Tip of the Month #1

As firefighters, we should always be looking for ways to simplify an issue. We all know how difficult it can be to search for tools in our bunker gear with gloves on, especially in zero visibility. The simple addition of some webbing to the handle of the tool makes retrieval much easier. As a side note, think about where your cutters are. Could you retrieve theme if you were entangled or pinned down by an object?

Click on the PHOTO for more detail.

American Series Padlocks

The top three pictures are the American Series 2500 lock. The lock works the same way as the American series 2000 that we're used to seeing with the exception of the keyway being on the face of the lock. The spring loaded locking pin that you can see in photos two and three performs the same function as the integrated keyway/locking pin on the American series 2000 and other puck style locks.

As you can see in photos four and five, using the writing on the lock as a cutting benchmark is unreliable even among locks of the same brand. Cutting two thirds to three quarters of the way opposite the locking pin will assure that you are in the correct position every time. This further reinforces the necessity for proficiency with the forcible entry saw in all positions.

The lock in photo six is one of the types with the spinning guard integrated into the lock. This type of lock makes the pipe wrench tactic obsolete.

Victim Removal from a Second Floor Window

We recently did some training with this and let me be the first to say how easy and fast it was to set up. After rigging up the proper safety ropes it was time to try this method out.

Ah few of the Captains decided to put a twist into the evolution by incorporating our new Gemtor Harnesses. Everything worked perfectly and much was learned from the evolution that day. Thanks to our brothers at FireEngineering for posting the video.

Overcoming Locks on a Metal Door

That K-Tool in the truck doesn't always get us in the door. And not all commercial occupancies have a knoxbox key. So, we need to have a systematic approach to forcing the door before our brothers on fire attack can enter.

Tip of the Month #2

A simple way to make our jobs easier if we ever have to do a facemask swap. Ever fumbled around trying to get your gloved hands around those mask straps. Well here's a great way to fix that problem. Find some old garden hose or a rubber pipe laying around the station and cut it to fit into the back of your mask pullover. Then, find some key rings, big enough to fit your gloved finger through, and loop it through your pull straps. Now try it out.

NIST Research Burn

In the year 2000, the Phoenix Fire Department and the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted live burn tests on four residential structures to determine how long after ignition a structural roof collapse would occur.

Tip of the Month #3

Here's an easy and cheap tool for wedging doors open. Find a pair of old spring hand clamps and attach them around the doors or hindges to keep it open It's been noted that the clamps work well in a number of different ways, and on various types of doors.