Clay Magee discusses boarded-up windows and offers some methods and approaches firefighters can use to access them.
It’s 0330 in the morning. The tones go off inside your firehouse. Engine 1, Engine 2, Engine 3, Truck 1, and Battalion 1respond to 124 Anywhere St for a reported house fire. You wake up, run to the truck, throw your bunkers on and you’re on your way. Tonight, you’re riding the outside vent (OV) position, working as part of the outside team on Truck 1. The fire’s in Engine 2’s territory. The truck makes the corner and sees Engine 2 stretching on a single-story house. As you get off the back and grab your halligan and hook you start your size up of the structure. You notice that it has boarded-up windows. The fire appears to be in the rear, so you make your way around to the C side and notice boarded-up windows with pressurized smoke coming around them. You hear the stream of the engine knocking against the wall, and hear the engine boss with the key phrase, “We got water on the fire.” You start moving towards the windows because you know what command’s next order is going to be: “Command to Truck 1 OV, let’s get the building opened up.” You grab your halligan. You’re no slouch. You have a decent idea of levers and mechanical advantage with your tool. You work the adz of the halligan up under the sheet of oriented strand board (OSB) covering the fire room window and start prying. As you start prying, the board stays in place but the area you are working on is falling apart. You move your tool over some and repeat your steps, only to find it continues to fall apart. What have you missed? What do you not know about taking these board-ups? ttps://www.ayainoxfasteners.com/stainless-steel-bolts
Across the country, all any firefighter needs to do is ride around to find vacant properties. Vacant properties come in all shapes, sizes, and conditions. The term “vacant” causes some firefighters to think of derelict buildings; in others, it stirs the passions for debate on search in these buildings. Others think of occupancy status, which for the purposes of this article is what we are addressing. Vacant properties can be well maintained residential or commercial properties, or they can be derelict properties in varying degrees of disarray and decay.
Vacant properties can be found boarded up (Photo 1) not only in the inner city but also in suburbia. Reasons for boarding up include securing vacant properties after being damaged by fire, mitigating the kind of safety concerns associated with derelict buildings, and safeguarding areas that are prone to vandalism or a building that has faced vandalism in the past. Often firefighters think of board-ups and vandalism and vacant houses being an urban problem, but this is not the case. During hard economic times, mortgages are defaulted, banks secure properties from the borrower, and the house may sit vacant for unknown lengths of time. My own house comes to mind: the previous owner defaulted on the loan and the house sat vacant in a nice suburban neighborhood for several years. The windows had been shot out by pellet guns and there was no telling what other damage was done prior to an investment group buying it at auction and restoring it.
When it comes to board-ups, there are two main types I tend to see in my area, and both have their own materials to attach them and methods for us to attack them. I break them up into Non-HUD- and HUD-style board-ups. The sheet of wood for the board up can be OSB or plywood in either, but board-ups meeting HUD requirements will be ½-inch plywood for windows and 5/8-inch plywood for doors. Non-HUD board-ups typically are held in place by screws such as wood screws. HUD-style board ups will be held in place via a pressure bracing system consisting of 2x4s and carriage bolts. HUD requirements include holes being drilled to accept the bolts, the use of 3/8-inch carriage bolts, with 1-inch washers, and secured with a nut on the inside. HUD requirements are very specific with regards to the thickness of the board, the placement and size of the bolt, and the length of the 2×4 bracing on the inside. Sometimes you will encounter HUD-style board ups that do not meet HUD requirements. The concept is the same, but the user did not meet the specifications of HUD (i.e. the owner used OSB instead of plywood).
The biggest mistake that firefighters tend to make when attempting to remove a board-up, especially when using hand tools, is prying at the board itself. If plywood is used, especially sizes greater than ¼-inch, it’s unlikely to come apart easily and can often be pried away. However, often the board used is OSB. The owner will cut the OSB to the width of the outside of the window and screw it to the window frame, or else they may just slap a board up against the wall of the house and screw it to the house itself. (Photo 2) OSB is comprised of small strips of wood that are held together via adhesive. It will come apart the same way it is put together, in pieces, especially after it has been exposed to the elements (rain and snow) and begins breaking down. If the firefighter attempts to start prying against the screws using the adz of the halligan or the end of a hook, the OSB will start to tear apart where the prying is occurring. A simple way to remove these style board-ups is to strike the screws with the blade of an ax or adze of the halligan and shear the screw and remove the board in one piece. (Photo 3 and 4)
Another possible option would be to place the pike of the halligan on the screw head and drive it in through the board. These style board-ups can also be removed via saw, both chain saw and K-12 with a carbide blade. If the board is secured on all four sides, it will be necessary to cut around the edges on all four sides. If the board is only secured on two ends or only the top and bottom, then cuts will only need to made on those sides of the board. It may be possible to cut only one side and pry it towards the side that is still secured using the screws as hinges. When cutting, be careful not to use any more blade or bar than necessary to cut through the wood, as it is possible that the window frame of metal windows, such as casement windows, or window bars, could still be intact behind the board-up. Also, you may find things such as blinds or window curtains still intact behind the board-up. When using a saw with members operating inside the structure, be sure to give a verbal warning over the radio to the location you’re cutting to avoid injuring one of them.
HUD-style board-ups (Photo 5) can have a few different ways that they are attached. They also can be attacked multiple ways, such as with hand tools, a chain saw, and a K-12. The basis of a HUD-style window is a pressure brace that keeps the board in place. OSB or plywood is cut to the size of the window. Holes are drilled through the board and 2x4s. A top and lower 2×4 brace is attached to the back side via carriage bolts. The 2×4 are supposed to have 8 inches of overlap on either side of the window. However, don’t be surprised if these are shorter or longer because of the installers using available materials on site. As the nuts are tightened on the bolt, it pulls the brace tight against the inside wall and the board tight against the outside frame of the window. (Photo 6) Sometimes the 2×4 overlap will be screwed into the wall as well. Although well intentioned, it offers little extra security and is no problem for a skilled and knowledgeable firefighter to finish the window off. Another variation on the HUD-style window is the addition of 2×4 bracing on the front of the window as well, which will require additional work to remove.
Removing a standard HUD window, without the extra outside bracing, is fairly easy. Instead of attacking the board-up itself, we are attacking the carriage bolts. The back of a flat head ax or a maul will make quick work of these board-ups. Strike the head of the carriage bolt repeatedly until you have pushed the head of the carriage bolt through the board. (Photo 7)
You may have to then stick the handle of your ax or the forks of your halligan through the hole you’ve created and finish pushing the interior brace loose. When using saws, it’s more practical to use a K-12 with a metal cutting blade than a chain saw. If a chain saw is being used, cut vertical to the outside of the carriage bolts. (Photo 8)
The bar of the saw must be inserted enough to cut the 2×4 bracing inside. Remember, windows could have window bars, metal windows, blinds, and curtains still intact, which will stop your chain saw in its tracks. (Photo 9)
Another option would be to cut a triangle around each bolt head just through the depth of the board-up. (Photo 10) This will keep you from having to insert the saw far enough to catch the 2×4 bracing.
Once cuts have been made around all bolt heads, the board itself would pull away, leaving the bolts intact through the window, and the arm would fall inside along with the bolts, unless there is still an intact window or anything that would keep them from falling back inside, such as window bars. This method can be time consuming. For this reason, the K-12 is the preferred saw. The heads of the bolt are attacked just like you would the heads of carriage bolts on a drop bar. Make a cut at an angle behind the bolt head, where you will catch the shaft of the bolt and cut it in two. (Photo 11) Once all bolts have been cut, you can remove the board from the window.
HUD-style windows with extra bracing on the outside (Photo 12) can be removed with both hand tools and saws as well, although hand tools require a little extra work. When working alone, the blade of a flat ax can be used to split the outside 2×4 bracing until it has split from around the bolt head. (Photo 13)
I find this method difficult as it requires hand eye coordination, and you must try to strike the same spot repeatedly. If working as a team, the adz of the halligan can be placed on its edge where it forms a point. Place the edge of the adz next to the bolt head and drive it into the 2×4 until it splits. (Photo 14) Another option here is to place the pike of the halligan next to the bolt head and drive the pike in, splitting the wood. Once the outside bracing has been removed, the carriage bolts are then attacked with the back of the flat head ax or maul, just as you would have if there had not been any bracing. If using a saw, the exact same methods apply along with the same concerns when using a chain saw. The methods of attack when using a saw on HUD-style windows with exterior bracing will not differ from board-ups without exterior bracing. Diamond and composite blades will have no problem cutting through the 2×4 bracing to get to the shaft of the bolt.
Two final pieces of advice: first, watch your toes when taking the board. Once the last brace falls, the plywood will most likely fall straight down to the ground. Second, be familiar with the options for removal with hand tools. Murphy’s Law has been known to pop up when using saws.
Sometimes what firefighters are presented with is more than meets the eye. It’s important to have an understanding of how board-ups are applied and what materials are used. Once a firefighter is equipped with the knowledge of what and how, their job will be easier. Preplans and walkthroughs of obvious vacant and boarded-up properties will allow you to find these board-ups prior to the fire. With the knowledge of what is in place, you will be better prepared to make choices when it comes to your tool complement when getting off the truck. Also, props can be constructed for these board-ups for relatively cheap. They can be applied to acquired structures, training buildings, or to a window prop that you may already have, such as those for bailout use. Drilling on the removal via hand tools and saws can be accomplished, allowing younger firefighters the opportunity to get firsthand experience prior to the fire.
Clay Magee is a Lieutenant with Birmingham (AL) Fire and Rescue and a driver with Chelsea Fire and Rescue. Clay began his career with the East Oktibbeha Volunteer Fire Department in 2004. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University and a Masters in Emergency Services Management from Columbia Southern University. He is also an instructor with Magic City Truck Academy.
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