertical cut through the horizontal bars supporting the locking mechanism at a point just adjacent to the lock. Making this cut causes the door assembly to lose much of its strength and rigidity. After making this cut, push in with one hand on the horizontal bars that are no longer connected to the locking mechanism. At the same time, use your other hand to pull on the vertical bar still attached to the locking mechanism in a direction away from the deadbolt side of the door jamb. This will release the deadbolt from the keeper, and the door can be easily opened.
Cutting the Hinges
 |
If your size-up reveals that the construction of the door is much stronger and complex than the type of door previously described (thicker and wider bars, multiple cross members and bracing, for example), you must use other methods to open the door. On further size-up, the weakest point or points of a door such as this will become quite obvious. The hinges, which are almost always exposed, are usually composed of the thinnest metal of the entire assembly. They are the weakest points in this type of door.
These doors may be quickly opened by making simple vertical cuts through one side of the hinges. There are normally three hinges per door. It is usually best to start with the bottom hinge and work toward the top. This will prevent the door from falling on the saw operator after the final cut has been made. On completion of these cuts, the door can then be pulled out on the hinged side, releasing the deadbolt from the keeper. The entire door assembly can then be removed from the opening.
 |
In some situations, however, the location of the bottom hinge may make it difficult to cut. If this hinge is located in close proximity to the walking surface (ground, sidewalk, step, and so on), the diameter of the blade may make it impossible to cut the hinge without the blade’s coming in contact with and being damaged by the walking surface.
It is sometimes possible to open the door by cutting the middle and upper hinges only and then pulling the top of the door out and over in the direction of the hinges. The leverage created by this action can sometimes free the deadbolt from the keeper or break the weld on the lower hinge. The door can then be removed from the opening.
SECURITY BARS ON WINDOWS
Window Construction and Size-Up
 |
You should also be familiar with the types of window security bars commonly found in your response areas. Window security bars are somewhat similar to those found on doors. They can consist of several horizontal and vertical bars of varying thicknesses. They often differ, however, in the manner in which they are attached to the building. Whereas doors are usually securely attached to the building by a jamb at multiple or continuous points, window bars often do not have jambs and are attached to the building at only a few points. In sizing up these bars, it can usually be seen that the weakest points are where these attachments are made.
Window bars can be attached to the building in various ways. The two most common methods are surface mounting and masonry mounting. With surface mounting, the bars are mounted and bolted to the face of the building or window jamb. Bars of this type can have as few as four points of connection. Masonry-mounted bars are set into the brick or other masonry material surrounding the window opening and can be attached at as many as six points.
Cutting Window Bars
 |
As with doors, members of the DCFD have found that using the gasoline-powered saw with an aluminum oxide blade is the quickest and most efficient means of removing security bars from window openings. In removing these bars, make vertical cuts at or near the point at which the bars are connected to the building.
Avoid horizontal cuts, if possible; they are more difficult and time-consuming to make. Also, avoid making vertical and horizontal cuts that must be made by reaching above eye level. Because of the weight and torque of the saw, these cuts should be made only with the aid of a portable or step ladder.
Keep to a minimum the number of cuts you make on window bars. By cutting the points of connection on only one side of the opening, the bars on the cut side can be hinged away from the wall. The leverage created by freeing up and hinging one end of the assembly can then be used to bend the entire assembly away from the opening.
Hydraulic Methods
DCFD Truck Company 4 has devised an alternative to using the gasoline-powered saw to remove window bars: A hydraulic forcible entry tool, such as the ram or spreading tool, can effectively be used to remove surface and masonry-mounted window bars.
The inside team rarely uses these tools for forcible entry functions in private dwellings. However, the outside ventilation/roof team sometimes uses them to remove window bars. Masonry-mounted bars can be removed by placing the jaws of the tool between the bar and the window jamb and applying pressure to the jaws with the hand pump. The bar is then forced outward and is separated from the masonry.
Similar results can be obtained for surface-mounted bars: Place the jaws of the tool between the bar and the wall to which it is attached, and then follow the steps outlined above for masonry-mounted bars.
Although not always practical or available, hydraulic forcible entry tools are quicker and more efficient than other labor-intensive conventional methods for removing security bars. In addition, using these tools is safer than using the saw, especially for upper-level windows.
OPERATIONAL CONCERNS
The forcible entry methods presented in this article were de-veloped to allow truck companies operating with minimum staffing levels to obtain quick and efficient entry into private dwellings with security bars while minimally im-pacting the truck company’s effectiveness. Since only one member of the company can perform these functions in the initial stages of a fireground operation, other members are free to engage in rescue, search, laddering, and ventilation operations.
SAFETY CONCERNS
The presence of bars on windows should be communicated to the fireground commander and to companies operating in the fire building. In addition, bars should immediately be removed from all levels of the building on which members may likely be operating in a hazardous environment. This is necessary to ensure that a secondary means of egress will be available to members who may find themselves in distress.
Finally, as in all fireground operations, safety is the overlying concern when performing these forcible entry operations. Some tips to keep in mind when performing these functions include the following:
- Always wear and use full protective gear, including eye protection.
- Personnel not operating saws should be kept clear of the area until the operation has been completed.
- Shut off saws when not in use.
- Keep saws clean, and inspect them at the beginning of each tour of duty and after each use; start and test them per manufacturers’ recommendations. Immediately replace worn or damaged blades, belts, and other parts.
- Do not vent windows prior to removing the bars unless it is absolutely necessary. The presence of heat, smoke, and other products of combustion makes this type of operation much more difficult and dangerous.
- Always use a ladder when making cuts above eye level.
- Avoid making horizontal cuts whenever possible.
By following these safety tips and the procedures outlined above, forcible entry through private dwelling security bars can be performed swiftly, safely, and efficiently.
Thanks to members of DCFD Engine Company 6 and Truck Company 4, Platoon 1, for their input and assistance in preparing this article.
DANIEL M. TROXELL, a 22-year veteran of the fire service, is a captain in the District of Columbia Fire Department, assigned to Engine Company 15. He serves as a Level II certified adjunct instructor at the District of Columbia Fire Department Training Academy and has a bachelor of science degree in engineering and a master of science degree in applied management, both from the University of Maryland.(Photos by Raymond Gretz.)
