By: Rex Morris
Proper Technique
Proper technique, knowledge of door construction and locks are required to force heavy steel doors that are highly secured. There are several ways to force these doors: conventional (axe and halligan), through the lock and power tools. The proper method to use is based on the nature of the call. In a fire situation, when you have to get in fast, conventional forcible-entry using the axe and halligan – referred to as the “Irons” – is the quickest and most reliable method.
It is also important to keep the halligan properly “dressed.” This means keeping the tool clean with the Pike pointed – and the Adz and Fork ends filed-down to a thin, sharp bevel with a blunted edge (Figures 1 and 2).
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| Fork end of halligan filed to a thin, sharp bevel with a blunted edge. (dressed) |
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| Adz end of halligan “dressed”. (clean and filed down to the proper edge) |
The Size-up
When sizing up a door, take note of the construction: Is it wood, steel, glass, etc.; where and how it is secured: locks, bars, slide bolts, etc. – and determine which way the door swings: inward or outward. A quick way to check for this is to look or feel, depending on visibility, for exposed hinges; also check that the door and frame are flush. These features would indicate a door that swings toward you (outward).
Doors that swing toward you can be very tight, especially when found on the exterior of a building. Most steel doors have a seam that is on the interior-edge of the door that runs the entire length. (Figure 3) A common problem with this feature is that the tool gets caught in this seam and gets buried in the skin of the door. If this happens, you will end up ‘peeling’ the door apart while the inside-edge remains secured (Figure 4).
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| Most metal doors have this seam on the inside edge of the door. | Adz end of halligan caught inside the skin of the door. If this happens you may have to move the tool to a new location on the door and start again. |
The Technique
Start the tool about six inches from the center of the lock: If you go too close, you may hit the lock or it may be too tight to set the tool; Going any further away could cause the door to bend and crush but the lock will not break.
Here are the three steps to forcing a door that swings toward you with the “Irons:”
Gap
A space is made between the door and the frame to allow the tool to enter: Drive the fork or adz end of the halligan between the door and the frame until the tool hits the doorstop; Push the tool away from the door to spread and crush the inside-edge which will allow for easy entry of the Adz end (Figure 5). At this time, verify that you haven’t gotten caught in the ‘skin’ of the door.
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| Fork end of halligan (bevel to frame) is in place at the doorstop. Push the tool away from the door to crush the inside edge and create a Gap. Make sure tool is not caught in the skin of the door. |
On tight fitting doors: use the fork end – bevel to frame – to gap the door. The fork end is easier to line up in the proper position and is less likely to catch the inside-seam of the metal door (Figure 6).
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| On tight doors the fork end (bevel to frame) is easier to line up in the seam and is less likely to get caught in the skin of the door. |
You can add a notch on to your adz end, equal to the thickness of a door, to act as a depth-gauge to let you know when your tool is in place at the doorstop. This will help avoid driving the adz into the doorstop and binding up the tool (Figure 7).
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| Add notch to adz end as a depth gauge to help avoid driving tool into the doorstop and binding up the tool. |
If your fork or adz is too fat or dull to fit between the door and frame, place the blade of the axe in between the door and frame and drive it in with a halligan. This will open up the seam and allow room for your halligan (Figures 8 and 9).
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| Adz end is to fat. If struck with the axe the adz will dimple the edge of the door but will not set into the seam. Use the fork end if it is “dressed” or the blade of the axe. |
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| If fork and adz are to fat or dull use the blade of the axe to spread open the seam to allow room for the halligan. |
Set
Drive your adz end into the gap up to the doorstop: Work your tool up and down to crush the door edge and spread the door away from the frame. (Figure 10) Pull the fork end of the halligan away from the door as the tool is being driven in. This will allow the adz to go around the inside-edge of the door.
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| Work tool up and down to crush the door edge and spread the door away from the frame. |
Bury the tool up to the neck of the halligan (Figures 11 and 12): This is especially important if the door is inset in a framed or masonry wall. If the wall is to close to the frame, and will keep your tool from pivoting a full 90 degrees, you will lose leverage and may not be able to force the door.
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| Bury tool up to the neck of the halligan. |
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| Inside view of adz end being set around the inside edge of the door. |
If this happens, break out a piece of block or wall to allow for maximum range and leverage (Figure 13).
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| Door is inset in a masonry wall. Break out the block with a tool to allow for maximum range and leverage. |
Force
Pull hard on the tool until door is forced. If using two people, work together and pull using a rocking motion until the door is forced (Figures 14 and 15).
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| Inside view of door with a Lori lock being forced. A Lori lock is a single horizontal bar rim lock that slides into the frame of the door on both sides. It is similar to a Fox lock. |
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| Two firefighters forcing the door. Work together using a rocking motion until the door is forced. |
With these techniques and a properly dressed halligan, heavy steel doors secured with multiple locks, bars, slide bolts, and other mechanisms can be forced rapidly.
