When “Through the Lock” Won’t Work
Tips for forcing entry without the usual tools
Story & Photos by Steve Shupert


Making entry into buildings by using “through the lock” techniques—pulling the lock cylinder and then picking the lock mechanism to unlock the door—is absolutely one of the most effective methods to get inside a commercial building. This invaluable technique has saved many doorframes—not to mention firefighters’ knuckles.

But what do you do when the through-the-lock tools are in another rig, or the lock cylinders are deep inside a metal frame out of reach of the “K” or “A” tool?

In this article, I’ll discuss the two most common styles of commercial doors and alternative forcible entry techniques for them:

1. Commercial door with a top and bottom lock with panic bar; and
2. Commercial door with rotating center latch.

At first glance, they appear the same, but upon closer inspection, you’ll find a very important difference in how they lock.

First, size-up the door and “try before you pry.” Once you’ve determined that you’ll need to force entry, and you’ve identified the type of door, use the strategies discussed below. Remember: Always match the amount of force to the seriousness of the emergency.

Commercial Door with Top/Bottom Lock with Panic Bar
Typically these doors feature a recessed lock cylinder located in the middle of the doorframe, which negates the use of the “K” or “A” tool (Figures 1a and 1b). These doors will also have a push-to-open “panic bar” on the inside (Figure 2). They can be double or single doors.

The top and bottom locks secure themselves in two different ways. The push bar will latch or unlatch itself from pins located at the top and bottom of the doorframe (Figure 3), or the pin is part of the door and the push-bar action pulls it in and out of a hole on the frame. You can anticipate ½"–5/8" penetration of the pins in either configuration, not unlike the depth of a typical residential door lock (Figures 4a, 4b and 4c).

On glass doors of this style, you can just break the glass and operate the panic bar, but there are considerable drawbacks to that strategy: It creates an uncontrollable vent hole, destroys the integrity of the door, creates difficulty in re-securing the building and exposes crews and hoseline to sharp glass fragments. Further, what appears to be glass may be tempered glass or Lexan—too strong to break. If you need to break glass, try a window to the side of the door, and strike in the lower corner.

Instead of breaking the glass on top/bottom locking doors, look for clues that can help you determine the fastest method of forcing entry. In Figure 5, note the polished rub mark on the threshold. This helps identify the door as a top and bottom locker. It also tells us that the door on the left is rarely used and may be secured better than the door on the right. Also inspect the bottom or threshold locking assembly. Often, dirt will collect in it, lessening the depth of the latch/bolt, which makes our job easier (Figures 6a, 6b and 6c). As you “try before you pry,” watch the bottom edge to see if it’s well latched.

After you determine it’s a top/bottom lock, pry the bottom lock first. Note the lock cylinder in the handle pull. Insert the adz as shown in Figures 7a and 7b, and push/pull the Halligan bar, parallel to the door, crushing the threshold and lifting the locking bolt up and out of the latch. Once this bottom lock is free, it’s easier to get the top bolt free using the same technique.

Another option for doors with a push bar is to use a “J” hook (Figure 8). Slip it through a gap in the door assembly near the push bar, hook the push bar and pull it toward you, unlocking the door.

Commercial Door with Rotating Center Latch
Doors that use a rotating center-latch locking device feature a lock slightly higher up on the door (Figure 9), and the interior push bar doesn’t move or operate any latches. Some door manufacturers are recessing the lock cylinder on these doors as well.

When you encounter this type of door, the bolt locking the door is easily broken by getting the adz of your Halligan or ax blade on top of the bolt and striking it downward, springing the lock mechanism and pushing the bolt out of the latch. Place the adz or ax blade as shown in Figures 10a and 10b and strike downward. Three to four well placed blows will knock the bolt free of the latch, rotating it down. This will break the interior mechanism holding the bolt horizontal, driving it downward and out of the latch and unlocking the door.

An alternate method: Use a rotary cut-off saw with a metal cutting blade to cut through the bolt (Figure 11).

A Final Word
Forcing doors is not an exact science. You must be prepared for unique doors that will challenge the usual techniques—doors that lock in both the middle and top/bottom, for example, or lock cylinders set in metal rings that spin when you try to unscrew it. It’s also possible that when forcing top/bottom locking doors with a large glass window, you’ll end up shattering the glass before the bolt clears the latch.

Although you can’t control every circumstance, always take the time to size up the door and the manner in which it locks. After you’ve selected a method for forcing entry that minimizes damage to the doorframe, have a back-up plan ready.

Steve Shupert is a lieutenant with the Miami Township (Ohio) Fire/EMS Department. A 19-year firefighter/paramedic, Shupert works on the second platoon Engine-Rescue Company 48. He is a member of the Ohio Task Force 1, and was Task Force Leader at the World Trade Center and during Hurricane Katrina. He is also a member of the FEMA/USAR Rescue Working Group and was FireRescue magazine’s 2006 Company Officer of the Year.


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