Removing a Door from it's Frame and Hinges

This is a quick and simple technique that can be used to remove a SOLID or HOLLOW core WOOD door from it's frame and hinges. Even if the frame holding the door is metal this technique will still work as the force applied pulls out the screws connected to the door and not the frame. There are 3 main reasons why a Firefighter would implement this procedure:

1. When a door is in your way causing operational or safety issues and you don't have anything available to chock or hold it open.

2. When you need to quickly cover a hole in a floor or provide additional surface padding for a below grade rescue. This would only be advisable when the floor sheathing has burned away and the structural supports are still intact and strong enough to support multiple Firefighters - YOU SHOULD NEVER COMMIT ANY PERSONNEL ABOVE OR BELOW A COMPROMISED AREA THAT IS SUPPORTED BY LIGHT WEIGHT CONSTRUCTION OR STANDARD CONSTRUCTION THAT HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY WEAKENED.

3. When you complete a wall breach in an attempt to escape an advancing fire and find yourself in another room where the procedure has to be repeated - Something should be placed in front of the opening you just made to slow down the fire from extending to the room you're currently in. A table, desk, chair, couch or DOOR can act as a temporary fire stop buying you additional time to find or create another egress.

Train, Be Prepared, Stay Safe - SURVIVE!

Dale G. Pekel

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Comment by Jeff Patterson on June 25, 2010 at 12:25pm: Thank you for the quick response. Keep up the good work and be safe.

Comment by DALE G. PEKEL on June 25, 2010 at 8:49am: Hello Jeff,

We have tried it on metal doors with metal frames and it's not nearly as effective - In most cases it didn't work at all - It all depends on the quality and condition of the door. We had a couple of doors where we were able to pull the inside metal edge off the door where the hinges connected to, but the screws held - This was with using a 30" Probar and the door wasn't high quality. Even than it took a lot of effort.

Higher end WOOD doors in either a wood or metal frame can also prove to be a challenge depending on the length of the screws and the tool used. The Probar was the most effective due to the strength of the metal shaft and the overall leverage that the tool provides as compared to an axe.

Hope this helps,
Dale

Comment by Jeff Patterson on June 25, 2010 at 7:36am: Dale, What success have you had with doors other than wooden doors? Have you tried this with interior commercial (metal) doors?