No, this isn't an article about fireground tactics. It's about the underlying muscular strength and endurance required to effectively use forcible-entry tools.

There are several forcible-entry tools and appliances used across the nation by fire departments. Although the advent of the internal combustion engine and powerful batteries has led to a variety of chain, radial and reciprocating saws, there are still significant requirements for the use of human-powered equipment, such as pry bars and sledgehammers.

In fact, axes and sledgehammers are the ultimate friends of the firefighter because they have only one moving part and will always start. The downside of these tools is that their use ranks as the most metabolically demanding, with energy requirements approaching 14 mets. (1 met is the value for resting metabolism.)

When space allows, a mechanical advantage is gained by using long lever arms to pry open locks, hinges and other devices. However, in tight spaces, tools like the Halligan bar are frequently used, and strength becomes a major determinant of success.

Using a saw for ventilation is usually the first choice, but if the saw won't start, firefighters must resort to the fire ax. The repetitive motion of lifting and accelerating the head of the ax can be taxing. Sometimes the ax gets wedged into the wood and has to be extracted with force, adding to the metabolic demands of the task. Obstructions can also interfere with the swing arc, resulting in limited space to optimize the force-velocity benefits of head-speed acceleration.

Pulling ceilings, typically a salvage and overhaul task, is very demanding because it requires that force be directed upward to penetrate the building material and then downward. A large part of the time, the arms are held extended above the shoulder socket. This can be very physically taxing. Since salvage tasks don't have the same urgency as gaining access or ventilation, it makes sense to slow the work pace to accommodate the firefighter performing the task.

Since few of us perform these tasks daily, our capacities can become quite limited. You, acting as "Harry Homeowner," probably experienced your own limits the last time you had to hang wallboard or pound nails in the ceiling. In only a few minutes the pain may have become unbearable, forcing you to stop until a normal feeling returned to your arms and shoulders. Meanwhile, drywall mechanics perform the task of nailing above their heads all day long with little distress. That brings me to my next point: the importance of training.

According to the General Adaption Syndrome, the more we work at a task, the better we become in performing it, assuming that we follow the well-established physical principles of progressive overload. Of course, if we don't continually stress a physiological system, the capacity diminishes, and we lose the training effect. Therefore, time spent using an ax or sledgehammer off the fireground can improve our effectiveness in emergency situations. One way to start is with a pile of wood and an ax.

Chopping wood is an excellent exercise, but replicating the biomechanics without a prop becomes a more complicated matter. There's a lot that you can do with weight stations and resistive training that can add to your general abilities, but there's nothing quite like a high-fidelity version of the real thing.

Here's a drill that can be easily performed with minimal expense:

The sledgehammer is the safest and least skill-dependent tool for forcible-entry/ventilation training. In this drill, the firefighter straddles a railroad tie while standing on two railroad ties that bracket the center tie. The outer ties should be about 15 inches apart. Using an 8-pound sledgehammer, the firefighter strikes the end of the railroad tie, driving it a distance of 5 feet. Accomplishing this task will be difficult at first, but with added "trips" back and forth, the task becomes progressively easier.

When designing your training prop, there are several factors to consider to ensure standardization. The drag or resistance on the beam, and subsequently the force required to perform this task, are determined by the type of surface used. For this reason, you should always use the same location for training.

Second, the weight of railroad ties may vary due to such factors as age, preservative treatment and moisture content. If possible, the ties should be weighed to ensure consistency.

Third, the ties will deteriorate with use, which can make striking them more difficult. Replace the ends when they are no longer serviceable. You can also cap the tie end with a rubber tire to slow deterioration.

This simple and inexpensive training exercise offers great benefits. The improvement curve is very steep and rewarding to everyone who makes an effort. In addition, the accrued benefits are directly related to the performance of on-the-job tasks, and if the skills are practiced regularly, firefighters can maintain their improvements.

There are also commercial training props designed to ensure consistency in measuring improvement, with little or no maintenance requirements. By now, virtually everyone familiar with the Firefighter Combat Challenge has seen the Keiser "Slammer" or Force Machine in action. This training prop provides a consistent, reliable and objective method of determining where you are in terms of upper-body force generation.

Remember, it's not just strength that's operating here. Power is the application of strength with a timed component. The head speed of any forcible-entry tool is what is going to get the job done. The task-specific application of strength applied in the shortest period of time is going to create the maximum impact.

Using baseball as an example, the ability to hit a home run is the combination of hand-eye coordination and bat velocity. There are lots of very strong people who can't and will never be able to hit home runs. But all of us can greatly improve our performance on the fireground by applying the principles of exercise science. There's little hand-eye coordination required to work an ax, but if the action is to have a successful outcome, maximum power is essential.