[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A52HGabS6oE&rel=0[/youtube]
Firefighter Ryan Gilbert from Bellingham (WA) sent in this method of cutting an overhead or garage door. The nice thing about this particular cut is that it will work on many different types of doors. For instance, many roll-up doors are riveted or pinned on either side near the track, so the one-cut method doesn’t always work. It will also work relatively quickly on the residential door as shown in the video.
Some call this the “Inverted Lâ€, however, they refer to it as the “West Coast Cutâ€, since it was originally taught to them by some LA City brothers. Call it what ever you’d like, it’s simply another option to open a roll up door. Ryan points out that one of the benefits they enjoy about this particular method is the ability to control the airflow if for some reason that ability is needed.
Good method, another twist to this is two guys can cut at the same time. The second can start the horizontal cut once the first begins the vertical since the triangle cut and the base angle cut are time consuming. Both should be done around the same time.
This a great way to cut overhead doors, but very few people know about it. A good way to practice this technique is to go to an overhead door company and get some residential sectional panels. The easiest to work with are the 8′ panels. Find an existing garage door and open the door fully. Lightly clamp the panels in place on the channel guides and use self tapping screws to screw the doors together. Also use the existing hinges from the panels and screw them on. I would suggest you put some plywood under the panels so you don’t cut into anyone’s nice concrete.
Most overhead door companies have no problem giving you the panels and it allows everyone a chance to cut in both vertical and horizontal positions.
I sent Jimm a photo of a way to make a prop for cutting the panels as well.
Great Video guys. Thanks for adding it. I got to do this cut in Seattle at the Fools Convention, quick and simple. BUT…ok…I’ll say it…Ryan..dude…brother……wtf was with that music????
What was ever wrong with the “East Coast” triangle cut?
Awesome tip about two saws at the same time. thanks. And Tye, that’s a great idea about getting old sectional panels from the overhead door company. We were going to buy 8′ sections of galvanized roofing for training. 2dawgs: c’mon man, that a classic!
we’ve found this technique to be faster even than the “slash cut” for rolling steel doors. When doing the slash cut, you still have to cut the angle iron at the bottom, plus slide out all the slats. additionally, on some rolling steel doors every slat is riveted to a guide roller, so none of them will slide out. But just like everything we do, on this technique attention to detail is key.
I wish we had doors that flimsy! How well does it work though when the smoke is pushing hard? Would it matter which side you cut it on? I know on residential doors I would go for a quick angle cut at the top to release the automatic door opener the roll it up.
With smoke pushing I would make the top cut first so you finished crouching on the ground cutting the angle. Even if the panel flopped the smoke should be going over your head.
This cut also works well on non-slatted single piece overhead roll-up doors that are very common at public storage facilities. I believe they are also called continuous curtains. They are about as flimsy as it gets which tends to chew up abrasive blades.
Also here is another good video from Long Beach FD. Use the jump to feature and go to “Inverted L Cutting Technique.”
http://longbeach.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=283
“What was ever wrong with the “East Coast†triangle cut?”
Nothing at all. Some people prefer to take the extra time to make a larger opening. Bigger opening = better access, more lines and faster egress.
It’s all preference.
I agree the top cut first. similair to taking the hinge side of a door. no need to put smoke and heat in your face. and whats the deal with the triangle at the base?? prop it with a hook finish through the bottom and move on?? nice vid brothers
Capt. Courtney: If you want to cut the angle iron at the base, you’ll have to cut a small teepee cut in order to get the saw in deep enough to finish the cut.
Sometimes there’s just one L-shaped piece of angle iron at the base; sometimes there’s 2 pieces (making an inverted T shape). You can’t tell which one you have until you cut it.
Great video! Awesome production and great content.
One tip i’ve learned the hard way with this cut is to be sure and overlap your cuts a generous amount, especially when dealing with wind braced sectional doors.
Could you please explain the purpose of the triangle cut to a newbie from Europe?
Thanks in Advance!
To save your blade, a halligan (or just about any kind of wedge) can be used close to the cut to raise that bottom bar up just a little off the floor. Gaining even 1/2″ is worth the effort. Only takes a few seconds, makes the cut a lot cleaner. Saves going back to catch that last bit of steel you missed the first time.
We avoid using 2 saws in close proximity for safety reasons.
“Could you please explain the purpose of the triangle cut to a newbie from Europe?”
you make the triangle cut just big enough to get the saw into. because of the round profile of the saw blade, this is the only way to consistently cut all the way through the angle iron at the bottom of the door. We’ve tried to lever the door up with a halligan, but you still need to make the triangular cut.
Great video Ryan, I’ve been looking for a well put together video showing this technique. I’ll use it next week for a class.
One problem that we ran into while making the top cut first was that it made the vertical and diagonal cuts more difficult by pinching the blade.
I’m sure this technique works well, I just personally don’t like the idea of a firefighter kneeling on the ground to make such precise bottom cuts. If this go haywire, I’d rather be on my feet, in a boxer’s stance, so I can make a get-away if I have to. I prefer simple left and right vertical cuts, a horizonal cut at chest height, AND CALL IT A DAY. It’s forcible entry, not origami.
I’ve cut quite a few doors and the one important item that can not be over looked is when you go to work you must have a full blade. anything else should be taken off and saved for training only.
So yes, if you did not have a full blade you may not get through the bottom.Also if you do not prop up the bottom to expose it to the largest radius of the blade you won’t finish it. then I can see the extra cut at the bottom. Nice work fellas.
Here is the photo that Tye spoke about above (the second comment to this post.)
cant view video for some reason. whats the youtube title of it? I’ll try it on youtube.
Great Video! Thanks for the tips on the prop’s too, any more pictures? Im just wondering how the panels are secured to the Channel.
Thanks for the photo of the prop Jimm. I am at the very very early stages of putting together a small training site at my firehouse, it would be great to see more photos and or diagrams for more training props….maybe a new category…”Training Props”. As always this is a awesome website, keep up the great work men.
FTM PTB
Chris,
The panels just slide into a channel. The large uprights are C-Channel and there is a short piece of flat steel welded in to form a the channel. They slide in, then are secured together with the self tapping screws. We have experimented with using a strap to tie in the top. I will see if I have more pictures of the backside and get them to Jim. One of our guys is actually designing one that will accept sectionals as well as rollups. We are working on a site to share prop ideas. Maybe Jimm can handle it through this site.
Funny thing you guys should mention it. We have wanted to start a training prop page here on vententersearch. So it’s official, we’ll start it right now, the category should be up soon, and we’ll go back and tag all of our old posts, in addition we’ll start a separate page much like the tips and pockets page to collect all of the props. So that’s what we are going to do; now we ask what are you going to do? Please send any photos and descriptions of training props you’d like to see featured here on vententersearch and we’ll do the rest. Thanks again for the continued support, you guys are the best!
On the second door the video ended and they don’t show them pulling the door to the right like they did with the first door. The angle iron at the bottom of the second door is much thicker than the bottom piece of the first door and I would like to see if that would actually bend as it had in the first door.
Here’s a video of the rolling steel tactic, it works well — I didn’t know that some are riveted.
Sorry, it didn’t go through — here’s that video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUlv35TMXhU
thanks nick
I haven’t had the chance to try the inverted L cut yet, I do like the idea of making the top cut first to release some of that heavy smoke pushing my only question is, By the time you make your verticle cut to the bottom and start hacking through the angle iron what’s going to stop it from flopping forward at you while your trying to finish your cut. Problem solved if you have another guy there to steady it, we all know it is not always the case.
Ryan,I had asked about the bending of the bottom of the second door that was cut,but I never got an answer,I’ll repost the question.
On the second door the video ended and they don’t show them pulling the door to the right like they did with the first door(garage door). The angle iron at the bottom of the second door(loading dock door) is much thicker than the bottom piece of the first door and I would like to see if that would actually bend as it had in the garage door.
I see that cutting the triangle at the bottom is so you can get the blade in to cut the angle iron at the bottom. What if you wedged the fork of the haligan underneath the door, between the pad and the angle iron to give it a bit of a rise off the ground so you can get at the angle iron on your first vertical plunge? Would that work? I wish we had one of these doors to practice on so I can tape it to show you what I’m talking about.
This cut works on most doors, however, you must be careful when cutting residential garage doors that use torsional cables. The torsional springs are located behind the door at the ceiling level, and it has cables running on either side of the door (on the back side). One year, while teaching at FDIC West, a few brothers from San Jose Fire wanted to try this cut on such a door.
Everything went well until they made that bottom cut which compromised the support brace on the very bottom. Once that cut was made, both of those cables ripped the entire door up into a huge ball of metal, and it happened so quickly, we barely got out of the way.
If this is the type of door that you run across, I would suggest you do a different cut, or if you must do this West Coast cut, do NOT cut that bottom brace, or you will have one mess on your hands, not to mention a good possibility of getting someone hurt.
Be safe.
Your Brother in Fire,
Mike Stallings
Orlando Fire
Steve,
Brother your right on both ends. Yes the Triangle cut will allow you to get the blade all the way to finish your cut, and yes you could also use a tool of choice to prop up the door up to finish the cut. Both will work, it all really depends on sizeing up that door. If the door is tough and well built then you may have to think triangle cut since there is no real good give to the door. But hey if the door has a lot of give…give it some hell with a hook. All in all bro it’s just another way to skin cat.
ktf
Very cool cut, unfortunately for us here in Florida many of the overhead doors are reinforced for hurricanes, with U bars going across the entire door which extend 5″ away from the exterior of the door. Best bet with those, find another way in, if it’s your only option Ive found a triangle cut to take care of the veneer then attacking the grillage is your best bet. Hurricane construction can be a really pain in the ass.
Craig, in reference to your comments about hurricane protection and myself also on the job in the “deep south”.. this tactic still does work well with the added hurricane bracing. The technique requires an additional vertical cut just adjacent to the first vertical cut (just wide enough to get the head of the saw in to “finish” the cuts on the bracing. If 2 saws are available then both of these cuts can be made at the same time. Takes a bit longer (not much) but well worth the effort when the door needs forced,,, great video and great site … as usual!
Dan,
sorry about the wait. I’s been busy here. The rolling steel door in the second video does have a stronger piece of angle iron at the bottom. It’s still easy to open as long as you hook the angle iron(with your halligan) rather than the door slats themselves.
Steve,
We’ve found that prying the angle iron up with your halligan to be much less reliable than making the triangle cut. even if you can get it up enough to cut through the whole thing, sometimes the saw blade binds in the stressed metal.
-Ryan
Interesting cut always like to see other ways, however…how long is this taking, how much water is getting on the fire? The old inverted V still alows water application to the overhead area as the panels are being cut and droping away. Sure in a smaller door it leaves less headroom…but when did we decide its ok to walk instead of crawl brothers. Still another technique for the toolbag, thanks.
Now, im a new-ish firefighter, been in for 2 years, but my dads been a chief since i was around 6. im just curious as to if an additional cut on the bottom of the right side of the door would make pulling and closing the door easier? Or instead bash the bottom right side of the door with a maul od the flat end of the ax. Or is it easy enough to pull w/o what im saying?