SOP Manual - Cleveland Fire Department

Cleveland Fire Department
Operations Manual
b. Breaching Walls
The opening should be made only large enough to permit streams to be
directed inside to knock down fire and cool the interior. Then the hole
can be enlarged enough to allow access for firefighters. At this point, if
possible, the enlarged opening should have a keystone shape.
c. Roll-Up Doors
If a door is difficult to force open, it can be cut with a power saw, axe,
or cutting torch. When cutting or prying these doors, Ladder/Truck
crews must be careful of glass panes set in the doors. If the glass breaks
while a door is being forced, shards may fly in all directions.
d. Light Doors
If the door has a glass pane without bars, it is best to remove the glass
and attempt to open the locks from the inside, provided the location of
the fire does not prevent such action. As always, firefighters must use
caution when attempting to force a door that contains glass.
2. Dwellings and Apartments
Locked residential structures often have one or more glass panes that can be
knocked out, allowing Truck crews to open the locks from inside.
a. Apartment Doors
If the doorframe is constructed of light metal, it might not support the
pry tool. In such a case, the tool should be driven in further than
normal, and the door struck with the back of a flathead axe as the end
of the tool is pulled away from the door. This will usually spring the
door loose. The pressure exerted in forcibly opening an apartment door
will usually tear loose or break any chain lock.
b. Balcony Doors
When located properly, relative to the fire situation, these doors can be
used for entry and fire attack. If a door is particularly tough to force,
use a flathead axe to drive a pry tool between the door and the framing.
Two balcony doors locked to each other also can be opened by driving
a pry tool between them. Because there is so much glass involved, care
should be taken to avoid straining the glass enough to break it. As a
rule, the glass should be broken out for entry into the apartment only
when there is a need for immediate rescue, or when the glass is already
stained or damaged by heat or smoke.
Effective: June 1, 1997 Revised: 5/14/2009 Page | 217
Approved by: Chief Chuck Atchley