Truck Company Hand Tools

In my last installment, we talked about some of the finer points of truck work and how the little things say a lot about you and your crew’s skill level (“The Devil’s in the Details,” April, p. 38). This month, let’s refocus the lens a bit and talk about the tools you use as members of the truck company to get the job done.

When you think about it, most fireground truck work is performed with only a few tools: the Halligan, axe, can, thermal imaging camera (TIC), hook, ground ladder(s), saws and smoke ejector/blower. Sure, there are plenty of other tools carried on the apparatus, but the brunt of the work is usually done with one or more of those basic tools. And it’s pretty easy to tell if someone knows (or doesn’t know) how to use a tool to maximize its capability–based simply on watching them perform a task with it.

Fireground Approach
Before getting into the individual tools and uses, let’s quickly review our approach to the fireground. Whether we arrive at a single-family residence, multiple-use dwelling or a large commercial building, the tools we leave the rig with are basically the same; it’s the mindset that is different. With that in mind–and remembering previous articles about the responsibilities of the first- and second-due truck companies (or those engine companies that will be responsible for performing the truck functions)–following are the basic tools we leave the rig with:

Officer
–    TIC
–    Halligan
–    Hook
–    Hydra-ram

Backstep (teamed with officer)
–    Irons
–    6′ hook (on residential fires)
–    Can (on multiple-dwelling or commercial building fires)
–    Saw (depending on the size-up)
–    20′ hook ladder (on residential fires)

Tiller (or additional backstep)
–    Irons
–    6′ hook
–    28′ ground ladder (to start)

Driver
–    Halligan
–    6′ hook
–    Saw

As you can see, we don’t leave the rig empty-handed. The intent is to get to the structure with all the tools you need for the first wave of work. More often than not, there will be a second and maybe a third trip back for multiple ground ladders (usually thrown by our tiller operator), but that’s because they can only carry one at a time. If we know multiple ground ladders will be needed initially, then we’ll take them with us from the start (as opposed to going back for the first round of ladders after carrying other tools to the scene); it all depends on the size-up and radio information on arrival.

Hand Tool Time
Now let’s spend some time talking about truck company hand tools. These brief discussions may seem overly simple, but don’t worry, because we’ll follow up with a simple drill that will help increase your proficiency with the tools. We’ll also talk briefly about TICs, saws and fans, and expand more on those tools in future articles.

Halligans
The Halligan is one of those tools that you either get or don’t get. Once you learn what this tool can do, you’ll find that you won’t want to be without it on the fireground. The most obvious function of the Halligan is forcing a door (as part of the entry team), but there are plenty of other uses. It can be used any time you need to pry something. When you become proficient with the Halligan, you’ll find that it is much easier and less exhausting to pry something than it is to break (strike) something.

About the only limitation to the Halligan, and it’s not really a limitation of its ability, is that the standard Halligan is only 30 inches long. When the object of your work is beyond 30 inches, you’ll want to be proficient using a hook (see Hooks section below).

Axes
The axe is basically a striking tool, and the old saying that more is better definitely applies here. Put simply, an 8-lb. axe will do more work (in the proper hands) than a 6-lb. axe. There are a lot of companies that replace the axe with a sledge. The only issue we’ve found with that exchange is that it’s not as easy to marry the sledge and Halligan when carrying. The obvious uses of the axe are: striking during forcible entry, breaking walls to gain a purchase point for pulling, breaking floor boards, breaking 1-by material during vertical ventilation, and venting a roof (the old-fashioned way). I find the axe to be most efficient when used to strike.

Cans
The can is one of those tools that’s often carried but not used. We don’t carry it on every response, although if we had the extra hands, we would. We carry it on all multiple dwellings, commercial buildings and high-rise incidents. During these responses, we’re usually away from the engine company, meaning we’re also away from the water.

The can has proven valuable many times by allowing us to extinguish a small trash or sofa fire before the engine company reaches the location with the line. Other times, the can has allowed us to back an extending fire into a room and close the door. The bottom line is that the can provided us the water needed to control the situation long enough to complete our task–and then inform the engine company of the exact fire location.

We don’t carry the can on most residential fires simply because our engine companies are usually there first. In the event that we are the first apparatus on scene of a residential fire, we’ll take the can with us.

Hooks (aka Pike Poles)
The hook (aka pike pole) can be used for pulling, prying and limited striking. The most important thing the hook provides is reach. Pulling ceilings and walls is the primary function of the hook on the inside of a structure. The hook is used to open up during fire attack and to clean up during overhaul. In addition, the hook can be used to push the ceiling down after a hole is put in the roof during ventilation. The key to success with the hook is learning how to use it when reaching!

Ground Ladders
We devoted an entire article to ground ladders a while back, and their importance certainly warrants a longer discussion. There are a whole range of things to consider when dealing with ground ladders: carries, throws, angle, tip placement and even function. But when talking about ground ladders as a hand tool, we want to focus on one thing: raising them. We’ve seen some pretty acrobatic (aka risky) maneuvers when it comes to raising ground ladders. There really is only one way to become proficient throwing them and that is to practice doing it on all kinds of surfaces and in all kinds of conditions. You can’t learn the finer points of throwing a ladder with someone else until you first learn the finer points of throwing one on your own.

Saws
Saws benefit us by performing a job that would otherwise require lots of manual labor. The critical point: The saw must work in order to save us work. We constantly see two issues involving saws: 1) the pull cord that’s pulled out of the saw and 2) a saw that won’t start because it’s flooded. A quality truck crew knows how to start a saw without pulling out the cord and knows how to start a flooded saw. Let’s examine each issue.

Starting the saw: If you know your equipment, then you know exactly how many pulls it takes to start the saw, cold or hot. On our truck, it takes three to four pulls with the decompression switch depressed and the choke out. The pulls are short, quick pulls, just enough to pull past the engine resistance. If you’re quick enough to push the choke in once the engine fires, then the saw is started. If you’re not quick enough, then depress the decompression switch again and the saw should start with one more short pull. Note: Long, hard pulls the length of the pull cord is a sure sign that you have no idea what you are doing!

Starting a flooded saw: Let’s face it, the excitement of the fireground usually gets your body moving faster than your mind. When this happens and you’re getting ready to use the saw, there’s a good chance you’ll flood it. The more you practice, the more you’ll slow things down, and the less likely the saw will flood … but stuff happens. You know the saw is flooded when you attempt to start it and it sounds muffled. You may have a different word or description, but the bottom line is that it sounds different than it does when you know it’s going to start. Once you detect that it’s flooded, you’ll need to keep the choke OFF, hold the throttle OPEN with the decompression switch in, and provide a few short, quick pulls to clear the gas from the carburetor and start the saw. It’s important to keep the throttle FULLY OPEN while pulling. The saw should start in a few pulls; the number usually depends on how bad the saw was flooded.

TICs, Smoke Ejectors & Positive Pressure Blowers
There’s simply too much to cover in a single article regarding these tools. We’ll look into these tools in a subsequent article, but until then, make sure you have a fully-charged battery for the TIC and a full tank of gas (or the correct adapters) for the fans.

Simple Training Sessions
Now it’s time to put your skills to work. Before you get started, go out in the district and get a bunch of pallets. You’ll need three pallets per person along with all of your gear. Fully geared up, take one pallet and breathe air off your SCBA. While standing on the pallet, which you must do at all times, remain under control and begin to dismantle the pallet with each tool (Halligan, axe, hook, etc.). When using the Halligan, pry. When using the axe, pry and strike. When using the hook, pry. Have some fun, make it a competition, but most importantly, become proficient with each tool!

Final Thoughts
The easiest way to become proficient with your hand tools is to use them. Successful use of a tool would require an understanding of how the tool works, as well as how to apply it to a given situation.