Claw tool
The claw tool (also known as the Hayward Claw Tool) is a forcible entry tool used by firefighters, made of steel, that has a hook on one end and a forked end on the other. The tool was a major component in the Fire Department of New York during the early 20th century. Over the last fifty years, the claw tool has lost prominence due to the advent of newer and more efficient forcible entry tools.[1][2]
History
The exact origin of the claw tool, which later became the Halligan bar, is not well documented, but according to FDNY folklore, it was discovered by firefighters responding to a fire at a lower Manhattan bank. The fire was started to cover up a burglary, and during the investigation, firefighters found an unusual tool with a claw-like end that the burglars had used to break into the bank. The firefighters believed that if the tool was good enough to break into a bank, it was good enough for their use, so they labeled it the "claw tool" and reproduced it many times over. It became the primary forcible entry tool used by the FDNY and is thought to be the first tool designed solely for that purpose. FDNY Deputy Chief Hugh Halligan later incorporated the fork end of the claw tool into his design of the Halligan bar in 1948.[3]
Design and use
The original claw tool weighed 12 pounds and was approximately 36 inches in length. It was designed with a claw on one end and a tapered fork on the other end.[4]
See also
- Halligan bar
- Kelly tool
References
- ^ FDNY Forcible Entry Manual page 13 Archived 2013-01-20 at the Wayback Machine Accessed: 6/14/2012
- ^ Merriam-Webster "Claw Tool" Accessed: 6/14/2012
- ^ FDNY Forcible Entry Manual Page 14 Archived 2013-01-20 at the Wayback Machine Accessed: 6/14/2012
- ^ FDNY Forcible Entry Manual Page 14 Archived 2013-01-20 at the Wayback Machine Accessed: 6/14/2012
- v
- t
- e
- Battalion chief
- Chief fire officer
- Fire captain
- Fire chief
- Station officer
- Retained firefighter
- Fire marshal
- Fire police
- Firefighter assist and search team
- Handcrew
- Special operations firefighter
- Volunteer fire department
- Women in firefighting
- Fire department ranks by country
- Bunker gear
- Escape chair
- Fire blanket
- Fire brigade keys
- Fire bucket
- Fire extinguisher
- Fire hose
- Fire hydrant
- Fire proximity suit
- Fire retardant
- Fire shelter
- Fireman's pole
- Fireman's switch
- Flame retardant
- Fog nozzle
- Halligan bar
- Hard suction hose
- Hazmat suit
- Heat detector
- Hose bridge
- Hydraulic rescue tool ("Jaws of life")
- Kelly tool
- Nomex
- New York roof hook
- PASS device
- The pig
- Portable water tank
- Rotary saw
- Secure information box
- Self-contained breathing apparatus
- Siren
- Smoke detector
- Thermal imaging camera
- Backdraft
- Barn fire
- Chimney fire
- Dead man zone
- Deluge gun
- Door breaching
- Draft
- False alarm
- Fire class
- Fire control
- Fire safety
- Fire triangle
- Fireman's carry
- Firewall
- Flash fire
- Flashover
- Gaseous fire suppression
- Multiple-alarm fire
- Rollover
- Stop, drop and roll
- Structure fire
- Two-in, two-out
- Ventilation
- Candidate Physical Ability Test
- Fire camp
- Fire engine red
- Fire photography
- Fire protection engineering
- Geography of firefighting
- History of firefighting
- International Association of Fire Fighters
- International Firefighters' Day
- List of firefighting films
- Muster
- Saint Florian
- World Firefighters Games
- World Police and Fire Games
General | |
---|---|
Equipment and tactics |
|
Personnel | |
By location | |
Lists |
- Template:Fire
- Template:Fire protection
- Category
- Commons
- Glossary
- Index
- Outline