Members of Abingdon Volunteer Fire and Rescue conducted training Monday night in covered forcible entry and roof ventilation. AVFR firefighters used specialized tools at the forcible entry station to remove locks from commercial doors, bust padlocks and force inward and outward swinging doors. The roof ventilation prop allowed firefighters to use a vent saw (chain saw with a “bullet” chain and depth limiter) to cut holes in a roof. When a hole is made in the roof at a structure fire, the smoke and gases escape. Venting the roof makes it easier for firefighters to see and find the source of the fire, and it also reduces the possibilities of backdraft and flashover. Above, AVFR members Ben Gibbs, at left, Ed Ortiz and Drew Luellen, kneeling, try their hand at the forcible entry station.
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