FDNY Forcible Entry Manual

FDNY Forcible Entry Reference Guide

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The FDNY Forcible Entry reference guide is one of the most comprehensive and useful sources for Fire Service forcible entry techniques. It was compiled a few years ago by Captain John Vigiano (FDNY Ladder 176-Retired) with input from several other veteran FDNY firefighters, including Captain Robert Morris (FDNY Rescue 1).

This guide was developed to hand down techniques and skills developed through the generations, and to highlight techniques that have proven successful for members of one of the busiest fire departments in the world.

We don't all face the same challenges as the men and women who serve in New York. We may not have access to all the same tools, training, or manpower. For these reasons, some of us conclude that lessons learned from the FDNY can't apply to us- and that couldn't be further from the truth.

Here's why: The FDNY and other busy departments have tried dozens of techniques and new tools during thousands of hours of training and hundreds of thousands of fires. Their trial-and-error experience has condensed into a few proven methods to defeat the most common types of forcible entry challenges. Our benefit is that we don't have to "reinvent the wheel" with forcible entry. Padlocks behave the same way on the West Coast, so do Adams-Rite locks and steel roll-up doors.

This reference guide is a great tool for the majority of American firefighters who show up to work facing limited manpower, basic tools and limited training opportunities. When faced with challenges like this, we don't have time for ideas that don't work.