Forcing "Bilco" cellar doors

[chrisdurkin44]

What procedures do you guys use for gaining forcible entry through the traditional "Bilco" cellar doors? Specifically, when the doors are locked from the inside and/or outside?

[quint1officer]

For just the bilco, usually the saw gets used. One good cut, right on the center by the lock. Hopefully you get the locking bar. We find a lot of them locally have a standard steel door at the bottom as well, thats usually harder to force than the bilco. Check out this month's fire engineering, they did a great article with pics.

[doughesson]

What is the consensus on prying out the hinge pins?I know that I never saw that during my forcible entry class last year but if you can't get the lock or lock bar and it's a metal door that can't be easily cut,it seems like at least an option.

[ves9102]

There was just a great article written in Fire Engineering on this.

[MEck51]

I thought it was a great article myself. Until it got to the part about prying the doors off the foundation. My thought is if you have exhausted the other options, instead of taking the time to pry the whole thing off, just use the saw and cut both doors wide open. You already have it with you if you are following the methods described in the rest of the article. Just seems like a lot of work to pry the assembly off when you can cut an opening instead. Other wise though as stated a good article.

[jonnyirons2]

pry it up on the sides with a halligan if you cant get it with a saw, or have no saw available. If you cant do it that way cause its welded then you have to get a saw with Aluminum Oxide blade.