Tool Use
BY MARK MOLLMAN
The first 12 hours on the scene of the Oklahoma City Bombing required extreme caution as well as proficiency in the application and use of the equipment. A misplaced aerial ladder against the side of an unstable floor, the cutting of structural sensitive rebar, ignition of flammable debris–any of these scenarios could have meant disaster for survivors and rescuers.
INITIAL RESPONSE EQUIPMENT
The equipment used during the initial response was basic fire department equipment. Following is a rundown of the equipment that aided in the search and rescue efforts.
Cellular phones. Communications are always a major hurdle at a large incident; at this incident communications quickly became a problem. The number of fire department personnel who needed to communicate with each other at the incident made radio communications next to impossible. The solution was cellular phones. By using almost 1,000 donated cellular phones, virtually all personnel–from federal to local responders–were able to keep in constant communication with personnel at the scene as well as across the country. This opened up radio traffic for rescue operations.
Lighting. One of the first priorities was search and rescue. Initially this was achieved by covering every inch of the exposed portion of the building. It quickly was determined that additional lighting would be needed in the heavily damaged areas of the structure. Clip-on or hands-free flashlights were used for initial, quick searches until additional lighting (telescoping lights for nighttime operations, for example) could be established. Hands-free lighting was important, since personnel needed their hands for carrying tools, digging for victims, running power equipment, or simply hanging on. Lights requiring disposable batteries were used the most because of the magnitude of the task of trying to recharge hundreds of batteries.
Shears, cutters, and spreaders. Hydraulic cutters/spreaders were used early in the search for victims. Shears proved useful for cutting rebar, sprinkler pipes, and water pipes. Spreaders aided in lifting small slabs of concrete and also for slowly breaking off the edges of large slabs. The major problem with these units was mobility. There was no easy way to move them around due to unstable footing and the fact that short lengths of hydraulic lines usually required generators to be close to the operation taking place.
Saws. Once the walking wounded were rescued from the building, the use of hand tools increased. K-12 saws were used to cut rebar one inch in diameter and smaller. These saws did a fantastic job clearing away the thousands of twisted and confining pieces of exposed rebar. They proved to be less successful in cutting through file cabinets that were twisted and entwined throughout the rubble, however, because of their small blade diameter (12 to 14 inches).
Extinguishers/pump cans. With the use of K-12s also came the need for extinguishers or pump cans. Every inch of the building was covered with papers and books waiting to be ignited. Because of the volume of paper products, a lot of times the equipment–saws and cutting torches, for example–started small fires. Handlines were in place surrounding the building, but because of lack of access to all parts of the building, five-gallon pump cans were vital in extinguishing the spot fires.
Cutters. The small hand tools used most were tin snips to cut through file cabinets, metal desks, air ducts, and office dividers and wire cutters/dikes to cut through miles of phone and computer cables. Hundreds of these tools were handed out.
Buckets. These were essential for removing thousands of tons of pulverized debris. The enormous force of the blast literally pulverized the structure`s midsection into hand-size pieces and smaller. Buckets proved invaluable in removing the debris and mountains of destroyed books and papers.
Wheelbarrows. These proved very useful in shuttling equipment and supplies.
Sledgehammers. These were used to open small areas inaccessible to firefighters, a process that was slow and exhausting but valuable in the early stages of rescue. The constant threat of further collapse was prevalent, so the limited shock of the sledgehammer was preferable to that of the jackhammer.
Prybars. Various lengths and configurations provided the needed leverage in confined areas to separate debris from file cabinets or desks and to achieve greater access or to simply create an avenue for a visual inspection of the area. An attempt to use lift bags for the purpose of separating slabs of concrete proved unsuccessful due to the slabs` enormous weight.
Army shovels. The hand tool that was the backbone of this entire operation was the standard folding Army shovel. This piece of equipment provided the ability to penetrate the loose debris that had filtered into the voids between massive slabs of concrete. These small shovels allowed rescuers to precisely remove the desired amount of debris in the search for victims. I can`t emphasize enough the importance of hand shovels and buckets. Everywhere you looked on the face of the building you would see crews of workers with hand shovels and buckets removing debris. This may seem antiquated, but it was the only way to remove this type of small rubble.
Ropes. These were needed for several different operations during the early stages of rescue. Safety lines and rappelling harnesses were used to access damaged areas that could not be reached by other means. Utility lines were helpful in lowering hazardous debris such as large sections of glass and granite and office furniture and equipment. Ropes also were used to secure large objects for short periods of time to allow rescuers to operate underneath them. When dealing with a nine-story building, you would be surprised at the amount of rope needed for all of these operations.
Within approximately six to eight hours of the start of operations, all surface rescues had been completed, and the heavy work began.
SHORING AND CRIBBING EQUIPMENT
Structural engineers determined large portions of the building were unstable and that shoring and cribbing procedures should be initiated as soon as possible. To achieve this goal, the following equipment was used:
For short-term debris stabilization, low- and high-pressure air lifting bags were used to shore slabs of concrete and allow rescuers to retrieve victims.
Winches and come-alongs provided quick stabilization of large debris such as slabs of concrete left hanging throughout the building and huge file cabinets teetering on the edge of the remaining floors. Both of these items allowed for quick retrieval of bodies from unstable areas without requiring extensive shoring and cribbing.
For long-term stabilization of the building, chain saws were used to cut though heavy timbers, and 1014-inch circular saws and 714-inch worm drive saws cut wedges and 4 3 4s into desired lengths. Nail guns were used due to the large amount of cribbing that had to be done and the restrictive work areas. Power-actuated fastening guns allowed quick securing of cribbing and shoring to concrete slabs and attaching barrier fencing around each floor or what remained of the floor to keep debris from falling on rescuers below.
CUTTING CONCRETE TO REACH VICTIMS
Using specialty tools to penetrate the massive slabs of concrete and reach trapped victims was the next priority for rescuers. Numerous generators and compressors were on-site by this time, allowing for the use of power and pneumatic equipment.
Jackhammers were utilized virtually 24 hours a day to reduce the size of massive slabs of concrete that were once the floors of the building. Personnel operating the jackhammers worked closely with structural engineers and crane operators. The demolition crews operating the cranes provided valuable information on where and how to demolish the slabs so they could attach slings to them for removal by cranes, which reduced the workload as well as man-hours for removing this type of debris.
Oxygen and acetylene torches were of tremendous assistance in the never-ending battle with rebar. At least four torches were in operation at any one time. The amount of rebar in this building is hard to describe, but you could not take a step without touching some. These units also were utilized around the clock. Two of the torches were equipped with eight- and 10-foot extension wands that enabled cutters to reach areas too unstable to stand on or to stay clear of hanging debris as it was cut loose.
While the interior and subsurface portions of the building were being stabilized, a massive assault was mounted on the face and “the Pit” areas of the building. This effort was enhanced by the help of FEMA`s USAR teams. The specialized equipment and knowledge they provided proved to be extremely beneficial.
One extraordinary piece of equipment was a large gas-powered hydraulic pump with several hundred feet of lines used to power tools. This unit could power a heavy-duty breaker or jackhammer and heavy-duty circular saws capable of cutting through 10 inches of concrete in a relatively short time. Rappelling teams used medium-size electric drills to drill holes through concrete slabs left hanging from the explosion and secured them to the stable sections of the building. Hydraulic drills or rotohammers were used to drill holes through concrete so search cameras could access the voids.
Each team could be assigned to different locations on or in the building without depending on outside resources for equipment. The hydraulic power unit and the entire cache were self-sufficient. This is important in a disaster spread out over a large geographic area.
LESSONS LEARNED
Firefighting gear is just that! Bunker gear, as we refer to it, was too bulky and hot; the standard structural firefighting boot was too heavy and did not provide enough support for the rough terrain; and the helmet was difficult to fit into tight spots and was quite heavy after a 12-hour shift. Through the generosity of Tinker Air Force Base and the citizens of Oklahoma City, lace-up leather boots, military fatigues, and hardhats were provided, along with leather gloves, eye protection, back braces, and knee pads, which proved to be invaluable. This lighter gear reduced the heat stress along with the physical demands caused by the firefighting gear.
There must be a way to control the whereabouts and the condition of equipment. At this incident, there was no shortage of equipment, but keeping track of it was an issue. This problem was solved through the use of the ICS system. The equipment first was delivered to Logistics, where it remained until it was requested on the scene. It then was taken to a holding area, where the person requesting it signed for it. This allowed for tracking of the larger equipment on-site. As for the hand tools, a large supply was kept on-site at an equipment storage area and handed out freely to any rescue worker on-site. When shifts changed, the small equipment was gathered and redistributed to the next crew.
Two equipment holding areas for larger equipment were established at the site. Despite the limited access to the building, workers could obtain equipment without having to hike a great distance. Each day a person or persons were assigned to assist teams in locating equipment and servicing it in the field. This proved extremely beneficial for the rescue team. The tool man would refuel power tools and generators, change saw blades, replenish low cutting torch bottles, refill pump cans, replace broken hand tools, and locate any special equipment for rescue teams. This eliminated teams` having to shut down or slow down due to equipment problems. If any equipment not on-site was needed, this person would notify the appropriate resources to obtain that equipment.
Probably the greatest tool of all was the rescue workers` ingenuity. In the early stages of the incident, I saw many circumstances in which rescue workers adapted standard tools to complete tasks for which the tools were not originally designed. This expedited the rescues of dozens of people in the early stages of the incident.
Another great asset was the demolition companies. Their experience and equipment proved invaluable.
Last but not least was the ability to locate specialized equipment. Every rescue team should compile a call list of every conceivable company and technical support person in its area to assist in disasters that may strike within that area. n
MARK MOLLMAN is a lieutenant with the Oklahoma City (OK) Fire Department. He has spent eight of his nine years on the job in the Hazardous-Materials Unit and has had additional training in confined space, trench, and rope rescue.
