Story and Photos
By PAUL HASHAGEN

Fire departments across the country have faced the challenge of trying to stay current with the latest technology as it relates to firefighting. Energy-efficient windows, membrane roofing materials, lightweight wood truss systems, and better and more expe nsive security devices on doors and windows all must be dealt with. The instructors among us use films, video tapes, and slides in classroom settings to train firefighters in these changing times. Actual "live fire" training has become a smoke-and-mirrors affair. The creative use of theatrical smoke, heating devices, propane-controlled fires and the old standby burning in barrels are used with varying degrees of success to simulate fireground conditions.

Fire instructors however, are still unable to successfully simulate forcible entry problems because of the nature of the operation itself, the damage it causes and the expense of real doors and locks. Nevertheless, this problem is just another small obsta cle in the fire service's path, as anyone associated with firefighters for any length of time knows they overcome and adapt as well as any group of people on the planet.

The New York City Fire Academy was faced with this forcible entry simulation problem and began taking steps to provide recruits with a real challenge at reasonable costs. Under the direction of Deputy Chief Steven DeRosa, chief in charge of training, memb ers of the training staff began to research possible solutions. They traveled to other training sites to see how the problem was approached. Some good ideas were found, but nothing that would even approach the forcible entry problems encountered daily by the FDNY.

One of the FDNY instructors, Lieutenant Mike Bishop, an 18-year veteran, began taking this problem home with him. Bishop was spending more and more of his free time attempting to come up with a way of training firefighters in a realistic yet reusable and cost-efficient fashion. His ideas began to jell and Bishop believed he was onto something.

The lieutenant began to tinker with diagrams and crude models.

"I took it upon myself to design a device that not only simulated the Ôfeel' of forcing a door, but one that was durable enough to withstand numerous training sessions," Bishop said. "After a day's work, I returned home and toyed with various ideas. Three weeks went by before I had a design that met this criteria. I took my drawings to a welder and had a prototype made."

The prototype device was fashioned from 1/8-inch steel. Bishop took the device to the department's Division of Training on Randalls Island to put it to the test.

With DeRosa's permission, Bishop altered a steel door in a training building and inserted the door-locking simulator, now known as the Power Jamb. Using traditional forcible entry tools and techniques, he went at the door to see what kind of punishment it would take.

After a period of trial and error, modifications were made. The refined version of the Power Jamb was proving to be everything he had hoped it would be. It became apparent that this device was more than workable, so Bishop applied for and received a U.S. patent.

The Power Jamb can be inserted into any steel door after some slight modification to the door. (An approximately 18-inch-square area of the doorway at the knob-and-lock area is cut out.) The Power Jamb is slid into position and bolted into place using hea vy-duty wing-type nuts. When the Power Jamb system is in place, the throw of the system's dead bolt can be adjusted. The dead bolt assembly sits within a smaller steel box that is held in position by two heavy-duty springs. The tension of the springs and the depth of throw of the dead bolt can be adjusted to change the amount of force necessary to spring the door.

At the point where the leading edge of the door meets the steel frame is a steel protective guard. Tests have proven the guard can be used up to 500 times, then easily replaced. This protects the remainder of the system and allows countless forcible entri es.

Not stopping there, Bishop is adapting the Power Jamb to be used with hydraulic forcible entry tools and other conventional forcible entry operations. Production of the system has begun and the unit cost is $750. This training tool will allow firefighters to encounter and overcome locked doors during training sessions coupled with live or simulated fire scenarios. The Power Jamb can just as effectively be set up in any firehouse for company drills. Training in for cible entry will be realistic and proper techniques can be worked on in smoke-filled or clear environments. Trainees can now actually get a "feel" for forcing doors.

During a recent training cycle, the Power Jamb was "forced" 126 times by probationary firefighters with no damage to the system. Since April 1998, it has been "forced" over 1,000 times without appreciable damage to the device or door jamb.

"The Power Jamb offers a safe and practical way to teach conventional forcible entry," Bishop said, "and is also available as a complete mobile unit with mock steel door and jamb for classroom and lecture instruction."

It seems that simulated forcible entry is now a reality and fire training has taken a giant step forward.

Bishop can be reached by telephone or fax at 718-605-0761. He is grateful to members of FDNY Engine 28, Ladder 176, Ladder 40 and Engine 37 for their assistance.