Over the years we have shown numerous interesting homemade supplemental security devices, but most of them are found on commercial structures. Would you have ever have expected to find them in a residential structure? We sure hope so. You shouldn’t be surprised to find them on any type of structure. Deputy Chief Jon Starling from Sterling VFC (Loudoun County,VA) sent in these photos of a find at a residential structure. This door was found in the basement and provides access directly to the outside of the structure (with four steps up to grade level.)
The wooden L brackets are secured into the doorframe with two lag bolts on each side. The drop bar itself is a 2×4 that extends past the door on each side. The door is a one hour fire rated metal clad door. The walls surrounding the doorframe are concrete up to the 3 foot level and 2×4 framing (blanket insulation, sheathing and vinyl siding) above. There is no visual indication from the outside of the presence of the bar. This is common when a drop bar is utilized with an inward swinging door, since the brackets are mounted to the doorframe.
With a little determination, this can easy be defeated but may certainly be unexpected. Sounding the door should alert you to some sort of supplemental lock at that level. While are not trying to say you need to know everything about every single structure in your area, we are saying you need to keep your eye out for as much as you can. Always expect the unexpected.
Everyone wants a little extra security now days!
Ideas for forcing this door?
Use a saw, treating it like a plywood covered door/window. Or force the wooden frame around he door. These metal doors set in a wooden frame in a masonry wall can often be “hammered” inward with a maul.
About 9 months ago we were on an EMS run when we noticed the back door of the residence with pretty much the same set up. It was a wooden exterior door and frame set in a block wall. Not a huge deal, just a minor setback. Start with the irons, and have a saw handy.
We ran in to this very thing on a fire call several months ago. I tried to force the door(a basement door) conventionally. I told my captain “Something’s up” to which he replied “Give me that f@#king thing” (the halligan). He then said “It won’t open.” Luckily it was a panel door and I just broke out a panel. This being an aluminum door, I would determine where the door was being held and split the wooden door frame with the pike of the halligan, thus weakening the bolts, then donkey kick the emm effer open.
For guys that work in the “core” areas of major cities this type of security bar is pretty much expected for all doors.On this particular set-up the bar is set higher than most of the ones I’ve seen which actually makes this a little easier when used for a metal clad insulated type door ,as it allows you to more easily bend the door inward,then reach up with an axe or halligan handle and dislodge the bar. My choices in order of preference to defeat this would be.
1.Saw
2.A couple of good mule kicks which will bend door inward reach up with handle of axe and dislodge bar
3.Chop through with axe(we use 8# pick heads) at the level of the bar.The first 1 or 2 strikes will get you through the door the next couple will split the 2X4
4.If you have a 1 or 2 man battering ram it will make short work of this,just use it at the level of the bar.
5.If none of these work find a VERY large ill-tempered recently divorced truck guy and hurl insults at him until he charges,step away at the last second and …..problem solved.
5. A VERY large Truck man with a bad attitude and a square head
MFD, I think #5 is my favorite.
We had a #5 once. When he got really mad it would scare the number 2 out of you!!
Maybe I should have put #5 as option #1 what with the added entertainment value and all. Oh and just ignore the 2nd #5 it was going to be edited out but there is no edit function so it was accidentally included.
DMAN hit it on the head with weakening the jamb. Those lag bolts are only as strong as the material they are mounted in. When you locate the resistence baseball swing the pike as deep into the jamb as you can. Push down on the bar using the adze to leverage the door. Even if this doesnt get you all the way through you now have split that pine and weakened the jamb so much that moving back to conventional forcible entry should finish the door off. A good placed pike into the jamb with some prying will weaken the frame much faster than battering the door over and over. Just my opinion.
We have found some residentials just recently that are using 1 1/2 thick rebar in the way of the old police locks. They make a homemade mount on the locked side of the door and then bore out a hole in the floor a few feet back letting them place the bar in both mounts.
I agree that the halligan is the best all-around tool for forcible entry,but that does not make it the BEST for each individual situation.Some people use the halligan for every situation but many times it is a compromise over a better tool.It is in essence a prying tool and I feel that in this situation an impact tool will be much quicker.This door will not have to be battered repeatedly if it is recognized for what it is quickly enough.These types of doors are easily bent inwards and you should then be able to pop the bar up and off.I’d say the methods I reference will get you entry in 15 secs or less.
MFD
I agree with you, not the best for every situation. Anytime we think “one way is the only way” for FE we are hurting ourselves. I am going to to stick to the Halligan on this one as my first choice only because I am comfortable in how effectivly you can weaken the mounting on this drop bar. However I would love to hear your attack in a little more depth. Are you saying you would batter the door above the resistence that you identify? I agree these doors bend fairly easily, but enough to get your hand in and pull the bar out quickly? I am not convinced that in a relativly weak drop bar setup we are going to see the door bend in significantly before the mounts fail. Anyways, I am not trying to call a bluff, I am truly just wanting to learn a bit about the way you approach this one. Thats the greatest thing about forcible entry, there are many effective ways to attack a door.
No, totally cool with halligan if that’s what you are comfortable with and you have a clear plan of attack.Just that i’ve had success with almost this exact set-up in the 4 ways I described(haven’t tried baiting a truck guy into charging yet).BATTERING RAM-if you attack at the level of the drop bar something will give either the mounts or the drop bar itself will cave.AXE-, determine level of the bar chop at level of the bar once door is penetrated(blade will penetrate pretty much every swing)hit at the same spot you penetrated and the drop bar will split apart in a couple swings ,if it does not(maybe it’s made of a hard wood instead of a standard 2×4) try swinging with pick end which will split and weaken it then follow up with blade end.MULE KICK-kick just below lock level, lock should pop in 1 or 2 kicks,then kick just below that and door should begin to bend inward you need just enough to get your hand in while holding axe ,then slide axe(blade side toward door) up the door until it contacts drop bar.You can either give axe a quick thrust here or gently lift bar off the mount.This takes little practice because you are doing it blind but it does work.sometimes the drop bar is a bit lower and you can just reach in with your hand and pop the bar,when I use this method I will slide the blade of my axe up between the door jamb and the door and twist it which gives me the needed clearance to squeeze my arm through.—–I don’t know how clear I made any of this and i’d provide more detail, but my peasized over-taxed truck brain already has smoke coming out of it and I have this strange metallic taste in my mouth ,so i’ll quit while i’m ahead.Regards
Time is the critical variable. How fast do you need to get in… You play the percentages.
Sledge hammer works great on fixed wood or lightweight steel. Back the door with 3/4 plywood and it becomes almost useless, behaves like a trampoline unless direct hits on locks.
I use 8# axe + 30″ Halligan- and a partner who should be looking at what’s happening to the door.
99% of doors will open with a little properly applied force.
That last percent take work. Hinges are the second easy point of attack. If it doesn’t open, maybe it’s easier to find another entrance, leave the door to the next crew. Haven’t met a door yet that could defeat a Partner saw.
This will sound crazy, but I have the same set up in my house. When I moved in I found it on the charlie side door. The prior owner had issues of the mental type, so added this device. The 2×4 holder is steel, bolted with four bolts and two large screws to the frame of the door. It is at an angle and the 2×4 just slides right in. I Don’t use it but to show folks that come over for a laugh. I call it my “South Carolina Dead Bolt” Sometimes you don’t have to travel far to learn.
One item my crew pointed out when we found it was the height of the bar. If you were in high heat or very smokey conditions and crawling you may not notice it while feeling for the doorknob. As you can see from the picture it is very high on the door. This could be quite a surprise for any crew who had to find an alternate egress if trapped in the basement. It would also delay RIT personnel from entering.
We discussed the importance of checking all doors (interior and exterior, high and low) for supplemental locking devices and removing/unlocking them as soon as possible during fireground operations.
Gotta love it! Not extremely common in my district, but still a great “getcha thinkin'” find. I really like the Halligan and think that proper technique + proper force + proper brain engaged = success MOST of the time…. but to quote one of my shift mates (Big Daddy from Cincinnati)…”garble,garble,garble….get the chainsaw…”. Always be thinking and dont get tunnel vision….
What!? No one suggested the “JET AXE”? Shaped charges are fun and real crowd pleaser.
If you remove the brick mold on the hinge side of the jamb, the hinges will be exposed. Then insert your halligan between the door and jamb above the hinge and rotate down removing the hinge from the jamb, repeat 2 more times and swing door out. The hinge screws only go into the jamb maybe a ¼ inch and usually give fairly easy.
If you know this is a common problem in your area just plunge cut with the K12 or ventsaw and be done with it. After all this is a truckie site and someone should be coming off the truck with the saw, right?
acklan – The saw has been mentioned a number of times(at least once by me) and I think most would agree that is the 1st and best choice.But I think looking at alternatives is important because not everybody runs the same i.e. Some depts may not use saws for forced entry or have it set up for another purpose,maybe it’s being used elsewhere or just maybe it doesn’t start.
MFD – Understood, and you are right.
Surprised no one mentioned using a Hydra-Ram yet.
Hydra rams are not very productive on wood frames/wood jambs. The wooden stop will fail long before this drop bar setup. The stronger the material and the tougher the door is where the hydra ram works the best.
I have this in my first in area. while on a med aid which we went to a number of times over the pass year. We all notice we always enter from the carport and we (crew) never seen the front door. Till one day I asked, and what a good thing I did cause if we would have had a fire there we would have been in trouble cause all doors leading out side have 2 sets of the South Carolina Dead Bolts. If we have to make access we have to either enter throu a window to open an door or make our own. Lets just hope we never have to do it cause it will be a tough fire to access and preform rescues and rit team. So they are all over the place. Stay safe, God Bless
I have also encountered one of these on a door to an apartment while searching the building for the source of a gas leak. The brackets in the one I came across was not as “heavy duty” as the one showed in the picture above so we were able to force the door using a halligan as a battering ram.