Forcible Entry Basics- The Shove Knife



The shove knife is a simple tool that can be used to gain entry in quick, non-destructive fashion. As lock technologies have progressed, the tool has lost some of its value. It should not be assumed, however, that the shove knife will not work on any door. Proper door size-up will provide the needed insight into the tool's effectiveness on the particular door in question.
 
Two situations must be present in order to gain access through a locked door using only a shove knife:
 
1. The sole locking device engaged in the door must be the slam latch.
 
2. If a tamper pin is present, the pin must be able to be moved into the latch keeper, whether by leaning on the door or otherwise.
 
Should either of these conditions not be met, another means of forcible entry will be required.

The majority of doors that can be defeated by the shove knife will be outward swinging. A gap will need to be created between the rabbet stop and the door jam, allowing access to the latch, in the instances where the door is inward swinging; metal door frames prevent this from occurring as they are constructed as a single unit.



Shove knife position when opening an outward-swinging door

Tips:

• The shove knife can be inserted above or below latch. I found that I am more comfortable with entering below the latch. From this position, it was less likely that my momentum carried the tool beyond the latch after it exited the keeper.

• Placing a foot against bottom of the door will move the latch into a position where it is not resting against the keeper, allowing for a smoother pull. Doing so may also move the tamper pin into the keeper, if a pin is present.

• Twisting the head of the knife into position over the latch assists in gaining entry with greater success than what is achieved by only applying horizontal force. 



• Avoid the urge to pull the door open too early in the process. When a tamper pin is present, the tamper pin has the tendency to exit the keeper and prevent the latch from depressing. 

 
Attached is a video that covers the specific use of the shove knife in greater detail.

*Credit for the video tip of using the shove knife in the initial door size-up goes to Task Force 1, Inc.

 



Salt is Salty, Not Bitter

A letter to seasoned firefighters.

You have years behind you. As each passes, it seems like life at the station moves further and further from the way it was when you first came in. Regardless of whether the changes are positive or negative, it is not difficult to recognize their impact. Changes in what is acceptable, how the tasks are completed, the time spent together as a crew, the manner in which services are provided, the attention that is given to traditions, etc. all equate to a whole new fire service.

Being firefighters, it just seems natural then to find the source of the change and attempt to "stop the bleeding." This type of thinking is what we are best at. Problem solving is why people call the fire department in the first place, right?

The Servant Leader

"It is amazing what you can accomplish when you don't care who gets the credit." - Harry Truman

 I recently listened to a podcast interview with man who I consider to be a fire service hero. I refer to him as such because he has been at the forefront of leadership, travels both nationally and internationally championing the cause of the firefighting, and serves as the head of multiple organizations that disseminate fire service information to the masses. Upon concluding the interview, he described his desire to be available to anyone who may need him. He then went on to give out his personal cell phone number.

Up to this point, I found it acceptable to hide behind the anonymity of a general email address. It seemed like it would be okay for someone like him to have his people get in-touch with you. Obviously, this guy is far too busy to answer anyone and everyone. Admittedly, I initially went as far as thinking, "that was a dumb move. Doesn't he know that people who are undeserving of his time will be contacting him now?"

Those thoughts could not have been further from the truth for this man.

Proactive Ladder Usage- Part Three

For several posts now, I have discussed the need for aggressive deployment of our ground ladders. Ground ladder usage often gets a lot of push-back, despite being proven in their effectiveness. Hopefully, we can explore some ways to overcome the desire to just leave the ladders on the rig.

How do we make the shift towards being more proactive with our ladders?

The biggest push-back to throwing ladders is almost always a "lack of manpower." While I understand that many departments are handicapped in the number of personnel available, we can find ways to overcome this common issue.

Proactive Ladder Usage- Part Two

Our ladders are being left in their cradles on our engines and trucks. This is even the case on fire scenes. In far too many instances, we are not being aggressive in the deployment of ground ladders. It could be that these issues are only found within the scope of my own experience, but I do believe that a general lack of aggressive ladder work is more universal. Hopefully, recognition of the fact that we can do better will help bring about some positive changes. In the first post, we discussed the who, what, and when of ground ladder usage. Please take some time and read part one, if you haven't already. Next, we will dive into answering two more basic questions regarding this topic.  

Where do we need deploy our ladders?

There is much that can be said in regard to the specifics of ground ladder placement. Instead of going through the in's and out's of placement for window rescue vs window ventilation vs roof ventilation, this discussion is more geographic in nature.

Our ultimate goal in proactive ladder deployment is to establish a secondary means of egress. As was noted in part one, egress points can quickly be overcome by a growth in fire conditions. Fire does not discriminate between interior and exterior exits either; both can be compromised. 

Proactive Ladder Usage- Part One

Regardless of which side you fall on in the debate of truckie vs. engine firefighter, it should be noted that both may have a fire ground responsibility to throw ladders. This does not seem to be widely put into practice, however. Especially for those arriving on an engine, the tunnel vision of only stretching hose lines must be overcome. Ground ladder usage cannot die on the chalkboard.

Aggressive interior operations need to be supported by aggressive exterior operations.

I hope that by asking simple questions, we can come up with simple answers to remedy a general lack of proactive ground ladder usage. This will take place over the course of my next three posts.

Orienting Better Searches

The performance of a rapid, efficient search is vital on any fire where interior operations are taking place. This is, perhaps, the number one way firefighters achieve the goal of making life safety our ultimate priority. Despite the attention that completing a quality search receives, poor search tactics are still prevalent. Much of the shortfall can be blamed on either the mentality that "this is how we have always done it" or the handicapping of state requirements for certification. I challenge you to consider your own ways of performing search, and ask the question, "can it be done better?"