Senior Captain Tod A. Paget from Houston (TX) Ladder 46 sent in this photo of something they encountered while doing tactical evaluation/assessment plans in their area. When walking through a partially occupied warehouse they found this unique method of reinforcing a sheet rock wall.
Performing a wall breach for rapid egress of this particular room (or surrounding rooms) would be problematic at best. Unfortunately, there is no reliable way of identifying this ahead of time. The only indication of finding something this unique might be through noticing some other home-brewed ways to secure doors and windows as well. Unfortunately, we might not find out about this until its too late, and someone is trapped inside. The two best options would be the door (obvious) or simply attempting another wall in the same room. Often times fortification like this may be found on exterior wall or a wall that is shared with an adjoining occupancy. If you find fortification like this in one wall, don’t waste your time, try another wall.
Now take a look at this scenario from the eyes of the RIT team. If that door was not present, and you knew your brother was trapped in that room what would you do? Do you normally carry a rotary saw? Would it have the proper blade to defeat this? What is your “Plan B?” We’ll never be able to predict and plan for every single thing we could encounter on the fireground, but we must make sure we take every opportunity possible to discuss crazy finds like this. Remember to always expect the unexpected.
Would a reciprocating saw work? Around here there are some units that carry battery operated ones. Just curious.
Yes, BUT a gas powered rotary saw with a metal cutting blade would be at least at 1000X faster, especially if time is of the essence!
Would a gas powered circular saw work in an oxygen poor/smoke filled environment?
Using a chainsaw to cut horizontal cuts along the 2×6 above the rebar in multiple points, might allow enough of a seperation of the rebar to squeeze out pushing your scba out first.
We preplanned a data server center a few weeks back in my first due and were told that the lobby walls had both steel mesh in the wall like this but that behind the sheet rock was Kevlar sheeting. The owner showed us a square of it that he’d shot himself. It was about 3/8″ thick. He pretty much told us that we would be better off trying to knock a hole in the exterior concrete walls than coming through a wall in the lobby.
Another side note. Every room in the building had magnetic door locks.
We have couple cordless rebar cutters that would work well here.
Plate steel behind drywall screwed to the studs and dry wall glued to the steel
Where and how was this found??? Was it found during training or real-time SF??? Was this found in a Meth Lab??? It sure is keeping something either out, or worst case in…
Rotary Saw will not run properly in a smoked fill atmosphere. Cutting torch from your Truck or Squad Co. would be a good choice. Along w/several batteries and blades for that saws-all too. We use a battery w/the ability of going w/a cord for back-up. Go RIT!!! oh, and the back up RIT too
Second choice, which would end up being endurance and a set of Iron’s or Heavy Iron’s along w/your partner or crew working on that door and the next door and the next. That would be a May-Day call if breaching walls for exit and found that facing your crew.
Call me crazy and I can’t see how long that rebar is, but don’t we attack the weakest part? Cut the wood. If nothing else, you’ll be able to move it enough to get someone out. And just because I hate that the fire service’s answer to everything is “grab a saw,” for that…Split the wood with the pike of the Halligan you should be carrying.
Well played DMAN. Almost guarantee the plates (horizontal lumber at the top and bottom of the wall) are nailed to the concrete with cut nails or tap-cons. Either aren’t too hard to shear off thus making the whole wall removable. Another way is somewhat controversial but if you carry a bumper jack/hi lift jack on your squad or truck put that between the vertical or horizontal members and make an opening big enough to remove a victim. Either way isn’t pretty but it’s practical.
I like dmans idea. The 1 thing that I cant visualize from the pictures, is how far down does the rebar go? does it touch the ground or does it go into predrilled holes? If it touches the ground, a few well placed hits to the wall may dislodge the whole thing enough to get someone out.(This goes back to something someone once told me. People will spend $200 bucks on a lock, to secure a hasp, but attach the whole thing with sheet metal screws. Forget the lock. Go for the screws)The other thing, assuming that the rebar goes into the ground, someone or several someones should be carrying either a sledge or axe with that Halligan. Any of the 3 or combo should make short work of the wood.
Without knowing what lies out of frame of this picture, and asssuming the structure above allows…..Hook the ceiling over both sides of the wall/door and use a pair of folding ladders (or roof ladders) to make a “bridge”.
I’m envisioning only a stud wall above the ceiling if ANYTHING, given the fact this appears to be a commercial structure/warehouse. I’m also assuming the builder of this “security upgrade” overlooked what was above his head just as all of you door beater truck goofs did.
You wouldn’t know until the ceiling came down anyway, making it worth a shot as the other guys cursed one another for blinding helmet lights, cut each other up wielding choking power saws, and wore themselves out swinging bars and hammers and such in that little smoke-filled hallway; all while whomever was trapped on the other side panicked and ran off to find another way out…..fun times
Might be more expedient given the nature of the work necessary to defeat that mess, no matter what you’re using….
and if I’m wrong in my assumptions about what lies above then somebody will probably die….
….because the door was unlocked the whole time and nobody tried the handle!!!
When I used to outfit Data Centers, we always used to put a 4×8′ sheet of expanded steel mesh on the knob side of the door frame, as a very popular method for crackheads to breach commercial occupancies around here was just to punch through the wall and turn the knob.
We used the locking levers, as we weren’t allowed to use maglocks per the AHJ, nor were we allowed to used knobs locked on both sides, to allow for egress (even if we had the strikes all fail-safe and connected to the pre-action system).
We sent ample notification to the First-Dues, along with putting it in the building Fire Safety Plans, and putting signs in the stairways warning that the walls would be difficult to breach.
If you’re going to bring in a saw I think it would be a bit quicker to cut the door on the hinge side or cut through the door.