Archive for the 'Fire/Rescue' Category
Thursday, March 20th, 2008
Pure oxygen is awesome stuff — combine it with with a fuel source, and it can produce a brilliant flame capable of burning through nearly anything. The traditional fuel source for Oxy-Metal cutting has been compressed acetylene; but now Petrogen offers a cutting system that uses regular gasoline.
Their gasoline cutting torch outperforms its acetylene cousin in several ways, and especially in fuel cost savings. Two and a half gallons of regular pump gas can do the work of approximately 250 cubic feet of acetylene, offering greater portability as well as significant savings — even with increasing gas prices.
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Posted in Demolition, Fire/Rescue, Metalworking | 4 Comments »
Monday, March 10th, 2008
L.C. Miller’s air-powered hacksaw, the Tigair, offers all the quick-cutting convenience of a reciprocating saw, without some of the recip saw’s shortcomings. For instance, it won’t get damaged if it bogs down; it makes fine burr-free cuts with a common hacksaw blade; and you can even operate it underwater or in flammable environments.
At about 2″ wide, 6″ tall, and 16″ long, the Tigair packs a lot of power in a small package – it runs at speeds up to 1,200 spm. It cuts with standard high-speed hacksaw blades or modified reciprocating saw blades, and it weighs about 5-1/2 lbs, so you can maneuver it easily, even one-handed. The Tigair requires 6-1/2 cfm at about 90psi, so you can power it with a moderately sized air compressor. L.C. Miller doesn’t list a price, but if you’re interested you can request a quote.
The Tigair [L.C. Miller]
Posted in Fire/Rescue, Pneumatics, Saws | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
Spend anytime in your shop and you’re bound to get splinters. A good pair of gloves can reduce the likelihood, but splinters are still an inevitability. If you pick at the splinter with some crappy tweezers and a sewing needle, you’re probably going to do more damage than the splinter would have done if you’d just left it alone. Why not buy the right tools for the job? For $20 you can add a splinter removal kit to your first aid kit.
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Posted in Accessories, Fire/Rescue | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
Sometimes a great invention fails to hit it big simply because the financial circumstances aren’t just right — the Firelight Safety Switch is one of those potential innovations waiting in financial limbo. When a small fire filled his son’s house with smoke, Tony Abuiso came over to assess the damage, and the idea hit him: a switch that could “hear” a smoke detector’s alarm and then turn on a light or activate an exhaust fan.
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Posted in Fire/Rescue, Safety | 8 Comments »
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
Holding a door open doesn’t seem like such a big deal, until you realize that, for a firefighter, a pinched hose or blocked escape route can mean the difference between life and death. And firefighters would rather prop a door open than chop it off its hinges — it’s faster and easier! I was struck by the number and variety of doorstops offered at TheFireStore.com.
Clockwise from upper left:
The Open Door Inc Wedge-It [The Fire Store]
Via Amazon
[What's This?]
Large Rubber Door Wedge [The Fire Store]
Hingelock Door Chock [The Fire Store]
GloWedge [The Fire Store]
Hingestar Door Prop (not pictured) [The Fire Store]
Posted in Fire/Rescue | 2 Comments »
Monday, January 14th, 2008
Does your multi-tool have an adjustable hydrant wrench? How about a non-sparking hammer, or a gas valve shut-off tool? Next time you need a spanner wrench or a sturdy pry blade, you’ll wish you had the EMI 511 Tool on your belt.
Just over a foot long and weighing one lb, this special-purpose tool will normally set you back about $50, but the Fire Store sells it for $30.
EMI 511 Fire/Rescue Tool [Lab Safety Supply]
EMI 511 Fire/Rescue Tool [The Fire Store]
Posted in Fire/Rescue, Multi-tools | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, January 9th, 2008
With the right attachment, Paratech’s Airgun 40SC can punch through concrete, smash locks, and cut through metal at a rate of 600 blows/minute. That’s pretty damn cool. But what’s even cooler? It’s portable – perfect for forced entry in firefighting.
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Posted in Air Tools, Demolition, Fire/Rescue, It's Just Cool, Pneumatics | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, December 4th, 2007
Sometimes a traditional knife just isn’t the right tool for the job. For example, I’ve broken knives while trying to use them as pry bars, and many workplaces limit the kinds of pocket knives you can carry or ban them entirely. Wilson Tactical’s “Cop Tool” is a stout multipurpose blade meant for police and rescue personal — that also happens to be perfect for anyone seeking a tough not-a-knife tool.
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Posted in Fire/Rescue, Knives | 13 Comments »
Saturday, November 3rd, 2007
There’s no question that Hurst’s Jaws Of Life lives up to it’s name. But what if you don’t have them — or don’t have access to the hydraulic pressure required to make them operate? Defense contractor Hi-Shear developed the Lifeshear to provide a mechanically simple, lightweight, pyrotechnic extraction tool to supplement these larger, heavier options like the ‘Jaws.
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Posted in Fire/Rescue, Safety | 4 Comments »
Friday, October 26th, 2007
Here’s another tool for breaking s#@! from the firefighters’ playbook. It’s called the Rabbit Tool by most, although it’s officially the Hydra-Ram. Whereas many of the other fire and rescue tools we’ve featured require some pretty violent swinging force — or a powerful pneumatic or hydraulic power source — to get the job done, the Rabbit Tool just needs one guy squeezing the handle and the tool together.
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Posted in Break S#!$ Week, Demolition, Fire Hooks Unlimited, Fire/Rescue, Hydraulic, The Fire Store | No Comments »
Friday, October 26th, 2007
Dubbed the KATool by manufacturer Council, its “KA” supposedly stands for Kwik Access — but it could just as easily be Kick Ass. We hear that firefighters love this tool because it’s a classic fast attack tool, allowing you to tear up a wall quickly to check for fire extension, cut wires, clear doors, etc. And we hear they particularly like like the fact that it’s light enough to carry into a fire along with all their other gear.
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Posted in Break S#!$ Week, Council Tool, Demolition, Fire/Rescue, Hand Tools, The Fire Store | No Comments »
Thursday, October 25th, 2007
Like Stephen said in a recent Dealmonger post, firefighters are the kings of breaking s#!$. Here’s another tool from their get-through-the-wall-fast-or-die arsenal: the T-N-T tool. It’s a true five-in-one multi-tool — an axe, a sledge hammer, a pry bar, a ram, and a D-handled pull hook.
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Posted in Break S#!$ Week, Demolition, Fire/Rescue, Hand Tools, T-N-T Tool | 4 Comments »
Saturday, September 29th, 2007
We featured the LifeHammer last month – a plastic safety hammer used to escape a crashed car or truck. Nov8safty also offers the ResQMe, which similarly performs the thask of cutting seat belts and busting auto glass. But unlike the LifeHammer, it’s small enough to fit on a key chain — and inexpensive enough to give away as stocking stuffers.
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Posted in Automotive, Fire/Rescue, Safety | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, September 5th, 2007
Paratech’s Biel tool incorporates a lot of the features found on their larger forced entry tools – which are popular among firefighters – but it’s small enough to carry in your turnout gear. It’s a multi-tool by definition, but it’s designed for forcing open doors, windows, hasps, and locks. It can also be used for chopping through drywall, pulling down lathe and wires, and pretty much any kind of general destruction.
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Posted in Demolition, Fire/Rescue, Hand Tools, Multi-tools, Paratech | No Comments »
