He
punched a hole in the cover, pulling a hidden control box connected to the
package by a wire harness from the interior.
Retreating to the safety of the ladder, he climbed below the eave to
shield himself, tempted to yell out “fire in the hole.” Pushing the button on the control in his
hand was thrilling. The noise from the
explosion caught the attention of all those nearby. Smoke poured from the opening in the roof, a
perfectly cut rectangle in the shape of the package, not from the explosion, but
from the fire below.
Ventilation
without a saw; what a concept. This
isn’t Bond, Schwarzenegger, Stallone, or Bruce Willis, nor is it a USFA
development project for 2017. This is
technology from the middle of the last century; the Jet Axe.
The
Jet-Axe wasn’t just for ventilation; it could be used for forcible entry as
well. Developed using military style
explosives, and designed to focus the blast in a narrow area, it came into use primarily
in the late 1960s, and out shortly thereafter.
The manufacturer apparently did not account for the explosive contents
becoming unstable over time and bouncing about in ladder truck compartments.
Legend
has it that the problem first reared its head in San Francisco when an
unsuspecting truck company had a new hole where a compartment door previously
resided--a Jet-Axe “operated” while the ladder truck was underway. Word spread quickly, and most were removed
from service promptly.
For
those of an inventive nature, research shows that the trade-mark on the name
expired in 2001 (making it available again) and was last owned by Explosive
Technology, Inc. in Fairfield, California.
Lots of things in the fire service are cyclical in nature; maybe this
will be another...
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