Principles of Extrication (1st Edition)
Chapter 4 Terms
Rescue Vehicles & Extrication Equipment
Adze
A chopping tool characterized by a thin, arched blade set at a right angle to the handle.
Air Cascade System
A group of large breathing air cylinders connected and equipped with proper fittings to replenish SCBA cylinders.
Air Lifting Bag
An inflatable envelope-type device that may be inserted between the ground and an object and then inflated to lift the object.
Bar-Screw Jack
A jack used to hold loads under compression.
Block & Tackle
A series of pulley contained within a wood or metal frame used to provide a mechanical advantage for pulling operations.
Cheater Bar
A piece of pipe added to a prying tool to lengthen the handle and provide additional leverage.
Circular Saw
A gas or electrically powered saw whose circular blade rotates at a high speed to produce a cutting action.
Claw Tool
A prying tool with a hook and a fulcrum at one end and a prying blade at the other end.
Clevice
A U-shaped shackle attached with a pin or bolt to the end of a chain.
Come-Along
A manually operated pulling tool that uses a ratchet/pulley arrangement to provide a mechanical advantage.
Cribbing
Varying lengths of hardwood, usually 4x4 inches or larger, used to stabilize objects.
Crow Bar
A prying tool with a blade at either end with one end being curved to provide a mechanical advantage.
Entry Suit
Personal protective equipment that allows the firefighter to make a brief entry directly into the fire area.
Fall Line
Portion of a rope used in a block and tackle system that runs between the standing block and the leading block or the power source.
Folding Screw Jack
Common type of lifting jack in which the frame of the jack is made of metal bars of equal lengths fastened in the center to form Xs.
Gin Pole
A vertical lifting device that consists of a single pole attached to the front or rear of an apparatus and has a pulley at the other end. Guy wires are used to stabilize the pole.
Glazier's Tool
A tool used for removing windows from their mountings.
Halligan Tool
A prying tool with a claw at one end and a spike or point at a right angle to a wedge at the other end.
Kelly Tool
A prying tool similar to a claw tool, but with an adze blade at one end and a forked blade at the other end.
Ladder Cribbing
Pieces of cribbing that have been attached to two lengths of webbing to form the appearance of a ladder.
Leading Block
A pulley or snatch block used to change the direction of the fall line in a block and tackle system.
Lifeline Rope
Rescue rope that meets the requirements set forth in NFPA 1983, Fire Service Life Safety Rope, Harnesses, and Hardware (1985).
Mousing
The process of wrapping a strong piece of twine 8-10 times around the open end of a hook in a block and tackle system to prevent slippage off the intended anchor point.
Non-Lifeline Rope
Rescue rope that does not meet the requirements set forth in NFPA 1983, Fire Service Life Safety Rope, Harnesses, and Hardware (1985).
Panel Cutter
A chisel-like tool used with a mallet or hammer to cut through sheet metal.
Pike Pole
A sharp prong and hook of steel on wood, metal, fiberglass, or plastic handle used for pulling, dragging, or probing.
Pneumatic Tools
Tools that receive their operating energy from compressed air.
Porta-Power
A manually operated hydraulic tool that has been adapted from the auto body business to the rescue service.
Powered Hydraulic Tools
Large rescue tools whose power is provided through a hydraulic power source.
Proximity Suit
Personal protective equipment with a reflective exterior that allows a firefighter to make a closer approach (but not to enter) to a fire.
Ratchet-Lever Jack
A type of lifting jack that uses the principles of leverage to operate.
Running Block
The block attached to the load being moved in a block and tackle system.
Slip Hook
A hook used on a chain that is designed to be fastened by slipping it over a link in the chain.
Stabilizer
Device used to stabilize rescue vehicles when operating a hydraulic lifting boom, gin pole, or A-frame. Also called outriggers.
Standing Block
A block attached to a solid support and from which the fall line leads in a block and tackle system.
Tag Line
Non-load bearing rope attached to an object to help steer it in a desired direction.
Winch
A pulling tool consisting of a length of steel chain or cable wrapped around a motor-driven drum.