Halligan tools

I highly recommend this bar to anyone who is serious about forcible entry work. This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience. Which cookies and scripts are used and how they impact your visit is specified on the left. You may change your settings at any time. Your choices will not impact your visit. NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using.

Halligan Home Halligan. Made in the U. It is perhaps the most iconic tool when it comes to firefighting. But where did it come from? Why was it developed? Who made it? How have we progressed to our present-day halligans? A lot in the fire service have heard the back story, at least to some degree. This series is broken down into three parts: The history of the halligan from predecessors to the modern Pro-Bar, modern halligan comparisons, and finally the science behind the halligan, and why it works levers and mechanical advantage.

For 43 years, Chief Halligan devoted himself to the fire service, having served in all bureaus of the department and having risen to the rank of deputy chief. A few years after he joined the fire service, the FDNY adopted its first modern pry bar, the claw tool photo 1.

The claw tool was heavy, hard to use, and hard to strike with because of an off-center striking surface. It had a claw on one end and forks on the other. As the story goes in FDNY history, bank robbers set fire to a bank to cover their tracks. During overhaul, firefighters discovered the claw tool. Intrigued by its design and that it could be used to break into a bank, the firefighters adopted it, with replicas began being produced until it was the adopted forcible entry tool for the FDNY.

Some years went by and things changed, as they always do in the fire service. Captain John Kelly of Ladder produced what was called the Kelly tool photo 2. The Kelly tool was shorter, around 24 inches, and made of welded steel. The tool was still very heavy. The Kelly tool got rid of the claw and off-centered striking surface, replacing the claw with the adz. This placed the striking point in line with the shaft of the tool.

The forks end was also replaced with a chisel end. This tool became a go-to for forcible entry, however, many firemen still preferred the claw tool for some specific advantages it had over the Kelly tool. Often both tools would be carried. We even have a version still floating around at my department called the Callahan tool. Many of our old heads still refer to the halligan as a Callahan. Enter Chief Halligan.

Chief Halligan thought he could improve on both these tools. At the time of its creation, a standard Halligan tool was approximately 30 inches long and weighed about 8. The Halligan tool was designed with an eye toward maximum utility, efficiency and speed for the purpose of forcible entry and emergency demolition.

Original Halligan tools are no longer produced, but iterations of it are. Small hydraulic-assisted tools used to gain entry, like the Rabbit tool , are now commonplace. Even as forcible entry tools become more mechanical, firefighters must always know how to use the tried-and-true forcible entry tools, like the Halligan tool, to gain entry should a mechanical device fail. Though the Halligan tool was originally conceived of as a forcible entry tool, its versatility has led to recognition for a range of emergency applications.

In addition to locked doors, the Halligan can be used to open padlocks and break chains. And in particularly difficult forcible entry scenarios, the Halligan can also be used to remove hinge pins or even an entire door. These are only a few examples of scenarios in which a Halligan tool is used, however, its application reaches to almost any instance in which puncturing, lifting, wedging, prying, twisting or pounding may be needed.

Comment below. Laura French is a former editorial assistant for FireRescue1 and EMS1, responsible for curating breaking news and other stories that impact first responders. In a prior role at Forensic Magazine , French was able to combine her interests in journalism, forensics and criminology. You must enable JavaScript in your browser to view and post comments. More Product news. More Product Originals. More Firefighting Tools Articles.

All Distributors.