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The adze and pick end of a typical Halligan bar.

A Halligan bar (also called a Halligan tool or simply Halligan, is a special tool commonly used in the fire and rescue service. 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 Kelley tool. The Halligan is a multipurpose tool for prying, twisting, punching, or striking. 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. Either the adze 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. Using a K-tool and the adze end, a lock cylinder can easily be pulled. There are many other uses of the Halligan tool, including vehicle rescue and opening of walls.

The Halligan is available in a number of lengths, and of various materials, including titanium or stainless steel, and may be found with replaceable head, handle and fork, and with carrying straps or rings.

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.

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.

• Essentials of Fire Fighting; Hall, Richard and Adams, Barbara, Eds.; 4th Ed., 1998: Board of Regents, Oklahoma State University. ISBN 0-87939-049-2

• All Hands Fire [1]