Ch9 Forcible Entry

Question 1

What is the main rule of forcible entry?

Answer 1

Try before you pry.

Question 2

What are the four categories of forcible entry tools?

Answer 2

Cutting tools, push/pull tools, prying tools, striking tools

Question 3

What tools are considered the “Irons”?

Answer 3

Flat head axe and halligan bar

Question 4

What factors must be considered when deciding where and how to perform forcible entry?

Answer 4

Size of the fire
No other way in
Ventilation effects
Time constraints

Question 5

Why must forcible entry tools be regularly cleaned and maintained?

Answer 5

Tools will function as designed

Tool failure will result in delays, injury, or death

Question 6

Describe the basic principals of forcible entry…

Answer 6

Forcible entry refers to techniques used to gain access into a compartment, structure, facility, or site when the normal means of entry is locked or blocked. Forcible entry techniques do minimal damage to the structure or structural components and provide quick access to the emergency.

Question 7

Manual bolt cutters are less effective than they once were because they cannot cut modern high-security chains, hasps, and padlock shackles.

Answer 7

Do not use bolt cutters to cut case-hardened materials found in locks and other security devices.

Question 8

If the swinging door is metal or metal-clad in a metal frame set in concrete or masonry wall, you may need other forcible entry techniques.

Answer 8

In some cases, you can use a hydraulic door opener (often called a rabbit tool) to force the door open.

This was on an exam. p397

Question 9

Some prying tools can also be used effectively as striking tools, although most cannot… p379

Answer 9

You need to be familiar with the capabilities and limitations of each manual prying tool, such as knowing which surfaces are used for prying and which surfaces are for striking.

Question 10

Be aware that there will be a sudden release of energy when the door, window or wall, is opened when doing forcible entry.

Answer 10

True. p383

Question 11

Why is it important to keep blades and chains sharpened? p384

Answer 11

Keep blades and chains sharpened. A dull saw is more likely to cause an accident than a sharp one.

Question 12

How well an axe head is maintained directly affects how well it will perform.

Answer 12

True. p386

Question 13

Care of wooden handles… p386

Answer 13

Applying a coat of boiled linseed oil to the handle to preserve it and prevent roughness and warping.

DO NOT paint or varnish the handle.

Question 14

Care and maintenance of unprotected metal surfaces… p387

Answer 14

DO NOT paint metal surfaces - paint hides defects.
DO NOT make the blade edge too sharp; this may cause the blade to chip or break.
DO NOT use a mechanical grinder to sharpen blade edge because it may cause loss of temper through overheating.
Oil the metal surface lightly. Light machine oil works best.
AVOID using any metal protectant that contains 1-1-1 trichloroethane. This chemical may damage and weaken the handle.

Question 15

Consider the following ways to reduce the amount of damage that will result from forcible entry… p387

Answer 15

Begin the decision making process with the minimum amount of damage and proceed to the maximum amount.
Determine the severity of the emergency and the speed with entry must be gained.
Try to open the door in a normal fashion.
Look for a window or side light panel that you can break to gain access.
Determine if it is quicker to: force the lock, remove hinge pins, force the door, or pry door from the jam.

Question 16

When breaking door glass p396

Answer 16

Consider that glass doors or glass in doors are part of the barrier to ventilation. Breaking glass will have the same effect on flow path as opening the door; however, the glass cannot be “unbroken”. Once the glass is broken, that doorway is a ventilated opening to the fire for the remainder of the operation.

Question 17

A-Tool… p401

Answer 17

The A-tool is a prying tool with a sharp notch with cutting edges machined into it. The notch resembles the letter A. The A-tool can often accomplish the same job as the K-tool, but it can cause slightly more damage to the door.

Question 18

K-Tool… p400

Answer 18

The K-tool is a V-blade tool useful in pulling lock cylinders. The K-tool is forced behind the cylinder’s ring and face until the wedging blades bite into cylinder.

Question 19

J-Tool… p401

Answer 19

The J-tool is a device made of rigid, heavy gauge wire designed to fit through the space between double swinging doors equipped with panic hardware.

Question 20

What is a shove knife… p401

Answer 20

This flat steel tool, resembling a wide bladed putty knife with a notch cut in one edge of the blade, can provide firefighters rapid access to outward swinging latch-type doors.

Question 21

In order to gain entry, firefighters must use correct location and the proper technique.

Answer 21

True. p371

Question 22

The pick axe is a versatile forcible entry tool that can be used for cutting, prying, and digging.

Answer 22

True. p374

Question 23

Unlike the pick-head axe, the striking face of a flat head axe can be used to strike another tool, forcing the bit end into a doorjamb or windowsill.

Answer 23

True. p374

Question 24

Do not use bolt cutters to cut any energized cables unless the cutters are insulated and designed for that task.

Answer 24

True. p375

Question 25

Pre-incident surveys will help determine which tools will be required to force entry into a particular building or through a particular door, window, or wall in that building.

Answer 25

True. p383

Question 26

Store composite blades in compartments where gasoline fumes will not accumulate because hydrocarbons can attack the bonding material in these blades causing them to deteriorate and violently shatter during use.

Answer 26

True. p384

Question 27

Rapid entry lock box systems provide a means to open locked doors without forcing entry because the lock box holds all necessary keys or numeric key pad combinations to unlock the building, storage areas, gates, and elevators.

Answer 27

True. p388

Question 28

What is creating a hole in a wall known as? p408

Answer 28

Breaching

Question 29

Name some prying tools… p378

Answer 29

Crowbar
Pinch point pry bar
Claw tool
Pry axe
Rambar
Halligan
Hux bar
Kelly tool
Flat bar

Question 30

What is the BEST method for caring for cutting edges on axes?

Answer 30

File the edges by hand; grinding can weaken the tool.

Question 31

What are some of the easiest locks to open?

Answer 31

Cylindrical locks (door knob with a lock) are the most common type of lockset found in residential applications.

Question 32

Rim Lock… p392

A rim lock is mounted on the interior door surface and is used as a supplemental lock for doors that may or may not have other types of locks. Turning a thumb-turn knob on the inside of the door operates rim locks. This lock is found in all types of occupancies, including: houses, apartments, and some commercial buildings.

Answer 32

Night latch - This rim lock has a spring loaded bolt with a beveled edge facing the door frame. This feature allows the door to lock when it is closed.

Deadbolt - This rim lock has a rectangular bolt that you must manually retract before the door can be closed and the bolt engaged with the receiver. If the bolt is extended, the door cannot be closed.

Vertical dead bolt - This rim lock has a bolt that slides vertically into receiver and does not cross the door opening and makes it impossible to open by spreading the door from the doorjamb.

Question 33

What is considered a high security lock… p393

Answer 33

Multiple bolt locks - When engaged, it projects multiple bolts into two or more points on one edge of the door (tops and sides).

Electronic keyless locks - They are used for areas that require continuous security and controlled access.

Electromagnetic locks - Consists of an electromagnet attached to the door frame and an armature plate mounted on the door.

Question 34

Tempered glass doors… p398

Only as a last resort should you break tempered plate glass doors. If tempered plate glass doors must be broken, use the following guild lines…

Answer 34

Use the pick end of a pick head axe and strike the glass at a bottom corner.
Wear proper PPE to protect against eye injury
Place a salvage cover against the glass and strike through the cover to shatter glass
Scrape any glass that remains in frame

Question 35

Which tool was developed to force entry on locks manufactured with collars or protective cone shaped covers on them? p401

Answer 35

A-tool

Question 36

Tools for forcing pad locks… p401

Answer 36

Duck billed lock breaker - Wedge shaped tool that will widen and break the shackles of pad locks, much like the hook of a halligan-type tool. Insert this tool into the lock shackle, and strike the tool with a maul or flat head axe until the shackle breaks.

Hammerhead pick - Has a pick on one end of the tool and a hammerhead or striking surface on the other. Insert the pick into the padlock shackle and strike the tool with a maul of flat head axe until the pad lock shackle breaks.

Locking pliers and chain - Lock the pliers firmly around the lock body. This keeps the lock steady while another firefighter cuts the lock with a cutting tool.

Hockey puck lock breaker - Adjust the pipe wrench to grip the hockey puck lock firmly. Apply downward pressure to the end of the wrench’s handle to twist the lock and break its interior mechanism.

Question 37

When it comes to breaching brick or concrete walls… p409

Answer 37

Power tools such as rotary saws with masonry blades or pneumatic or electric jack hammers are best for breaching brick and concrete block walls. They are faster and usually require only one person to operate.

Question 38

When cutting an opening in metal walls… p410

Answer 38

The opening should be at least 6 feet tall and as wide as needed.

Question 39

What is there to know about reinforced gypsum walls… p411

Answer 39

This wall board is designed to resist breaching using conventional forcible entry hand tools. If firefighters are to breach this material in a timely fashion, they must know that they are not dealing with ordinary wall board and must bring a power saw with them. The only way for firefighters to know that the wall board has been reinforced in through pre-incident planning.

Question 40

What are the four basic types of locks?

Answer 40

Mortise lock
Cylindrical lock
Rim lock
High security locks

Question 41

When breaching exterior walls with hand tools, what is the best practice?

Answer 41

Work from the center of the wall outward.

Question 42

Describe reinforced gypsum walls/drywall…

Answer 42

Designed to resist breaching using conventional tools forcible entry hand tools. This wall board has a reinforcing layer of Lexan.

Question 43

Any entry into a structure is a form of…

Answer 43

Ventilation that allows an exchange of fresh air and products of combustion.

Question 44

What is one of the fastest and least destructive techniques for forcing a locked door…

Answer 44

Breaking the door’s glass