By Raymond Edwards
When operating at the rear of commercial structures, units often encounter secondary locking devices such as drop bars, panic bars, and Fox Locks. Companies should not delay gaining entry to a building if a saw is not available. A halligan bar and ax can quickly allow you to gain entry into these buildings if you know how to attack these doors.
These secondary locking devices are usually mounted on the door using carriage bolts. It is important to recognize the type of locking devise by the carriage bolt pattern so that time is not wasted forcing extra bolts.
A center bolt or key way on this door identifies that a Fox Lock is present on the inside of the following door:
Carriage bolts that are parallel with each other indicate that a drop bar is present inside of the following door:
Once secondary locks have been defeated, conventional forcible entry techniques can be used to defeat the remaining locks.
Download this drill as a PDF HERE
Raymond Edwards is a firefighter for the District of Columbia Fire Department and an instructor for Traditions Training, LLC.
