On the fireground, appropriately applied forcible entry is just as important as proper ventilation. Done correctly, it will hasten search-and-rescue operations and make for safer access to the fire. A confined fire doubles in size every 1—2 minutes. Your ability to force entry may mean the difference between life and death or offensive vs. defensive fire attack.
You’re Invited
One of the first things to know about forcible entry: It can violate some basic Constitutional rights, specifically the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees freedom from illegal search and seizure. In my state (Ohio), case law has specified four justifiable reasons to violate this
amendment:
- To secure evidence of a crime;
- To secure or pursue a suspect of a crime;
- To protect life; and
- When invited.
Check your local statutes for details of your jurisdiction.
Generally, when a dwelling (public or private) has a fire alarm installed, and in some fashion this system communicates with the fire department, then you’re “invited.” But what if someone calls 911 to report a fire in someone else’s house, and when you arrive, there’s nothing showing? If you decide to force entry to ensure there’s no fire, it’s best to not only secure the reporting person’s contact information, but have a police unit with you to witness that nothing underhanded is going on.
In such a situation, document everything in your report, make every effort to re-secure any doors and leave a note and a business card with the run number somewhere inside, so when the residents or owners call headquarters it’s easy to identify the incident. I have yet to have a home or business owner get upset once they understand that we took a measured approach to protecting their life and property. Let them know that any damage is covered by their insurance.
Forcible Entry Size-Up
When beginning forcible entry, you should take a moment to identify the type and construction of the door and to preplan your tools. For ordinary construction, a set of irons with an 8-lb. axe (and good technique) should solve most problems; for commercial buildings, add a sledgehammer and a rotary saw with a metal cutting blade.
Your size-up should answer the following questions:
- What kind and type of materials make up the door, frame and wall?
- Does it open toward you or away from you?
- What kind of locking hardware is visible?
- How does the door work–slide, swing or roll?
Forcible entry can be preplanned. But this requires more than just walking the exterior entryways. Predict what you think is on the inside by what you see on the outside. Through this process you’ll begin to understand building owner’s strategies on securing their entry, expose other possible barriers, and be better prepared for them. Tip: Don’t be tricked by formidable-looking doors of heavy construction; they’re often held closed by latches 1″ or less in length.
In addition to the questions previously listed, your size-up should also take into account the maintenance of the door materials. Are the metal door and frame rusty? Is the wood rotted? When you “try before you pry,” give the door a good shake to assess how well it’s secured and whether all the locks you see are indeed locked. Look at the edges of the door to see if they move at all. It’s not unusual for building owners to install additional deadbolt locks in a manner that doesn’t indicate their presence from the outside.
Tip: Size up forcible entry considerations on every medic call, alarm investigation and inspection. Preplan techniques, tool packages and any special needs.
Material Behavior & Forcible Entry
The next step is to choose your forcible entry method, which usually depends on the door/frame material and construction. The most common techniques are:
- Cutting: using an axe to split/splinter or a chainsaw applied to wood (sawing will produce chips).
- Grinding: using a rotary saw with an aluminum oxide/composite blade to remove metal (this will produce dust).
- Shearing: using a chisel or hydraulic cutter.
- Compression: using a lever to bend and crush.
Each construction method and material will have a weak spot; take time to thoroughly size up the barrier and develop a coordinated plan (with back-up) to get through it. Choose the safest and most efficient method, and attack the barrier at its weakest point. Make sure the tools and techniques are appropriate for the material being worked on.
Wood
Wood is brittle and if it’s not closely supported or braced, it can bend without breaking. When prying/ramming a wood door open with a tool/lever, the bolt extending from the door/lock into the hole of the wooden door frame pinning the door closed will shear the wood frame, splintering it and causing it to fail.
A wooden door set in a wood frame that swings away from you is often easily forced by using a battering ram technique against the knob or other locking mechanisms; the frame is splintered by the bolt, releasing the door. Often the act of driving the pry bar/Halligan between the door and the frame will cause the wood to bend, pulling the bolt out of its keeper and allowing the door to open.
Tip: If you confront a strongly braced wood assembly with cross-grain-bearing surfaces (e.g., plywood), get out the power saw.
Metal
Metal doors are different than wood because the metal must bend to the point of permanent deformity to release the bolt from the frame. Otherwise, the bolt can bend and bind up in the frame, making entry more difficult, or it can just spring back into the locked position.
Steel and aluminum have a ductile capability; they can bend and stay deformed if bent far enough. Iron and glass are very brittle and can be broken with a hammer. Look at the connection points of the metal door/frame–would it be easier to cut the fasteners? Tip: Getting through heavy metal will require a lot of noise and/or sparks. Sparks are a possible ignition source, so it’s always a good idea to have a charged handline at the ready when forcing a door. You should also consider using hearing protection for the excessive noise.
If prying metal with hand tools, first determine whether you want to spring the metal door/frame until the bolt clears, bend the door/frame until the metal permanently deforms, or work the metal until it fatigues and breaks. You may need to use hydraulic tools.
Concrete
Concrete is very weak in shear. In other words, it will easily break if there’s a relief cut or void for the concrete to break/fail into. However, concrete is very strong in compression.
The shape of the concrete is also a factor. If you needed to punch through a common cinder block found in some building foundations, it will require less force to break through the sides than to hit the block on top. The structure of the block is designed to resist vertical forces (compression), not horizontal forces.
Concrete that has steel rebar rods embedded in it will exhibit some ductile behavior (ability to bend). When faced with this barrier, if you can locate the rebar rods and selectively cut them, the concrete will be much easier to shear/break apart.
Composite rotary saw blades are effective in grinding through concrete and even concrete with steel, but the blade loses depth throughout the cut, making the incision shallower as the saw moves along. A diamond-segmented blade will perform better. Average-quality diamond-segmented blades are about 10—12 times the cost of a composite blade, but they will also outlast many composite blades.
Tips & Tricks
Forcible entry is about transfer of energy through your tools/techniques and material behavior. Remember: Steel bends, wood breaks or shears and brick/glass shatters. Following are a few final tips:
- When faced with multiple locks, you may have to force each lock separately.
- The back door is usually better secured than the front door.
- The most-used door typically has the fewest locks.
- No visible doorknob indicates a panic bar release.
- Commercial doors may have locking pins on the top and bottom.
- Hollow doors often fail before the lock.
- Maintain a continuous size-up based on speed and progress.
- Try before you pry: Push/pull the knob and shake the door to determine how well and where it’s locked.
- Remember your “through the lock” techniques.
- Look for the weakest connection.
- Target the hardware locking the door, compressing the door/jamb so the bolt is free from the keeper.
- Always have a plan “B” ready (e.g., a power tool).
- Feel for heat. If in doubt, have a charged hoseline ready.
- Keep control of the door in case there’s heavy fire on the other side.
- To prevent accidents, predict the reaction of the barrier to your technique.
The bottom line: The amount of energy and damage we cause should be relevant to the size and magnitude of the emergency. By knowing different techniques, we can apply an appropriate amount of force and conduct ourselves in a professional manner.
