SOG's for unlocking car doors

[Bootsatcfd]

Does anyone have on file a SOG for unlocking car doors during an emergency situation ?? If so please share or give me a contact number. In process of writing one for our department and need input.

[firemonkey70]

WE DO, HOWEVER IT DEPENDS ON THE SITUATION. WE ONLY RESPOND TO CHILD LOCKED IN VEHICLE CALLS AND THEN IT DEPENDS ON THE SITUATION. WE ARE IN THE SOUTH AND IN THE SUMMER ITS VERY HOT, AND I MEAN VERY, SO CHILD LOCKED IN VEHICLE IS NOW CRITICAL IF THE CAR IS OFF. IF THE CAR IS RUNNING AND AIR RUNNING WE WILL TAKE A FEW EXTRA MINUTES WITH THE UNLOCKING TOOLS. IF WE DONT HAVE ANY LUCK IN ABOUT A MINUTE SMASH IT. IT ALLL DEPENDS ON THE WEATHER THOUGH. WE DONT RESPOND TO KEYS LOCKED IN TOO MUCH LIABILITY. LET THE TOW SERVICE DEAL WITH THEM.

[firemonkey70]

AHHH I SEE YOU ARE A LITTLE MORE SOUTH THAN ME IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION SUCH AS JULY IN THE CAROLINAS WE TAKE ABOUT A MINUTE USING SLIM JIMS AND COMERCIAL ENTRY EQUIPMENT. AFTER THAT GET THE BROOMS CAUSE THE WINDOW IS GONNA GET BROKE!!

[UTFFEMT]

We usually let the police do this in our community. If there is a life safety issue (child locked in a vehicle) no stupid SOG is required. Just break the dang thing and get the children out.

My last job, we did lock outs and just had a release of liability form for property damage the vehicle owner signed prior to us handling their vehicle.

[res7cue]

Real simple SOG in my house;

"We DO NOT perform lock outs!"

If it's dispatched as "person/child locked in a car" then it's not a lock out and we usually take a window out.

[Quint1Medic]

You might want to talk to your local lockout service. In Richmond, there's one ("Pop-A-Lock") that'll come out and unlock your car for free if your kid's inside. We respond to lockouts for the same reason...so far we haven't used them, but it's nice to know they're available if we get stymied. Good PR for them, too.

[firemangeorge]

It's funny this came up today. We went to see a guy in our first in area that owns a recovery service just yesterday. His guys spend all night repo-ing vehicles that are in default. We asked them how they get in. He had his best guy show us the tricks he uses. This guy uses a screw driver, two teflon wedges, and a tool he custom made himself. He walked around the lot and popped the door on every car we asked him to. None took more than thirty seconds. None required any special knowledge. We asked what he made the tool out of and had him trace it on a piece of wrapping paper. He told us which cars we would have to break a window on (like 1999 and newer 700 series Beamers that have a deadbolt in them that cannot be popped) and which ones to watch out for as far as side impact airbags. We went back to the fire house, located a supplier for the material to make the tool, got it, bent it and were popping all of our cardoors by mid afternoon.
Go to your local repo guy and learn how to do this evolution. Then go practice it.
We had to open about a car a week all summer, and it took us ten to fifteen minutes to get some of them. One we broke because the kid was starting to sweat, so our officer said 'take the window'. We had a whole set of Slim Jims but didn't really know how to use them. Tools are useless if you don't know how to use them.
Now we are armed with a new skill that will make us better at our jobs, and provide a service.
It makes your crew look really good if you can get there, get the kid out and do no damage to the vehicle.
I recommend taking the window without trying the tools if the child appears to be having ANY problems. The glass can be replaced. Have one member distract the child to the opposite side of the vehicle to keep glass out of his/her eyes and use a punch or windshield tool to break a side window.
This skill could also be used for pranks on the FNGs...

[LACAPT]

I'm a volly that just happens to be a locksmith. If a child is locked in a vehicle dispatch usually calls me directly by radio and I respond to the location and the fire dept. backs me up just in case I can't open the car. I say I'm a locksmith and do carry some automotive lockout tools but I do arcitectural locksmithing mostly and there is a big diffence between the two, thats why the dept. backs me up . If its a lockout I tell them to call the tow operaters because I am employed by a govt. entity and don't like to take work away from the private sector. If its a child in distress I don't take much time to try and get the lock open before I tell the guys to get out the spring punch. The look of relief on a mothers face when you rescue her child makes the job worth more than getting your name on the run sheet any day.