A Failed Marriage: Halligans to Get Axed

Gone are the days when traditional forcible entry (FE) techniques are employed, let alone needed. With the increasing availability of powered saws and cutting tools, fire departments nationwide are relinquishing their reliance and affinity for the axe and halligan combination.

During a recent phone interview with the Forcible Entry Training Coalition of America (FETCA), we learned that starting in 2014, a nationwide campaign will be launched to collect all halligans (and any halligan-like tools). Those departments who decide to participate in the early adoption of this plan will be provided one power tool (ex. rotary saw) per every one man-powered FE tool that they turn in.

As you can imagine, this is a very generous incentive program that most departments will be hard pressed to not take advantage of. Should enough departments decide to adopt the change in FE operations, this could ultimately lead to NFPA banning the use of all halligans and halligan-like bars. After all, why allow the use of something that nobody is using anyway?

During the same phone interview with FETCA, it was also learned that a major metro fire department has actually been a test-group for this change in tactics and has shown generally positive results. The only real problem noted is that on the infrequent occasion that a power tool would fail to start, or fail mid-operation, the firefighter operating the tool had no backup means of completing his/her assigned task. This small reliability issue being mitigated by the theory of “perhaps we weren’t meant to make entry there in the first place,” says FETCA President Bill Entrada.

Upon hearing the news, Fred Halligan, Chief of Ironsville Fire Department – also the great-grandson of the halligan inventor – asked, “But what about our axes?”

Based on a cursory review of the current plan, whether or not axes (pickhead or flathead) are covered under this “power tools are better than hand tools” movement is still unclear. What is clear is that whatever someone can do with an axe, they can surely do better with a chain or rotary saw.

Editor’s Note: At the time this report was published, representatives from HURST and STIHL were unable to be reached for comment.