Abstract:
Apparatus for training the art of forcible door entry for emergency personnel such as firefighters and, in particular, a reusable forcible entry door training apparatus that allows individuals to simulate forcible entry of outward opening metal doors mounted in metal frames.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/267,822, filed on Oct. 6, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,419,435, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/391,070, filed on Oct. 7, 2010, the disclosures of which are fully incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to apparatus for training the art of forcible door entry for emergency personnel such as firefighters and, in particular, a reusable forcible entry door training apparatus that allows individuals to simulate forcible entry of outward opening metal doors mounted in metal frames. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In emergency situations, police, firefighters, and other first responders may need to forcibly enter a building or dwelling to gain access in order to save lives. One common method of forcible entry involves forcibly opening a locked door. To master the skill of forcible door entry, one should have a basic knowledge of the types and doors and security devices that may be encountered, as well as knowledge training in the types of tools that may be used for forcible door entry. 
     Emergency Services typically rely on a number of different devices to force entry to a building or vehicle. Prying tools, such as “Halligan” tools and crowbars are common tools used to breach doors and windows. A Halligan is a special tool commonly used by firefighters for prying, twisting, punching, or striking.  FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a conventional “Halligan” tool that is commonly used by firefighters for forcible door entry. The tool  10  includes a claw (or fork)  11 , a blade (wedge)  12  (what is commonly referred to as an ADZ end), and a tapered spike  13 , which is especially useful in quickly forcing open many types of locked doors. Either the ADZ end or fork end of the tool can be used to break through the latch of a swinging door by forcing the tool between the door and door jamb and prying the two apart, striking it with a fiat-head axe, for example. 
     To know how to correctly and efficiently open a locked door in an emergency using a Halligan tool, a person should be trained in the use of the Halligan tool, and then perfect the knowledge by practice. For instance, knowledge of the type of door and its components is important to allow proper placement and use of a forcible entry tool such as a Halligan tool. By way of example, the direction of the door opening (inward or outward opening) and the type and material composition of the door frame (wood, metal) are important factors that dictate the manner in which forcible entry of a locked door should be conducted. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Exemplary embodiments of the invention generally include reusable forcible entry door training apparatus that allow individuals to simulate forcible entry of outward opening metal doors mounted in metal frames. 
     In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, a forcible entry door training apparatus includes a base plate and a rectangular frame mounted to the base plate. The rectangular frame includes a plurality of jamb elements fixedly connected to each other, wherein the plurality of jamb elements include a first vertical side jamb, a second vertical side jamb, a horizontal top jamb and a horizontal bottom jamb. The apparatus also includes a plurality of door stop edges formed disposed along backside edges of each of the plurality of jamb elements, and at least one pair of holding brackets extending between front and backside edges of at least two opposing jamb elements of the frame. The holding brackets serve to retain a portion of a metal door within the rectangular frame when a forcible entry tool is wedged between a side edge of the door and the one of the first and second vertical side jambs of the frame. 
     In other exemplary embodiments of the invention, the holding brackets may extend between the first and second vertical side jambs and/or extend between the top and bottom side jambs. 
     In yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the first and second vertical side jambs are fixedly spaced apart from each other to accommodate a standard door width such as 36 inches, 34 inches, 32 inches, 30 inches or 24 inches. 
     In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the forcible entry door training apparatus further includes a third vertical side jamb which is adjustably mounted between the fixed first and second vertical side jambs. The third vertical side jamb may be removably connected to the top and bottom door stop edges of the top and bottom jambs of the frame, and/or the retaining brackets. The third vertical side jamb can be adjustably mounted in spaced relation to the first vertical side jamb to fit a standard width door of, e.g., 34 inches, 32 inches, 30 inches or 24 inches. 
     In yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the forcible entry training apparatus further includes a side plate element that is removably connected to one of the first and second vertical side jambs to simulate forcible entry of a recessed outward swinging metal door. 
     These and other embodiments, aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, which is to be read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a conventional Halligan forcible entry tool. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic perspective view of a forcible entry door training apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
         FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b  are schematic perspective views of a forcible entry door training apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  schematically depicts a method for using a forcible entry door training apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     In general, apparatus and methods as described herein include training props and methods of using training props to provide realistic simulation of forcible entry techniques on metal doors. More specifically, exemplary embodiments include training props which simulate forcible entry of outward opening metal doors mounted in metal frames in which pieces of standard metal doors are used in conjunction with the training prop and destroyed during use of the training prop in order to produce a realistic training experience. 
     By way of example,  FIG. 2  is a schematic perspective view of a forcible entry training apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The training apparatus  100  comprises a base plate  110 , and a frame  120  mounted to the base plate  110  by mounting elements  105 . The mounting elements have handles  106  to manually maneuver the training apparatus  100 . The base plate  110  is preferably constructed from a heavy gauge steel or metal plate, and has sufficient weight and dimensions to prevent tipping of the frame  120  when forces are exerted during a forcible door entry training procedure. 
     The frame  120  comprises a first vertical side jamb  122 , a second vertical side jamb  124 , a horizontal top jamb  126 , a horizontal bottom jamb  128  and an adjustable vertical side jamb  130 . The jamb elements  122 ,  124 ,  126 ,  128  and  130  may be made from pieces of rectangular tubular steel with a width (e.g., 2 inch tubular steel) that is the same or similar to the thickness of conventional steel doors to be used with the prop. The top jamb  126  is secured (e.g., welded) between the top ends of the vertical jambs  122 ,  124  and the bottom jamb  128  is secured (e.g., welded) between the vertical jambs  122  and  124 , thereby defining a fixed rectangular frame structure. The bottom ends of the vertical jambs  122  and  124  are insertably mounted into the mounting elements  105 . 
     The jamb elements  122 ,  124 ,  126 ,  128  and  130  have respective door stop edges  122 E,  124 E,  126 E,  128 E and  130 E disposed along the backside edges of the jambs. The door stop edges  122 E,  124 E,  126 E,  128 E and  130 E may be formed with strips of ¼ inch steel that are welded along side edges of the rectangular tubular steel pieces forming the jambs. The bottom jamb  128  includes a front side retaining edge  129  disposed along a frontside edge of the jamb  128  opposite the stop edge  128 E on the backside thereof. 
     The apparatus  100  further comprises a first pair of opposing holding brackets  140 / 141  and a second pair of opposing holding brackets  142 / 143 , disposed between the upper and lower jambs  126  and  128 . The frontside brackets  141  and  143  are removable brackets that are removably mounted (e.g., bolted) to the frontside of vertical jambs  122  and  124 . The backside brackets  140  and  142  may be fixedly connected (e.g., welded) to the backside of the vertical jambs  122  and  124 . The first pair of holding brackets  140 / 141  and second pair of holding brackets  142 / 143  serve to retain a portion of a metal door within the frame. The first pair of holding brackets  140 / 141  and second pair of holding brackets  142 / 143  and are preferably constructed from metal of sufficient gauge (such as strips of ¼ inch steel) to withstand repeated stresses from, forces exerted against them during a forcible door entry training simulation. 
     The first pair of holding brackets  140 / 141  and second pair of holding brackets  142 / 143  also serve to secure the adjustable vertical jamb  130  at different locations between the side jambs  122  and  124 , which allows different width metal doors to be used with the prop. For example, each pair of holding brackets  140 / 141  and  142 / 143  comprise a series of holes at positions P 1 , P 2 , P 3  and P 4  along the length thereof through which bolts are passed to facilitate placement of the adjustable vertical jamb  130  at different locations between the side jambs  122  and  124  for use with standard width metal doors. In one exemplary embodiment, pieces of metal doors with standard widths of 24, 30, 32 and 34 inches can be used with the prop by securing the adjustable vertical jamb  130  at positions P 1 , P 2 , P 3  and P 4 , respectively. 
     For instance, as depicted in  FIG. 2 , the adjustable jamb  130  may be secured in place between each pair of holding brackets  140 / 141  and  142 / 143  at position P 3  by passing bolts through the holes formed at points P 3  of holding brackets  140 / 141  and  142 / 143  and corresponding holes formed in the adjustable jamb  130 . In this example, the spacing between inner sides of the jambs  122  and  130  would be sufficient for use with metal doors of standard widths of 32 inches, for example. 
     In one exemplary embodiment, a metal door with a standard width of 36 inches can be directly inserted between the two side jambs  122  and  124  with the adjustable vertical jamb  130  removed. In this regard, the rectangular frame  120  can be made with dimensions such that a fixed distance between the inner sides of vertical jambs  122  and  124  can accommodate standard door widths of 36 inches, or any other standard door widths. In addition, holes may be formed in the stop edges  126 E and  128 E (as shown in  FIG. 2 ) which are aligned to the holes at points P 1 , P 2 , F 3  and P 4  of the brackets. These holes in stop edges  126 E and  128 E are made to align to corresponding holes formed in the top and bottom ends of the vertical jamb  130  so that the ends of the vertical jamb  130  can be bolted to the top and bottom jambs  128  and  128  to secure the adjustable vertical jamb in place at the various positions. 
     Overall, the exemplary training device  100  can be used to simulate forcible entry of an outward left hand or outward right hand opening door. In particular, a portion of a standard width metal door can be inserted within the frame  120  and secured between the side jamb  122  and adjustable jamb  130  (for, e.g., 24, 30, 32 or 34 inch doors), or between the vertical side jambs  122  and  124  directly for a 36 inch width door. This is done by removing the frontside removable brackets  141  and  143 , and inserting a cut length piece of metal door between the respective jambs and then securing the door piece in place in the frame  120  by bolting the front removable brackets  141  and  143  to the respective jambs  122 ,  130  and  124 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates the exemplary training apparatus  100  of  FIG. 2  with a piece of a metal door  300  insertably mounted within the frame between the side jamb  122  and the adjustable vertical jamb  130 . With the door in place, simulation of forcible entry of a left outward swinging metal door can be accomplished by forcing the ADZ end of a Halligan tool, for example, between the door edge and the left jamb  122  and then leverage the Halligan tool to crush the edge of the door to create a sufficient “purchase” or gapping between the left jamb  122  and crushed door edge. 
     By way of example,  FIG. 4  illustrates a crushed edge portion  301  of the metal door  300  that is achieved using this technique. In particular, the crushed edge  301  of the door  300  creates a sufficient purchase exposing the jamb stop edge  122 E. In this instance, the jamb edge  122 E simulates a metallic “door stop” which must be exposed by crushing the edge of the metal door to create a sufficient “purchase” or gapping that would enable one to insert the ADZ end, for example, of the Halligan tool past the jamb edge  122 E around to the backside of the door, as would be required to force open a metallic outward swinging door. 
     Similarly, with the door in place, simulation of forcible entry of a right outward swinging metal door can be accomplished by forcing the ADZ end of a halligan tool, for example, between the door and the right jamb  124  or  130  and then leverage the Halligan tool to crush the edge of the door to create a sufficient “purchase” or gapping that would enable one to insert the ADZ end, for example, of the Halligan tool past the jamb edge  124 E or the jamb edge  130 E (depending on the width of door used) around to the backside of the door. In this instance, the jamb stop edges  124 E or  130 E would simulate a metallic “door stop” which must be exposed by crushing the metal door to properly gap the door as would be required to force open a right metallic outward swinging door. 
     During use, it is intended that the jamb members of the frame  120  and the holding brackets be reused for each forcible door entry training simulation, while portions of metal doors used in the prop are replaced after a number of simulations. Pieces of conventional metal doors are used as consumable products to be replaced as required due to damage suffered during a forcible door entry training simulation. The actual crushing of the metal doors during simulation provide realistic simulation of crushing forces that would be required to forcibly open outward swinging metallic doors. 
       FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b  are schematic views of a forcible entry door training apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention. In  FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b , the training prop is modified to include a side plate element  200  that can be removably connected to the side jamb  122  to simulate forcible entry of a recessed outward swinging metal door that has a side wall (simulated by the plate element  200 ) providing limited space for forcible entry. The plate  200  is attached to the side jamb  122  by inserting the bottom edge of the plate  200  between a lip  115  (see  FIG. 2 ) on the base plate  110  and the mounting member  105 . The plate  200  has a clip element  202  formed on the top thereof which is inserted into the open top portion of the jamb  122  to hold the top of the plate  200  on the jamb  122  while the bottom of the plate  200  is held in place between the lip portion  115  of the base plate  110 . Slots  201  may be formed in the bottom portion of the side plate  200  to provide room for handles  106  that may be formed on the bottom of the mounting element  105 . The plate  200  may be formed from a heavy gauge steel or metal plate having a thickness of, e.g., ¼ inch. The spacing (or gap) between an outside surface of the mounting member  105  and the lip  115  will be made slightly larger than the thickness of the side plate  200  so that the bottom edge of the side plate  200  can be slideably inserted between the mounting member  105  and the lip  115 , while being securely held in position. 
     In addition, although the accompanying Figures depict exemplary training props with horizontal brackets  140 / 141  and  142 / 143 , vertically disposed holding brackets may be employed to secure a piece of metal door within the prop frame  120 . For instance, as depicted in  FIGS. 2 and 3A , vertically aligned bolt holes P 5  and P 6  may be formed through top and bottom jamb members  126  and  128  through which bolts may be passed to secure a vertical frontside bracket (not shown) made of a strip of ¼ inch steel, for example, to the front of the jambs  126  and  128 . For example, when used in this manner, both horizontal front side brackets  141  and  143  would be removed, and one of the frontside brackets  141  or  143  could be connected to the front of the jambs  126  and  128  to provide a vertical frontside bracket. In this instance, a piece of steel door can foe held in place in the frame  120  by the horizontal backside brackets  140  and  142  and the frontside vertical bracket (that extends between bolt, holes P 5  and P 6 ). With the frontside horizontal brackets  141  and  143  removed, the vertical adjustable jamb  130  can be secured in place by bolting the top and bottom ends of the vertical jamb  130  to vertically aligned holes formed in jamb stop edges  126 E and  128 E of the top and bottom jambs  126  and  128 . 
     A frontside vertical holding bracket may be employed when the training apparatus  100  is used to simulate prying open an outwardly swinging metallic door using the ADZ end  12  of the Halligan tool  10  (see  FIG. 1 ). More specifically, after forming a crushed portion  301  of the metal door  300  (as shown in  FIG. 4 ) using techniques as discussed above, a trainee would insert the ADZ end  12  of the Halligan tool  10  past the jamb edge  122 E around the backside of the door  300  and leverage the Halligan tool against the front side of the jamb  122  to outwardly pry open the door  300  to simulate forcibly opening a metallic outward swinging door. In this instance, as the door  300  is pried outwardly away from the side jamb  122 , the door  300  would start to bend at the point along an edge of the vertical frontside bracket that is vertically connected between the upper and lower jambs  126  and  128  between bolt holes P 5  and P 6 . This bending force applied to the door along the edge of the vertical frontside bracket would simulate a force that would be encountered to break a deadbolt or other locking mechanism when forcibly opening an outward swinging metal door. 
     Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may be affected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.