Using First Responder Jack by Hi-Lift for Rapid Entry on Overhead Doors

By Edward Monahan

Original article posted in Fire Apparatus Magazine on 7/10/2017

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.

Read the full article at FireApparatusMagazine.com

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