The adze and pick end of a typical Halligan bar.

A Halligan bar (also called a Halligan tool or simply Halligan, in Australia also a Hooligan tool) is a special tool commonly used in the fire and rescue service. Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous Fires that threaten civilian populations and property to rescue people from car accidents collapsed It was designed by and named after Hugh Halligan, a First Deputy Fire Chief in the New York City Fire Department, in 1948, based upon the well known Kelly tool. Fire Chief or Chief Fire Officer is a top executive rank in a Fire department, either elected or appointed The New York City Fire Department or the Fire Department City of New York ( FDNY) has the responsibility for protecting the citizens and property of New York City Not to be confused with K-tool. The Kelly tool is a tool used in Fire and rescue service for Forcible entry and other prying and striking ^[1] The Halligan is a multipurpose tool for prying, twisting, punching, or striking. A crowbar, pry bar, or prybar, more informally a jimmy, jimmy bar, jemmy ( British Isles) or gooseneck is It consists of a claw (or fork), a blade (wedge or adze), and a tapered pick, which is especially useful in quickly forcing open many types of locked doors. Forcible entry is defined by Mirriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law as the unlawful taking of possession of real property by force or threats of force or unlawful entry 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 doorjamb and prying the two apart, striking it with another Halligan, a Denver tool or a flat-head axe. An adze or adz (ædz is a tool used for smoothing rough-cut Wood in hand Woodworking. A door is a panel or barrier usually hinged or sliding that is used to cover an opening in a Wall or partition going into a building or space The TNT Tool (or Denver Tool as it was formerly known is a multi-purpose tool used by firefighters emergency personnel and law enforcement officers to gain Forcible The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape split and cut Wood, Harvest timber, as a Weapon Using a K-tool and the adz end, a lock cylinder can easily be pulled. The K-tool is a tool used by many Fire departments for Forcible entry. There are many other uses of the Halligan tool, including vehicle rescue and opening of walls.

The true Halligan is a forged tool, of one piece construction,available in a number of lengths, and of various materials, including titanium or stainless steel. Titanium (taɪˈteɪniəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Ti and Atomic number 22 In Metallurgy, stainless steel is defined as a Steel Alloy with a minimum of 11 Carrying straps or rings can be found.

A married Halligan bar and flat-head axe.

A Halligan bar and a flathead axe can be joined together (and partially interlocked, head-to-toe) to form what is known as a married set, or set of irons — a particularly useful combination. The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape split and cut Wood, Harvest timber, as a Weapon

They are standard equipment for fire departments from North America to New Zealand, making them possibly the most widely-deployed tool in fire fighting today. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island

Note: The Halligan bar shown to the right is made of multiple pieces of metal that are pinned together at the "mating points". This is not a true Halligan and is what some firefighters call a "hooligan" tool.

References

Additional reading

• Essentials of Fire Fighting; Hall, Richard and Adams, Barbara, Eds. Essentials of Fire Fighting is a fire service training manual produced by Fire Protection Publications (FPP and the International Fire Service Training Association ; 4th Ed. , 1998: Board of Regents, Oklahoma State University. ISBN 0-87939-049-2