Firefighter Oleg Pelekhaty from DC Fire Dept Engine 2 sent in this find he spotted while learning his district. This structure had two ground level windows in an alley, secured with a set of bars bolted into the brick. There is a lot more to these bars then you may expect, Click Here to read what this find was all about.
Another “Try befre you pry” case. Just going into somethig like that you assume that it’s going to take some work but if you look around and find the ease of access, your in. The only problem I would see is maybe a tripping hazard from the bars laying on the ground. A cone would fix that though. Once again, why it pays off to know your district.
Those will pop right out of that brick with the adz end, hopefully you wont be alone back there. Also don’t forget to call for the saw. If its basement or 1st floor rear, I am asking the LCC to bring the Irons saw to the rear. Cutting from the side is much easier than trying to force with the halligan and getting blasted with hot water making a way out for the Brother’s inside.
These would present some difficulty when trying to vent the window. If they are EEW’s just striking them in one place will not clear out enough glass. Also as we have seen with the ladder into the EEW video, sometimes they do not yeild so easily, causing delays. You would need to move your tool, preferably a hook, between each set of bars to clear the window properly. Using a 8 lbs. axe or sledge, strike the connection points of the bars. In old brick like that the anchors almost fall out, they will losen up enough to allow you to pull by hand or pry them easily out with the Halligan. Total removal is quicker with this method than cutting with the irons saw, will make venting much easier and provide egress if needed.
This is another case of being 2 percent smarter then the tools you work with or the door (or in this case window) your forcing open.
I failed to mention using the Saw for taking the child safety gates, not just for window bars. We have policy in place stating that an additional truck be called in the event of window bars, and if a TL is not originally assigned one would be assigned for bar removal. Most of the ones I have seen are not MIG/TIG welded like this one, nor are they that nice looking.
“nor are they that nice looking.”
Yep indeed. I assume that this one was just freshly painted, hence the lack of locks (to assist the painter).
If the locks ever were put back in place they may have stood out as an obvious place to ‘snip’. Those bolts sure would have been easier to miss.
did you actually say you would put out a cone??? WTF.
and why would you try to take the glass before taking the bars? it is a lot easier to work without all that smoke in yer face. Just a thought.
I agree with above…Why are you guys discusing taking the window first. If its already vented thats different but if its venting odds are you have fire pushing out and you are not going to be able to work there anyway. After you take the pins out and fold it down i would work on getting the bottom out. It is just simple laziness to JUST fold it down anfd keep it there. The top is easy to get if you properly size it up as discussed in the article BUT…It needs to be completely cleared. What if a brother has to get out in a hurry? You want NOTHING getting in the way. Once it is GONE then take the class but not untill its gone. Just my opinion
There are two schools of thought on taking out the glass on barred windows. The first is to remove the bars first by prying, smashing, cutting or all three if necessary. Then you don’t have all of the smoke or heat while you are trying to remove the bars. When the bars are gone you have a nice shot at taking all of the glass and sash. However, you are outside where it’s relatively nice. The guys on the inside might want you to take the window right away to get the heat and smoke off of them. This makes it easier to advance the line and search for victims, and it makes it more tenable for anyone still trapped inside. You can make a case for either one. Weigh you choices on the information you have about who’s inside and what conditions the building presents.
A friend of mine, a captain in Camden City NJ, recently encountered a dwelling and when he went to vent there were bars on the inside of the house…be aware guys