History Lesson

We received these images from some of the brothers over at Brotherhood Instructors Jamie Morelock from Toledo (OH) and Andrew Brassard from Milton, Ontario. We thought it would be neat to share a little bit of fire service history.

The articles quotes:

The most useful tool on the truck is the Halligan Tool- about 30” long- it is an “ugly bar” of forged steel- weighs only eight pounds, can be used in tight places and can do anything.

It’s nice to see that in all of the years the Halligan has been around very little has changed. There have been many attempts made to make it better, but none have really stuck. In the near future we’ll do a post comparing the Halligan Bar to some of the impostors; you may be surprised to see some of the differences. It was also interesting that the advertisements calls it the Amazing Halligian Bar, interestingly enough, we had a post here on the site a few years back with the same title.

It’s disappointing to see that Wikipedia even has some of the facts wrong. In particular, look at the pictures… That’s no Halligan! Maybe one of these days we’ll take the time to send them a write-up with the corrections.

Click here for the supplemental page with additional pictures of the Real Halligan, and even a few jet axe ones, since some new folks may not have even heard of that method of forcible entry.

45 thoughts on “History Lesson

  1. brickcity1306 says:

    There is nothing like cranking “iron man” (that is black Sabbath for the new boots riding) on a confirmed job!!! Give me a saw a ,Halligan, a ten pound mall a roof hook and a can and watch me work baby!!! Sorry you west costars may not understand but from the beast from the east ya know how we roll!!

  2. Jon says:

    Who needs a job to force a door? I just need a 3am water leak!

  3. Evan Swartz says:

    Its amazing to know that the halligan might be the only fire service tool that was made for firefighting is found on every fire truck in America maybe even the world. Also its nice to know that police agency’s have adopted this wonderful tool. Might be the greatest most versital tool ever made. Nice job Hugh. As also be safe and god bless.

  4. Ryan says:

    Quite possibly the first fire service internet post we can all agree upon! Great find!

  5. Brickcity1306 says:

    It is funny how we use tools like the halligan and never give it a thought. I was on an international extraction competition team competing in Ontario Canada, a Team member from the UK, Yorkshire Fire and Rescue services asked what we used that for. I thought he was kidding, Long story short they have never seen one and were amazed with it, we donated ours and they took it back to the UK.

  6. Brickcity1306 says:

    Oh and what ever happened the “Jet-Axe”??? Now that would be a giggle, I know there would be a all out fight on who gets to use that baby first on my crew!!!!!

  7. Evan says:

    I wish I could still get a working halligan tool for $36. That is one of my favorite tools on the truck, that and a 6 foot dry wall hook.

  8. Mike says:

    I was on the job with a department in Maryland that used to carry Jet Axe. They removed it from the Trucks before I was hired there. From what I was told, it became unstable as it aged and became shock sensitive. The department removed it from service due to a compartment door blowing off from the Jet Axe detonating as the Truck was traveling down the road. Yikes. Would’ve loved to be on the job when that stuff was still in service!

  9. John says:

    I don’t know if it was our influence or not, but I found some form of Halligan tool at every Iraqi fire station (17 of them) I visited during my deployment. They love it.

  10. Chris says:

    The “jet Axe” was in the 1954 C.B. Colby book “smoke eaters”. The book had mostly FDNY pics in it, still a good read 55 years later

  11. DMAN72 says:

    Hey,check it out….I found an old chain letter from the post office.
    “I tell you what Hugh Halligan can just keep his fancy bar. Ben Franklin didnt use any kind of bar when he started in the fire service. Real firemen just stuff their beards in their mouth and use their foot to kick in the door. What’s next canisters to wear on your chest and a mask that lets you breath at a fire? What a bunch of squares!”

  12. Rusty says:

    We still have two “signature” model Halligan bars in use at work!

  13. Matthew says:

    I gotta ask, whats the difference between a halligan and a hooligan bar?

  14. FitSsikS says:

    “I gotta ask, whats the difference between a halligan and a hooligan bar?”

    A Halligan bar is used by a firefighter, a Hooligan bar is used by a hooligan.

    😉

    (It’s a joke name, referring to the user and/or his actions.)

  15. Matthew says:

    Thanks, I’ve been told that a Halligan is forged/one piece whereas the Hooligan is not, like the fiberglass shafts sometimes found.

  16. Truck Guy says:

    The “Hooligan” that we have does not have an adz. It also has a plug wrench on the fork end. The other end has a point on it.

  17. Truck1ovm says:

    This is great- 1) a post that no one will argue about 2) something that every Truck,Engine,Rescue,and if you can believe it Fireboat has on their rigs and 3) Everyone loves and uses. Now just remember you must train to use it, must pass knowledge to the probie on the rig about the importance of it, and of coarse take a couple doors extra at jobs for training the new guy

    Stay safe
    Keep Truckin’

  18. FitSsikS says:

    Sorry Matthew, I didn’t mean to mislead you, my answer was specific to my dept.

    We have Halligan bars and an assortment of various prying type tools on my job but no actual Hooligan bars……just small ‘h’ hooligan bars.

    🙂

  19. Brickcity1306 says:

    Pressed and pined bars are pices of crap!!! two words “drop forged” one pice and the only tool I have ever used that is damm near fire fighter proof..

  20. Splat says:

    Roger that Brickcity, broke a couple of hollowed pinned bars. I was going through an old semi-trailor and found the really deal sticking out of a box complete with Hugh’s Signature and Serial Number on other fork tine. I use it when training on History of Tools. Great Reference, Campo (Tools of the Trade).. Thanks for the service to us all in Iraq John..

  21. FF 149 says:

    Gents,

    In the FDNY Forcible Entry reference guide – discussed elsewhere on this fine website – there is a history of the evolution of the tool by John T. Vigiano, FDNY Retired.

    Roughly: Claw tool (a found burglar’s tool per the folklore) + Kelly Tool = Chief Hugh Halligan’s tool.

    The actual chapter does the story more justice, of course.

    Be safe.

  22. Evan says:

    from what i gather, a Halligan bar (as prior stated) is a single piece drop forged. a Hooligan bar is different in the forks and the adz/pick ends are attached by set pins, allowing for a replacement if (and when) broken off. since they are easier to break, they are referred to as Hooligan bars.

  23. brickcity1306 says:

    I have never heard of a “hooligan bar”, I can only assume it is a knock off and due to trade name and licensing it is called that. The only definition I know is Hooligan n. A tough and aggressive or violent youth. Hummmmm that may fit !!!

  24. Brickcity1306 says:

    Ahhhh thank you itsnotahobbyq ,,, way way back in the day my first aid squad had a “Partech Hooligan” I did not know that was what it was called. I called it junk; I broke it at a MVC making a purchase point for the spreader.

  25. Mongo14 says:

    Wow I have not seen a jet axe ad in years wish I could have seen one work…..Oh and a disclaimer I work with Dman so his opinions in no way reflect my thoughts….lol its all good Brother

  26. DMAN72 says:

    Brickcity1306,
    This Mongo14 f#$ker is picking on me. Will you help me kick his @ss?

  27. brickcity1306 says:

    Sure DMAN72 but one question first, the mongo I know is about 6’9″ 275 lbs of shredded muscle with roid rage!!! Does your mongo fit any of these descriptions???

  28. Truck Guy says:

    The bar I described in my earlier post is a “Hux Bar”, not a Hooligan.

  29. Benny Clark says:

    Guys, Jet-Ax is/was nothing more than C4 deployed as a shaped charge. It came packaged in several different sizes. You would hang them with a magnet and enclosed hanger wire on a metal surface or a nail on a wooden surface. Worked well; just don’t be on the opposite side !!

  30. Egan says:

    $75,000 fire truck.. WOW…That wont pay for the paint job now… thats all I have to say about that.

    Stay safe
    ~Egan

  31. Greg says:

    Anyone else notice in the ad, the number of runs and workers for H&L 26? I think that’s more than the number of EMS runs I usually do in a year.

  32. Jan Jensen says:

    Great site!

    If you ever discover errors at wikipedia, please correct them! It’s a user driven community service. You don’t send an email to someone – you contribute, either by directly editing the article (most cases) or by discussing why and how the article should be edited (certain political “hot” issues).

  33. Turbo says:

    Halligan v/s Hooligan… There is NO comparison!!! What others have said is correct. The Halligan is a drop forged SINGLE PEICE tool. There are no pins to hold it together; “Hugh” didn’t invent the Halligan with the intention of it breaking and needing repair!!! Who has time to leave the 10th floor and get the repair kit to finish forcing a door? Get real‼!

    Unfortunately growing up in a volunteer service I have been stuck with numerous Hooligan bars over the years. Not only do they break and bend… the claw and sometimes even the adz is too large to do any good. They use such a crappy metal that it had to be that thick in order to be effective. The true Halligan is stronger by design (drop forged) and is tapered to allow it to more easily be placed between the door and jam, or at the bottom of a window. I don’t know about everyone else, but in these days of customer service, when you are forcing entry on a non-fire call, our “customers” prefer to not have to buy a whole window frame and glass when properly used on some windows the customer could only spend a few dollars on the lock mechanism.

    While I think the Halligan is a perfect tool… I must suggest you at least try the suggestion in “Tips from the bucket” on modifying the irons. The markings are great for the newer guy and filing down the claw a bit makes it much easier to use on the tight doorways that are more common these days. However, while even knowing what they are talking about, the diamond plate in the back ground made the last thing hard to see… File the sides of the claw by the bar so that they are “flat,” this will allow you to run the axe down the bar and make a solid contact without the axe being kicked off the side. It really does work great in very tight areas, and in near zero visibility.

    VES: GREAT site, I forward it to everyone I can.

  34. Jerry says:

    I have an old Halligan bar that has “Hugh A Halligan” on the fork, but it is not stamped in a recessed area of the fork, but rather kind of scrolled on like it was actually signed while being forged. I know that’s not possible, but it looks like that. Any information would be helpful in age, value etc. This is an old bar that I just stripped years and years of paint off of.

  35. Steve White says:

    I believe I too have an actual Halligan. One on fork it has Chief Halligan’s signature (Hugh A. Halligan). This is commonly mentioned in various articles or postings, but nothing ever discusses what’s on the other fork.
    On the other fork of my Halligan are letters/symbols. I’m not sure what they represent. I’m told they are either a foundry/production stamp, or some message in Latin. Does anyone know what these letters/symbols actually stand for?
    Any help would be greatly appreciated.
    Steve White
    Battalion Chief
    Fishers Fire Dept.
    Fishers, Indiana
    whites@fishers.in.us

  36. James Maughan says:

    The writing on the Halligan Tool was AMDG. It stood for Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam………” For the greater glory and honor of God.” It was the motto of the Jesuit Order. He was a very pious man and faithful to the Church. In fact, if memory serves correct, he credits the invention of the tool to the Blessed Mother.

    Hope this helps,

    James Maughan (Hugh Halligans grandson).

  37. RSFDNY says:

    James;
    You should consider writing an articel about your grandfather adn the missing pieces of the puzzle such as you wrote above. Eventually these stories will be gone forever. They MUST be preserved for the brothers to come. I have an original Halligan and it is my most prized piece as it links back to the old iron firemen days. Peace to you brother.
    RSFDNY

  38. James Maughan says:

    RSFDNY;
    Thats interesting. I think that’s a great idea. He lived with us for long periods of time growing up.

    I would however, prefer an actual firefighter writing the article. It would have more resonance and credibility in my view. I think Hugh would have preferred that as well. He was a huge fan of the guy who actually put his life on the line. I am pretty certain he was no fan of FD politics either. If Im correct he was promoted to First Deputy Fire Commissioner. From Day 1 he felt out of place and made a few comments questioning the integrity of the brass.
    Anyway, if anyone wants to contact me , feel free. themaughan@gmail.com

    If anyone is interested in writing an article like this please have them contact me. I will tell them anything I know as well as point them in the right direction of family members who may know more history.

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