By Edward Monahan

Many districts across the country have overhead steel roll-up doors in their first due, usually at warehouses or auto repair shops.

These doors are easily identifiable by their interlocking galvanized horizontal steel flat slats that ride heavy-gauge steel channel guides on both sides. These channel rails are normally housed in a concrete wall. To gain access, the traditional method has been to use a K-12 rotary saw using several different cuts and techniques. This is the preferred method when you have a suspicion of or a confirmed fire behind the door. It offers great ventilation and attack access, but this method causes extensive damage and requires that the building owner incur a significant repair cost.

But for those instances in which you may have the luxury of taking a gentler approach, you can save the property owner both money and hassle by lifting the door rather than cutting through it. An example of this could be an automatic alarm at a muffler shop in the middle of the night. After a thorough 360-degree scene size-up, the company officer suspects a broken sprinkler pipe run. On closer inspection, the door is identified as a steel overhead door with sliding lock.

1 Shown is a door with an engaged bottom slide lock and keeper. (Photos by author.)

Another option that has proven to be simple and fast is using a Hi-Lift First Responder jack on steel flat slat-type overhead roll-up doors as an easy alternative to any cutting operation. This technique provides full access opening of the door using a controlled movement as well as minimal damage to the door itself. These slated type overhead doors are generally designed to have a slide type locking mechanism and keeper located at the bottom sides where padlocks can be placed (photo 1). Don’t rely on this to be accurate 100 percent of the time, as many owners will devise their own crafted lock alternative to secure the door. Fortunately, this jack technique can force its way past most of these deterrents, ripping the keeper or breaking lock attachments if secured to the side rails. As with most forcible entry situations, the lock is always stronger than what it’s mounted to.

It is important to point out that when forcing any door to make entry into an unknown immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) environment, it is recommended to always have full personal protective equipment (PPE), including self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and a charged hoseline with crews in place for protection of the forcible entry team as well as delayed entry once the opening has been secured.

2 The process begins by creating a purchase point access opening.

The Process

Step 1: With a hoseline in place and crews in full PPE including SCBA, create a purchase point/access opening in the middle area of the door through a single slat roughly six to nine inches off the floor. This height measurement may change if you add 4x4 wood cribbing to the bottom of the jack for extra security footing/stabilization on sloped surfaces. Creating a purchase point/access opening can be accomplished with a halliga

By Alan M. Petrillo

1 The FDNY operates three large fireboats: Three Forty Three and the William M. Feehan (both shown here) and Firefighter II. (Photos 1 and 2 courtesy of the Fire Department of New York.)

Fireboats, rescue boats, and combinations of the two require specialized equipment for firefighters and rescue personnel to perform their jobs expeditiously.

The kind of equipment carried on these boats, whether large oceanfront boats or smaller river/lake craft, depends on the type of body of water, the potential hazards on the water and along the shore, and the missions the boats are charged with.

2 Six SAFE Boats are in the FDNY’s marine fleet, outfitted to handle firefighting, search and rescue, hazmat calls, and medical runs.

Department Fireboats

Joseph Abbamonte, battalion chief for the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Marine Battalion, says that the New York harbor is one of the largest natural harbors in the world, with 500 miles of coastline and the largest container port on the East Coast of the country. Abbamonte says the FDNY operates three large fireboats (William M. Feehan, Firefighter II, and Three Forty Three), plus six 33-foot SAFE Boats outfitted to handle firefighting, search and rescue, hazmats, and medical runs.

3 The Stan Musial is the St. Louis (MO) Fire Department’s 42½-foot MetalCraft Marine fire and rescue boat powered by twin Cummins 600-hp engines driving water jets that operates on the Mississippi River. [Photos 3 and 4 courtesy of St. Louis (MO) Fire Department.]

The SAFE Boats are powered by three 350-horsepower (hp) Yamaha outboard engines, he says, and have a Chevy 350-cubic-inch engine in the bow that powers a 1,000-gallon-per-minute (gpm) Darley pump. The boats carry 100 feet each of 2½- and 1¾-inch hose, a halligan tool, ax, closet hook, manual bolt cutters, reciprocating saw, damage control kits for boats taking on water, search-and-rescue gear [throw bags and personal flotation devices (PFDs)], carbon monoxide detectors, gas meters, thermal imaging cameras (TICs), and radiation detection meters. “Sometimes we have a medical emergency on a boat where we don’t know what caused the emergency,” Abbamonte notes, “and because we operate alone out there, we have our own meters and equipment to make that determination.”

Read more 303 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: Jul 10, 2017 Equipping Fire and Rescue Boats for Service By Alan M. Petrillo 1 The FDNY operates three large fireboats: Three Forty Three and the William M. Feehan (both shown here) and Firefighter II. (Photos 1 and 2 courtesy of the Fire Department of New York.) Fireboats, rescue boats, and combinations of the two require specialized equipment for firefighters and rescue personnel to perform their jobs expeditiously. The kind of equipment carried on these boats, whether large oceanfront boats or smaller river/lake craft, depends on the type of body of water, the potential hazards on the water and along the shore, and the missions the boats are charged with. 2 Six SAFE Boats are in the FDNY’s marine fleet, outfitted to handle firefighting, search and rescue, hazmat calls, and medical runs. Department Fireboats Joseph Abbamonte, battalion chief for the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Marine Battalion, says that the New York harbor is one of the largest natural harbors in the world, with 500 miles of coastline and the largest container port on the East Coast of the country. Abbamonte says the FDNY operates three large fireboats (William M. Feehan, Firefighter II, and Three Forty Three), plus six 33-foot SAFE Boats outfitted to handle firefighting, search and rescue, hazmats, and medical runs. 3 The Stan Musial is the St. Louis (MO) Fire Department’s 42½-foot MetalCraft Marine fire and rescue boat powered by twin Cummins 600-hp engines driving water jets that operates on the Mississippi River. [Photos 3 and 4 courtesy of St. Louis (MO) Fire Department.] The SAFE Boats are powered by three 350-horsepower (hp) Yamaha outboard engines, he says, and have a Chevy 350-cubic-inch engine in the bow that powers a 1,000-gallon-per-minute (gpm) Darley pump. The boats carry 100 feet each of 2½- and 1¾-inch hose, a halligan tool, ax, closet hook, manual bolt cutters, reciprocating saw, damage control kits for boats taking on water, search-and-rescue gear [throw bags and personal flotation devices (PFDs)], carbon monoxide detectors, gas meters, thermal imaging cameras (TICs), and radiation detection meters. “Sometimes we have a medical emergency on a boat where we don’t know what caused the emergency,” Abbamonte notes, “and because we operate alone out there, we have our own meters and equipment to make that determination.” Read more 224 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: Jul 10, 2017 Equipping Fire and Rescue Boats for Service By Alan M. Petrillo 1 The FDNY operates three large fireboats: Three Forty Three and the William M. Feehan (both shown here) and Firefighter II. (Photos 1 and 2 courtesy of the Fire Department of New York.) Fireboats, rescue boats, and combinations of the two require specialized equipment for firefighters and rescue personnel to perform their jobs expeditiously. The kind of equipment carried on these boats, whether large oceanfront boats or smaller river/lake craft, depends on the type of body of water, the potential hazards on the water and along the shore, and the missions the boats are charged with. 2 Six SAFE Boats are in the FDNY’s marine fleet, outfitted to handle firefighting, search and rescue, hazmat calls, and medical runs. Department Fireboats Joseph Abbamonte, battalion chief for the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Marine Battalion, says that the New York harbor is one of the largest natural harbors in the world, with 500 miles of coastline and the largest container port on the East Coast of the country. Abbamonte says the FDNY operates three large fireboats (William M. Feehan, Firefighter II, and Three Forty Three), plus six 33-foot SAFE Boats outfitted to handle firefighting, search and rescue, hazmats, and medical runs. 3 The Stan Musial is the St. Louis (MO) Fire Department’s 42½-foot MetalCraft Marine fire and rescue boat powered by twin Cummins 600-hp engines driving water jets that operates on the Mississippi River. [Photos 3 and 4 courtesy of St. Louis (MO) Fire Department.] The SAFE Boats are powered by three 350-horsepower (hp) Yamaha outboard engines, he says, and have a Chevy 350-cubic-inch engine in the bow that powers a 1,000-gallon-per-minute (gpm) Darley pump. The boats carry 100 feet each of 2½- and 1¾-inch hose, a halligan tool, ax, closet hook, manual bolt cutters, reciprocating saw, damage control kits for boats taking on water, search-and-rescue gear [throw bags and personal flotation devices (PFDs)], carbon monoxide detectors, gas meters, thermal imaging cameras (TICs), and radiation detection meters. “Sometimes we have a medical emergency on a boat where we don’t know what caused the emergency,” Abbamonte notes, “and because we operate alone out there, we have our own meters and equipment to make that determination.” Read more 159 0 Article rating: No rating RSS FirstPrevious3165316631673168316931703171317231733174NextLast Theme picker Section Quick Links   Fire Mechanics Documents EVT Discussion Forum Fire Mechanic Photo Gallery Training & Testing 2019 Scholarship Logo Wear Store Upcoming Events Theme picker Sponsors Fire Mechanics Section Board Chair Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Chair Elliot Courage North Whatcom Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Vice Chair Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Vice Chair Mike Smith  Pierce County Fire District #5 Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Secretary Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Secretary Greg Bach South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #1 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #1 Doug Jones South Kitsap Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #2 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #2 Paul Spencer  Fire Fleet Maintenance LLC Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #3 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #3 Jim Morris Mountain View Fire Department Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #4 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #4 Arnie Kuchta Clark County Fire District 6 Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #6 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #6 Brett Annear Kitsap County Fire District 18 Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #5 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #5 Jay Jacks Camano Island Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Legislative Representative Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Legislative Representative TBD TBD Read more 3372 0 Article rating: No rating Immediate Past Chair Posted: Oct 20, 2015 Immediate Past Chair Brian Fortner Graham Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating RSS Theme picker 2020 CAR SHOW Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement - Copyright 2025 by Washington Fire Chiefs Home Members About Us News Calendar Resources Documents Sections County Fire Chiefs FRWC WSAFM