Opening a Car Hood
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- Опубліковано 22 жов 2024
- The point of this is to share ideas and solutions to problems we commonly face in the fire service. Please submit a response to this video with how you would open the car hood given the conditions. Your response can be in the comments, but we prefer a video response. This can also be a link to an existing video.
This is the first problem we will present of common challenges that we face in the fire service. We all have a way of getting tasks done and some ways may differ from what you or I would do. We all reach a day when what we normally do just doesn't work. This is a way to pool ideas and place them in our tool box.
Thanks for your time and we can’t wait for your response.
I use this technique to put engine fires out but I have my FF do a few shocks with the axe to pre crease the hood. If you do that bending it up is much easier because you create a bend point on the hood.
great technique. had a truck fire tonight and people were trying to gain access to the hood. i tried explaining n finally had to use this technique with busting the grill and wrapping the cable with the forks. hood popped in less than a minute. so glad i found this video years ago
I recently had a OT engineer come in and first call out of the barn was a car fire. He peeled back the hinge points for the hood and cut them with the bolt cutters and it was awesome..
That’s actually safer because it eliminates the struts from shooting out
Awesome technique; I've used it several times now, with great success!
I've altered my spike aim back a few inches to hopefully clear a potential battery.
Also, don't forget your eye-pro, kids!
during my short time wrecking out wrecked auto's. to get the engine compartment opened we would go after the two hinges in the the hood with a plung cut on each end of the hood either from from the top of the hood or from the side of the fender with a gas cutoff saw 90% of the time the hood popped lose those were the cars where the hood was smashed in so bad you couldn't get the latch to unlock! I hope it helps you first responders out there!
I've had good effect on forcing the hood for overhaul by using bolt cutters to shear the U bolt on the hood side of the latch. I then use a Halligan to finish forcing it open. I've had good success on modern and older cars. Rolling the hood for initial attack works great!
We have a spear that you ram through the hood, then we have a special nozel that goes on the attack line that sprays a 180 degree fan that fits through the hole. It's awesome fast and efficient. that way you only have a 2" hole opened up before extinguishing starts.
Believe that’s called a piecing nozzle, can be used in hard to access rooms through the wall as well or even getting water to the basement through the floor.
Roll each corner of the bonnet near the A pillar, then use the halligan to leaver out the hinge and cut it with bolt cutters. It never fails and is reasonably quick.
I think it is a very great way to open car hoods in case you cannot open it from the driver seat. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
This is a older model vehicle, stronger metal, newer vehicles this opens up a lot easier especially if fire/heat impingement has occurred on the hood, usually opens up a good hole to get water on the fire.
Thanks for the tip, great video.. I feel this is the best method for forcing a food and puts you in a safe spot.. this is also the method that I learned/use.
Use your halligan to gap the hood on either side up by the hinges, large enough to expose the hinges themselves. Use large bolt cutters to cut the hinges, then roll the hood forward. Good back-up plan using tools carried on almost every Engine Co. Won't work on every car obviously but the times we've tried it, worked well.
clearly I didn't read the 10 other comments suggesting this method...
we like to use an axe and crease the corner of the hood before spiking and rolling. We also use fog wand extensions on our ship for this sort of thing with pretty good success.
Great video!! In response to the question you asked another way to access under the hood is to bust out the driver side head lamp and access the release wire for the hood. @ 3:57 once your forks hit the wire you can see where it runs behind the headlamp.. That lamp has to come completely out though in order to access the wire.. Awesome video and great instruction!
From a body shop point of view, when the car is wrecked, we cut a square hole in the center of the hood, in the area where the latch is. Then you have access to the catch, or it just cuts both pieces of the hood, the skin and the frame. Easy enough to open it. Also this doesn't break your back or put you in a position where you might slip and fall either onto a hot, flaming hood or a corner of the hood that you just pried up. I believe Fire Engines carry tools with large cutting discs?
use the halligan bar to roll each corner of the bonnet up (closest to the A pillar) then use bolt cutters or a hack saw the cut the hinges of the bonnet, then you fold the bonnet forward.
for initial attack, ram the adz into the bonnet about half way between the headlight and the A pillar and bend up, its pretty much the same technique you showed but it gives you a larger opening.
great video!
my engine company just had this scenario today at a car fire. we took the captains bar (Halligan) to bend the metal of the hood at the A post giving you access to the hinge then cut the hinge on each side with the bolt cutters and raised the hood backward. worked out great, really fast. You should give it a try. STLFD E24
Thanks for sharing this educational video
I work for a district in South Florida. We are blessed to have k12's equipped on our aerials and engines. a v-cut would be my next thought if access to the hood was unobtainable in a condition where there was not active fire.
Also of you spike the side of tge bonnet half way between the headlight and A piller, then roll it up (same action you used but just further up the bonnet), it creates a nice big pitch in the bonnet as the bonnet/hood isnt as re-enforced there as it is on the corner.
You could use the spreaders either on the front of the hood or the back at the hinges
I think 3 quick strikes with the Adze on the Halligan along the desired fold line followed by the pike and lift shown would give you a faster fold open with a slightly higher lift.
Just had a car fire last week. It was a Mercedes C class. The hood was locked on three points in the front. I rolled up both sides and cracked all the bolts with the halligan claw.
We utilize the K12 cross cut across the entire hood, just watch the tires and avoid the spring/raising mechanism. Start from the middle cut to you and then cut the second half. Better than wrenching on a hood latch for 20 minutes (which our guys did in 120 degree heat one day.)
Nice video, congratulations.
If your engine carries an edraulic combination tool make a purchase point on each side near the rear of the hood and cut the hinges and fold hood forward. Does two things, allows access, and when the towing company comes to clear the vehicle they do not have to worry about the hood flying up as it is still attached to the nader pin. If a combi is not available you can do the same task. Make purchase point and attack the hinges with the halligan. The hinges are a lot weaker than the nader pin and can often be separated by twisting the hinge.
Edrualic combi tool for the departments that are manpower limited. (They suck for popping doors but perfect for hoods and trunks.)
I second s boom. With that I have extinguished engine fires by just using a straight stream onto the ground at the edges (sides and front) of the car and bouncing/ splashing the whole compartment, then open the hood. yes, they did not have air effects under shields or skid plates. With the methods demonstrated, if you use the back of the haligan to crease/dent the hood before pierce and pry it helps. Also be aware that many small cars have batteries near the front corners and 4x4s may hove 2 batteries, one in each corner.
We now carry a battery powered Holmatro combi-tool on the engine. It can be put into service in 10seconds. It makes quick work of opening a car hood.
Push the adz into the hood crease near the A pillar and turn it around then pull back, you now have full access for the nozzle man before the actual hood force. It takes about 5 seconds.
You can also bust out the driver side head light to reach the cable to open the hood as well.
I've seen departments using K12s but My department Uses the ads of the halligan directly in front of the lock thus breaking the lock
Pull the k12 out and cut a triangle around the hood locking mechanism on top. Will allow free movement of the hood and takes the lock completely out of the question
One problem though, now you're standing directly in the path of the front bumper should it come flying forward
Two quick cuts at a 45 degree angle. (Recip saw or metal cutting circular saw). Basically cutting around the hood ornament if you will.
When performing Tom's method it's important to make the K-12 cuts longer than you might think is necessary, especially at the top of the inverted 'V'. It's important to remember that the saw blade is curved and that the cut beneath the top layer of metal will not be as long as the top layer. Overcut by several inches to be sure that the cuts are complete.
This is great for gaining general access, but if we're just talking engine compartment fire, the best thing I've seen is a piercing nozzle. Treat it like a brick wall, when you get through, stir it like tea
Yes, excellent suggestion! From the side to not exposed your self to bumper danger.
How about a triangle cut into the hood with a k-12, thereby VERY quickly bypassing the latch mechanism altogether? Allows quick access to be able to open the hood completely and takes less time than corner rolling and whacking away at the front of the grill to find the latch cable...
That's an ideal situation, but suppose the K12 isn't available. My department only has one K12 between the two engines, and if, for some reason or another, the one without it was first due, this would be a good back up technique
Only trouble with that is now you're standing directly in front of the vehicles bumper that has potential to come flying at you
You might be able to visit a salvage yard before they periodically call in the crusher. That would be a way to get maximum practice on a variety of vehicles and the owner would enjoy the entertainment. If your department can write invoices for charitable donations (community college vo-techs do this all the time) that's a nice incentive to salvage yards and the rest of the world to give you stuff. Donor deducts the estimated value (donor does the estimating) on his taxes and everyone's happy.
This can get you steel to make training aids, doors, windows, vehicles etc.
Also remember that military surplus can be given free to local police and fire departments. All the info you need is online and you can get it before it comes up for public auction.
Have you ever experienced the halogen slipping forward as you pry? It feels like as you pry up your face gets pretty close to the working end of your tool.
Not bad, here's another level: What if there is an entrapped occupant. How would you gain entry but minimise impacts and vibration through the vehicle?
In East Sussex, we have Stab-fast vehicle stabilisation tools which come with a little accessort tool for pushing holes through metal bodywork without causing vibration. That'd be enough to get the pick of a hallican in to then lever the bonnet open. Not sure what you guys in the US might use though.
MaxSafeheaD -vibration would be of little concern if you are unable to do an emergency move on the pt. At that point, getting the fire out would give your crew time to extricate the pt. Some extractions can take up to 30 min. In rural areas, you might have to wait for a apparatus to arrive with the extraction equipment.
Cut the U shaped “bolt” that the latch grabs with bolt cutters after you remove a spot in the center of the grill.
Sawzaw.... pry the hood to expose the hinges and sawzaw the hinges. Or air chisel but this is hard because hoods are usually composed of a skin and frame
reciprocating saw or spreaders. Do it like a flag drill with a protective hose line in a wide fog pattern.
It would probably work better if you used a real Halligan 😉 Great video guys, thank you.
Somebody get that man a ProBar!
Or a FHU Maxximus
Dont they make a nozzle that you stick in the hood and it acts like a sprinkler to put out the fire ?
K12 saw. Cut a triangle out around the hinge. Cut the hood latch. Hydro spreaders
Our edraulic combi is perfect for hoods and trunks, and comes off of our rig with the handline. Terrible at extrication though.
There are a lot of comments about using the K12saw.... So I guess you are carrying a K12 saw on an engine company? must be nice.
we are.
Our quint is our main rig on MVA’s. But we usually just use a pro bar and do a similar pinch point to get to the fire. And then if need be, k12
When the K12 is not available its great to have other methods.
You have dedicated companies? Must be nice 😂 there’s only 13 guys on our department and only 3-5 actually show up and we use the same apparatus for just about everything. (1pumper for mutual aid, one 3000 gal tanker, 1 pumper for everything that happens in our area, and one rusted up 1/2 Ton 84 chevy pickup with a glorified power washer on the back for a “grass truck”
We do. You could also use a sawzall, you also might be able to just use an ax, an air chisel etc.
hit the hood with a ax in the middle or near the bottom of the windshield where the windshield wipers are
under the hood beat the latch
Recip saw under bonnet. Cut straight through latch
if you don't have a k12, a saws all with a lennox carbide blade will cut through even hardened steel
K12, do a V cut around the latch
this is what we use. it's fast and safer than rolling a hood and exposing yourself to the flame.
Nate M very true!
Drive the forks over the latch and push the bar to the side. Hood open!
k12 or a TRex if you have one.
Watched a captain do that to do a battery disconnect on a lighty rear ended brand new pickup, the spike drove through the hood into battery positive terminal, shorted out , started a fire and truck burnt down, insurance company sued f department and won in court. End of promotions for that fire fighter.
Nate M stole my comment. K12 w V cut works well
by doing a v cut you're giving the fire oxsigin and that can put firefighters lifes at risk
Tiaan Vogel Oxygen
6in “V” cut over the latch
No Safety glasses???
Saws? just cut the latch area and use the hook to open the hood
spreaders after fire is completely out
air chisel
Piercing nozzle, through the headlight or through the hood.
we use an axe and cut a 45 around the hood latch.
I have never heard of this before; is it pretty fast?
Take the E tool, pinch the side of the fenders by the hood hinges, spread open the fender and hood to ex[pose the hood hinge, cut it, do both sides and fold hood over to front bumper.
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