CA2000520A1 - Universal wildfire tool set - Google Patents

Abstract

FIREFIGHTING TOOL SET
ABSTRACT
A set of firefighting tools for use in fighting forest fires and the like in different types of terrain and vegetation. A brightly colored elongate handle of fiber-reinforced synthetic material is equipped with a releasably latching connector, and several different tool heads are attachable to the handle to perform various functions. One head has a pivotably attached shovel blade and is useful as a shovel, as a scraper or as a rake. Also associated with this head is a selectively foldable mixing spoon which may be extended opposite the shovel blade.
Another tool head has oppositely directed axe and grub hoe blades and is useful as an axe, a brush hook, or a grub hoe. Yet a further tool head has several flexible strap-like strips for beating out fires. An extension member of metal pipe is provided to make the handle useful as a staff when traveling on steep and rough terrain. A backpack includes separate pockets for carrying each of the tool heads individually, as well as other pockets for carrying other items needed by a firefighter walking to the locality of a forest fire or the like.

Description

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2 ~ ~ ~. ~ . ~ 0 1 FIREFIGH~ING TOOL SEl~
, Background of the Invention The present invention relates to fighting outdoor fires and particularly to a tool set useful for ` fighting fires in different types of terrain and ~IA vegetation.
~ With increasing movements of U.S. wildfire .r~' firemen from one geographic region to another the need for a better firefighting hand tool has evolved.
. There are three major wildfire regions in ~; North America. These regions are the east, west, and northern wildfire ecosystems. Each region has its own season, and traditional tools and tactics have evolved in each region. Most firefighters brought to one of these regions from another are not already aware of how ''A different these regions are from each other. Coordi-nators moving firefighting crews from one region to ~- another are themselves often unaware of these differences.
Wildfire fighters in eastern hardwood areas generally use a fire rake or council tool. In the eastern pine and grass areas of the south a fire beater ; similar to a rubber mud flap on the end of a wooden pole is often the tool of choice.
In the west, the Pulaski, shovel, and MclccJ
are the dominant hand tools, and surface vegetable I material usually needs to be scraped away to leave a non-flammable fire break.
In the arctic and subarctic ecosystems of ~ Canada and Alaska, burlap bags used as swatters are the -~ main tool in tundra. In black spruce taiga ecosystems long knives are needed to cut down black spruce trees and trim them into swatters which are the main initial ~; 35 attack tools, and Pulaskis are the rule for mop-up work. ~owever, spruce branches are not always ~i available, and a great deal of time and energy can be -!

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- wasted searching for suitable branches, which do not last very long in use, anyway. Additionally, the sharp-edged tool required for cutting such branches can be dangerous to the firefighter.
Particularly in remote or steep terrain it is difficult for a firefighter to have to carry several long-handled tool~, such as different types of axes, rakes, and hoes , to the scene of a fire. Furthermore, it is difficult to keep such tools close at hand for fighting a fire moving through differing types of vegetation and ground cover.
For wildfire fighters to be ready to do their work, they need to have all the necessary tools readily ~,~
available when they are transported to a fire in any type of terrain likely to encountered in the geograph-ical region where they are to be working. In places where heavy layers of grass roots and the like are found, shovels, grub hoes, and scrapers may not be very useful and fire may have to be beaten down to be extinguished. In other situations trees and brush need to be cut to prevent spreading of fire, and a fire-fighter may need an axe to be effective. However, cutting small low brush with an axe usually results in : quick dulling of the axe blade as it encounters dirt and stones on the ground beneath thin branches.
;~ What i~ needed, then, i~ a universal fire ;j~ tool to arm firefighters so that with this one tool ;~1 they will be prepared to fight wildfires in any fire-supporting ecosystem and will be more effective, com-fortable and indeed safer, under a variety of differing , ,~
:~; conditions.
Another aspec. of many previously available ~^~ firefighting tools for fighting fires in wilderness is that they are likely to become snagged on vegetation ~ 35 and cause a firefighter to fall, particularly when the - firefighter is tired and hiking out from the scene of a ,' ~ï fire. Particularly when going down steep inclines :'- ' j .~-1 . . : . ~ . :
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Z0~0~i20 j -3-¦ carrying a shovel, an axe, or a Pulaski a misstep could result in a fall and serious injury. When a fire-fighter attempts to break a fall by reaching backward, carried tool~ may cause cuts, or a fall may result in a S broken arm, sprained wrist, bruises, or serious injuries from edged tools being carried, regardless of guards on the tools.
Wbat is needed, then, is a way for a fire-fighter to carry the necessary tools for effectively fighting a wilderness fire, and to carry safely all of ¦ the tools likely to be needed. It should be possible `! or a fire~ighter to carry the tools necessary to cut trees, branches, and small brush, to dig, scrape, and rake the ground and low-growing vegetation to create a fire line in different types of vegetation and soil, or to beat down flames effectively in grass and low vege-tation. It should also be possible for such tools to be carried conveniently, so that they are not lost or separated from one another and can be carried away from the fire site safely through steep, rough, and heavily vegetated terrain.

Summary of the Invention .,5 The present invention provides a firefighting i 25 tool aystem which overcomes the aforementioned short-comings of the previously available firefighting too}s and answers the need for a way for an individual fire-fighter to carry all of the necessary tools safely to a ~; forest fire. The firefighting tool system according to the present invention utilizes a single elongate handle of strong, durable material, equipped with a selec-tively releaseable, latching, quickly operable connec-; tor for receiving any of four different tool heads which are all portable safely in a convenient backpack, so that a firefighter can arrive on the scene of a fire ~-j with the necessary tools for fighting fires in many different types of flammable vegetation, and in different types of terrain.

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I More particularly, an important aspect of the invention i8 the provision of a tool head resembling an enlarged military entrenching tool, which is releasably attachable to the elongate handle by the connector to be a useful mixlng 8poon or as a shovel with a blade of ample size and a handle of ample length. The shovel blade is pivotable to a perpendicular position in which it is useful also as a scraper or a hoe, and preferably there are notches located at intervals along one I 10 lateral edge of the shovel blade to act as a rake. The Z ~ame head in a preferred embodiment includes a foldable j mixing spoon that is pivotable selectively and can be ~i locked in a position perpendicular to the handle and ¦ opposite the shovel blade.
A further aspect of the present invention is the provision of a combination tool head useful as an axe, a brush hook, or a grub hoe. The combination head is also attachable to the elongate handle by the con-nector, but when detached from the handle it can be carried in a pocket of the backpack where it is safely protected from snagging vegetation and from cutting the firefighter should he fall. The brush hook blade is ~ provided as a concave sharpened edge located in a pro-¦ tected position between the bottom of the axe blade and the handle, 90 that the axe blade is available for chopping larger branches and tree trunks, while the ~¦ brush hook can be used to cut smaller branches without the axe blade edge being dulled by encountering the ground as small branches are cut.
~, 30 Yet another aspect of the invention is the provision of a fire beater tool head including several long narrow strips of tough, flat, flexible material, attached to a handle extension which can be attached to the elongate handle by the connector. The flexible strips of material are heavy enough and wide enough to be swung forcefully to beat down flames and thus extinguish fires in low-growing vegetation such as mosses~ lichens, and grasses.

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1 -5- Z0~0~20 An additional head attachable to the elongate handle in accordance with the invention is a straight metal pipe extension for use as the lower end of a walking staff to be used in climbing through rough terrain, as when walking out of mountainous forest after a fire has been extinguished. Use of this staff ensures that edged tools are removed from the handle and are likely to be stowed in the backpack and unlikely to cause injury.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved multipurpose set of firefighting tools for use in fighting forest fires and the like in different types of terrain and vegetation.
i 15 It is a further ob~ect of the present invention to provide a system of interchangeable tool heads adapted to fit a single strong handle, to enable x a person to arrive on the scene of a fire equipped to fight the fire effectively, regardless of the type of terrain or vegetation, and to facilitate dropping a set of tools by parachute in a compact package.
: It is an important feature of the present invention that it provides a universal handle equipped with a strong connector including a releasable latch for relea9ably attaching a selected one of several dif-ferent firefighting tool heads to the handle for use in fighting forest fires and the like.
~, Another important feature of the present invention is the provision of a combination of the capabilities of a shovel, a scraper, a rake, and apoon in a single tool head which is releasably attachable to the handle of the present invention.
Yet a further feature of the present inven-tion is the provision of a multipurpose fire fighting ~'l 35 tool head useful as an axe, a brush hook, or a grub hoe ¦ when attached selectively to an elongate handleO

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The foregoing and other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunc-tion with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of an elongate handle for a firefighting tool incorporating the .¦ 10 present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of the handle ~hown in FIG. 1, together with a mating , ..j female portion of a releasable latching connector for attaching a tool head to the handle shown.in FIG. 1.
. lS FIG. 3 is an end view taken along the line 3-3, showing the female mating portion of the latching , connector shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a view of.a shovel blade head which : is attachable to the handle shown in FIG. 1 using the . 20 latching connector shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is a sectional side view, taken along .the line 5-5, of a portion of the shovel blade head ; shown in PIG. 4.
:; ~IG. Sa i~ a view ~i~ilar to that of FIG. 5, 25 showing th~ lng ~poonheld in a ~poon position while the ~1 shovel blade i~ ln a folded po~ition. .
? FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 5, .. ~ showing the shovel blade held in a scraping position `~, perpendicular to the handle extension portion of the c 30 shovel blade head shown in FIG. 4.
.~ FIG. 6a i8 a view similar to that of FIG. 6, ~: showing both the~Olsing ~poon and the shovel blade ,~ in storage or non u~e po~ition again~t exten~ion hantle FIG. 7 i~ a side view of a combination head which is attachable to the elongate handle shown in FIG. 1.
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, 1 -7- 20~5Z0 ` FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the combination head shown in FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is a view of a fire beater head which is attachable to the elongate handle shown in FIG. 1.
S FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a portion of the beater head shown in FIG. 9, showing the method of attachment of beater strips to the beater head.
PIG. 11 is a view of a sheet of material defining strips used in the fire beater head.
FIG. 12 is a view of an elongate staff exten~ion head which i5 attachable to the elongate ~:¦ handle ~hown in FIG. 1.
I FIG. 13 is a pictorlal view of a backpack ; including separate pockets designed, respectively, to carry a shovel blade head, a beater head, a combination head, and a staff extension head of a firefighting tool according to the present invention.
~IG. 14 a vie~ of ~lre bru~h attachet to fire beater with two ho~e clamps Detailed Description of the Invention Referring now to the drawings which form a . part of the di w losure, in FIGS. 1 and 2 an elongate handle 10 includes a main body 11 and a smaller diameter end portion 12. A male threaded connector portion 14 defines a cavity in which the smaller '3 25 diameter end portion 12 is rece1ved. The male threaded ¢onnector portion 14 ig attached permanently to the end portion 12 by a layer 15 of a suitablé adhesive such as an epoxy resin and a fastener such as a rivet 16 extending through both the connector portion 14-and the small diameter end portion 12.
The main body 11 of the elongate handle preferably is strong and resilient, having, for -~ example, a fiberglass-reinforced resin core extending . through its entire length, the core being surrounded by - 35 a molded plastic material having an appropriate hard--~1 ness combined with an appropriate resiliency, to permit ^ ' the handle to be gripped firmly, without sliding and .~, . - ; - .
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without transmission of excessive amXou~n~5O~ vibratlon.
¦A tool handle which can serve as a satisfactory main body 11 for the handle 10 is manufactured by the IXL
Group of Bernie, Missouri, and is described in greater detail in United States Patent No. 3,770,033, the dis-closure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
A preferred length 18 of the handle 10, including the length of the male threaded connector portion 14 which forms a portion thereof, is about 35 inches. The 'I10 handle 10 is preferably brightly colored to be highly 1visible and thus unlikely to be lo~t at the site of a fire.
The male threaded connector portion 14 iincludes a spring-biased plunger 20, located within a cavity defined in the male threaded connector portion 14 and protruding radially from the male threaded con-, nector portion 14 under the influence of the compres-sion spring 22. The plunger 20 serves as a detent to retain the male threaded connector portion 14 in a fully mated position with respect to a female threaded ; connector portion 24 by extending outwardly through a corresponding bore 26 defined in the female connector portion.
Preferably, the male and female connector ~ 25 portions 14 and 24 define mating coarse helical threads ,1 .such as a modified Acme thread having a pitch ~ of at least 1~4 inch and preferably approximately 1/2 inch, and a radial thread depth of about 1/16 inch. The threaded connector portions 14 and 24 can thus be mated ~ 30 and separated with a relatively small number of turns -q of the screw threaded portions, yet the length 28 of the mated portions of the male and female threaded por-tions 14 and 24 is great enough for the connector to carry the loads to which it will be subjected during ~ 35 use of the tool of the inventlon.

~ ' _9_ 2~20 ~¦ - As may be seen in FIGS. 4, 5, Sa, 6 and 6a, a shovel head 30 attachable to the handle 10 includes an elongate handle extension 32, preferably of steel ~:~ pipe welded to a female connector port~on 24. The S handle extension has a length 34 of about 14 inches, ~: between a female threaded connector portion 24 and a pivot axis 40 extending transversely of the handle extension 32. A shovel blade 42 is connected pivotably . to the handle extension 32 by a pair of parallel ears 10 44 extending from a mounting plate 46 fastened to the shovel blade 42 by fasteners such as rivets 48. The ¦ ears 44 extend parallel with one another on opposite ~ sides of a bar S0, part of the handle extension 32, and .' a fastenet such as a rivet 52 extends along the pivot i.3 15 axis 40, through respective bores defined in each of ;~ the ears 44 and the bar S0.
.~ The shovel blade 42 can be rotated with ~, respect to the handle extension 32, except when it is . held in a particular position by a retainer collar , 20 54, which is mounted in threaded engagement with an . exterior thread 56 on the handle extension 32. A heavy .~ washer 58 is ~lidable along the bar 50 between the : retainer collar 54 and the ears 44, so that when the retainer collar 54 urges the washer 58 into contact with the flat faces 60, 62, or 64 o the ears 44 the ; shovel blade 42 is prevented from pivoting about the .` pivot axis 40 with respect to the handle extension 32.
i? Thus, the shovel blade can be held in a first, or Y shovel, position extending in line with and away from .~ 30 the handle.extension 32 as shown in FIGS. 4 and S, when :~ the washer 58 is held against the flat surfaces 60 by .~ the retainer collar 54. In this position of the shovel blade 42, a pair of lateral edges 66 of the shovel blade 42 which are parallel with each other and perpen-35 dicular to a rear edge 68 of the shovel blade 42, are 1 generally ~¦~d with the handle extension 32~ ~pp~o~_ ~a tc ly 20---2f as s~ in f I G~ S~
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-10- Z(~a~i20 As shown in FIG. 6, when the retainer collar ' 54 holds the washer S8 in a position in contact with Jl the flat faces 62 of the ear~ 44, the shovel blade 42 and its lateral edges 66 extend substantially perpen-dicular to the handle extension 32. With the shovel blade 42 thus extending laterally, the shovel blade is useable as a scraper or rake, with teeth separated by notches 70 defined in at least one of the lateral edges - 66. In one embodiment of the tool each of the notches i.
has a depth 72 of about 3/4 inch and a width of about 1 l inch, while the notches are separated from one another ¦ by a notch interval 74 of about 2 inches, and the j lateral edge 66 and the notches are sharpened to assist in cutting and scarping vegetation.
j 15 In a preferred embodiment of the invention `~l the shovel blade 42 has a width 76 of about eight a~d ~ inches, and a length 78 of about 1~ inches. The width !~ gives a better ability than a rake to move loose leaves and similar materials.
The shovel blade 42 can be rotated between the shovel position shown in FIG. 5 and the scraper or rake pos~tion shown in FIG. 6 when the collar 54 is ~¦ unscrewed along the thread 56 away from the ears 44.
;; Additionally, the shovel blade 42 can be folded ~! 25 further, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 6, to place the shovel blade 42 alongside the handle extension 32, ;l with the lateral edges 66 of the blade parallel with : the handle extension 32, to reduce the overall length of the shovel blade head 30 for greater convenience in - 30 carrying it when it is not being used.
~1 A~ ~ay also be seen in FIGS. 4, 5, 5a, 6 and 6a, a mising spoon 61, preferably having a length 59 of ~ about 7-1/2 inche~, is also attached pivotably to the : handle extension 32 by the rivet 52, which extends through a pair of ears 63. Themi~ing ~poon 61, including the ears 63, may be of an appropriately shaped plate of steel providing a pair of longitudinal stiffening ribs : ~, ,. .

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65, giving the ~poon 61 sufficient strength for use in mixing embers and soil to extinguish a fire, particu-larly around the roots of trees. TheDIixing Apoon 61~
like the shovel blade 42, may be held alongside the handle extension 32, as shown in FIG. 6, by use of the collar 54 to hold the washer 58 against flat faces 67.
The~lsing ~poon 61 may also be held in an outwardly directed pick position, extending away from the handle extension 32 as shown in FIG. 5a, by holding the washer 58 against flat faces 69 of the ears 63. Both the ~hovel blade 42 and the ~ixing ~poon 61 can be held in ~ alongside hantle extension 32 a~ shown in FIG 6a. This can be placed :1 in the ~hovel guard pouch while in thi~ configuration, as shown in FIG 13 for compact storage and safe travel over difficult terrain A combination head 80, shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, has a bottom 82 to which a female connector portion ., ~a 24 is attached fixedly, as by welding. The combination . head 80, like the shovel head 30 can be attached remov-ably to the elongate handle 10 by means of the female connector portion 24.
The combination head 80 includes an axe blade portion 84 having a sharpened edge 86 which extends in the same plane with and generally parallel with the female connector portion 24. The edge 86 is directed '- away from the female connector portion 24, and is best i3 used for chopping larger materials such as tree limbs `l and large rots. Extending in the opposite direction ~¦ from the axe blade portion 84 is a grub hoe blade por-tion 88. The grub hoe blade 88 lies generally in a plane perpendicular to the length of the female connec-tor section 24 and has a sharpened edge 90 which lies in the same place and extends generally perpendicular ` to the length of the female connector 24 and the handle ~i~ 35 10. As may be seen in FIG. 8, the grub hoe blade por-tion 88 has a width 92, which, in a preferred embodi-ment of the invention, is approximately 3 inches. The . `~

grub hoe is best used for trenching, grubbing rocks and dirt away from roots, and clearing tough ground cover down to mineral soil.
Lying substantially in the same plane as the S edge 86 of the axe blade portion 84, and located on the bottom 82 of the axe head portion 84, is a sharpened brush hook edge 94 in the shape of a concave curve.
The brush hook edge 94 is exposed downwardly along the handle lO when the combination head 80 is attached to the handle lO w$th the threaded connector portions 14 and 24 mated. As a result, branches and brush can be cut by being hooked with the sharpened brush hook edge 94 and then pulling the handle lO during use of the : combination head 80. Thus, the combination head 80 can lS be used as an axe, making use of its sharpened edge 86, or as a grub hoe, making use of its grub hoe blade 88, and additionally may be used as a brush hook by using the brush hook edge 94 to cut small branches and thus ~, avoid the dulling of the sharpened edge 86 of the axe blade 84 which ordinarily would result from cutting into small branches and sticks lying on the ground with sharpened edge 86 of the axe blade.
A fire beater head 98 shown in FIG. 9 ; includes a female connector portion 24 and a handle extension portion lO0 which together have a length 102 of about li inches, in a preferred embodiment of the ~- invention. A ~ cJ diameter terminal portion l2a of handle extension lO0 (FIG. lO) 1 serves as a safety stop or lock ~:~ feature. A plurallty of strap-like narrow elongate flat sheet strips . 30 -~ 108 of flexible material are fa~tenet to the terminal portion of the handle extension 100 by a clamp 110. For example, af~er flexible ~3 material is rolled onto end of handle extenYion, a hose clamp 110encircles flexible material behind flared terminal 128, and ls tightened to form fire beater head 98, Fig. 9 and 10 :3 , .j -'1 .~ ' ¦ Preferably, as shown in FIG. 11, the strips 108 are formed by parallel cuts 112 defined in a sheet 114 of fabric-reinforced synthetic rubber, such as a two-ply fabric-reinforced neoprene material. Such S material is durable enough to be used for several hours work of beating out fires in grassroots, moss, lichens, tundra vegetation, or other vegetation which i5 too tough to be scraped awway efficiently in fighting wild-fire. Preferably, the cuts 112 extend to an imaginary line 115 defining a marginal portion 116 about ~ inches wide. Each of the strips 108 has a length 118 which is preferably about ZL inches, leaving the marginal por-tion 116 to be wrapped around the reduced diameter ~, portion 128 of the terminal portion of the handle extension 100. While the strips 108 would be func-tional with a length as short as 12 inches, a greater length performs better and allows for some gradual loss of length during use. Greater length allows the strips to wrap about and conform better to the shape of burning material to exclude air and extinguish the fire. It has been found that the beater head performs well when each of the strips 108 has a width 120 of about ~ inch and a thickness 122 of about 1~8 inch.
A staff extension 124, shown in FIG. 12, includes a female connector portion 24, and preferably ¦ has an overall leng~th 126 of about lg inches, including the length of the female connector portion 24, so that when the staff extension 124 is mated with the elongate handle 10 a staff of approximately 4 feet in overall -^-~ 30 length is created. The staff extension 124, beyond the female connector portion 24, is preferably of light-weight, high strength metal pipe, such as chrome-molybdenum steel pipe which is very strong for its weight and able to withstand the r-igors of use as the working end of a staff to support a firefighter's weight as he leans on the staff to maintain or regain balance lost by slipping during work on steep terrain.

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E~referably, a plug 12a c105 9 the bottom en~i of the staff extension 124. The staff created by attachment of the staff extension member 124 to the handle 10 may be used by a per30n walking down a steep hill, for example, by holding it extending rearwardly behind him.
The person can lean back on the staff to gain its sup-port and thus avoid a fall, or to obtain the benefit of additional drag to avoid going downhill too fast. It is also useful to locate deep holes and as a support, when crossing rivers.
As an alternative embodiment of the staff extension member 124, a portion of its side surfaces ne~r its bottom end can be provided with indentations and surface roughening so as to provide a satisfactory seat for the sheet 114, defining strips 108 of the fire beater head 98, to be attached to the staff extension member 124. The sheet 114 can then be attached to the staff extension 124 by a clamp similar to the clamp 110.
Referring next to FIG. 13, a backpack 130 ~r 20 includes a pocket 132 for holding the shovel blade head 30. Additionally provided are a pocket 134 for holding the combination head 80, a pocket 136 for holding the fire beater head 98, and a pocket 138 for holding the staff extension head 124 on the outside of the main storage compartment 140 of the backpack. Storage is thus provided in the backpack 130 for all of the interchangeable heads attachable to the handle 10, so that a firefighter has available each of the different `1 types of firefighting tool heads provided by the present invention, with each of the heads held in a safe position out of the way of being caught during movement through a brush-covered or otherwise heavily vegetated region on foot. Clothing carried in the main storage compartment 140 will act as padding to protect the user from being bruised by falling back onto the backpack while the tool heads are being carried. All of the tool heads are carried to and frorn a fire in ., .

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Referring next to Fig. 14 shows wire brush 150 attached to 1 to fire beater attachment by two clamps 110. One of the main problem~ with arctic taiga fire is that after the flames are beat out, sparks often survive, hidten and smoldering deep in the moss.
rhese often survive till the next day. On exten~ive perimeters only a few lnitlal attack fire fighters wlll have trouble holding the fire when those ~moltering hot spots want to turn a8ain into open flame.
We have fount, simply dragging the wire brush along the edge of the black line (where the burnet moss and unburnet mosses meet), ;r, ' that the wlre brush will tear open those hiting pockets of smoldering ., 2a heat ant expose them to cooling. Areas left unbrushed will often e~upt back into open flame~when humidities drop and wints rlse.
This 18 a ma~or change in tactics for taiga fires. It is usually not necessary for tuntra or temperate grasslants. Tuntra on try ritgetop~ will neet black line tragged however. Tuntra ln low ~ ~ S lants usually toes not need this unless unusually trought stricken.

.~ I The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, ~ and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and t . :',' 3D expressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.
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Claims (23)

1. A firefighting tool comprising:
(a) an elongate handle;
(b) a plurality of different interchangeable heads including a cutting head and a fire beater head; and (c) selectively releaseable connector means for attaching a selected one of said heads to said elongate handle.

2. A firefighting tool, comprising:
(a) an elongate handle;
(b) a combination head including an axe-like edge and an oppositely directed grub hoe blade; and (c) selectively releaseable latching connection means for attaching said combination head to said handle.

3. The firefighting tool of claim 2 wherein said handle is constructed of fiber-reinforced synthetic material.

4. The firefighting tool of claim 2 wherein said handle is of a bright highly visible color.

5. The tool of claim 2, further including a shovel head including a shovel blade, said shovel head being interchangeably attachable to said elongate handle by said latching connection means in place of said combination head.

6. The tool of claim 5 wherein said shovel blade defines a rear edge and has a pair of opposite lateral edges extending generally parallel with one another and generally perpendicular to said rear edge, at least one of said lateral edges defining a plurality of notches therein, said notches each having a depth and being separated from one another by a distance at least about equal to said depth.

7. The tool of claim 6 wherein said shovel head includes an elongate handle extension and attach-ment means defining a pivot axis extending transversely with respect to the length of said handle extension and generally parallel with said rear edge of said shovel blade, for releaseably holding said shovel blade in a selected one of a shovel position in which said blade extends away from said handle extension and said lateral edges extend generally angled 20°-25° with said handle extension, and a scraper position in which said lateral edges extend substantially perpendicular to said handle extension, said shovel blade being pivot-able about said pivot axis between said shovel position and said scraper position.

8. The firefighting tool of claim 7 wherein said shovel blade is pivotable further about said pivot axis from said scraper position to a third position in which said shovel blade extends alongside a portion of said handle extension and said lateral edges extend substantially parallel with said handle extension. For safe, compact storage and transport

9. The firefighting tool of claim 5 wherein said shovel head further includes an elongate handle extension and a mixing spoon and attachment means defin-ing a pivot axis extending transversely with respect to the length of said handle extension, for selectively holding said mixing spoon in a selected one of a mix-spoon position extending generally perpendicularly away from said handle extension, and a stowed position extending generally alongside a portion of said handle extension.

10. The firefighting tool of claim 2, further including a beater head interchangeably attachable to said elongate handle by said latching connection means in place of said combination head.

11. The firefighting tool of claim 10 wherein said beater head includes a handle extension having a terminal portion, and a plurality of elongate flexible strips of sheet material, a first end of each of said strips being attached to said handle extension proximate said terminal portion thereof.

12. The firefighting tool of claim 2, further including an elongate rigid staff extension interchangeably attachable to said elongate handle by said latching connection means in place of said combination head.

13. The firefighting tool of claim 12 wherein said staff extension is of lightweight high strength metal pipe construction.

14. The firefighting tool of claim 12 wherein said combination of elongate handle and said staff extension when attached to said elongate handle by said latching connection means has a total length of at least about 4.5 feet.

15. The firefighting tool of claim 2 wherein said latching connection means includes mating helically threaded portions on said elongate handle and said combination head, and detent means for preventing undesired rotation of said threaded portions relative to one another when said threaded portions are fully mated with one another.

16. The firefighting tool of claim 15 wherein said helically threaded portions define a coarse thread having a pitch of at least about 1/4 inch.

17. A firefighting tool, comprising:
(a) an elongate handle;
(b) a combination head attached to an end of said elongate handle, said combination head including:
(i) an axe blade portion having a bottom and extending in a first direction and having a convexly arcuate sharpened axe edge directed away from and extending generally parallel with said handle;
(ii) a grub hoe blade extending oppositely from said first direc-tion and having a sharpened grub edge located in a plane substan-tially perpendicular to the length of said handle, said grub edge extending generally perpendicular to the length of said handle; and (iii) a sharpened concavely arcuate brush hook edge located on said bottom of said axe blade, said brush hook edge extending generally away from said handle and being located substantially in a plane including said handle and said sharpened edge of said axe blade.

18. A firefighting tool, comprising:
(a) an elongate handle having a pair of opposite ends; and (b) a beater head including a plurality of elongate flexible strips of sheet material each having a length of at least about 12 inches, a first end of each of said strips being attached to said handle proximate an end thereof.

19. The firefighting tool of claim 18 wherein said handle has a terminal portion and said elongate strips are defined by a plurality of separate generally parallel cuts in a sheet of material having a marginal portion, at least a majority of said plurality of cuts extending approximately to an imaginary line defining said marginal portion of said sheet of material and said marginal portion being wrapped about and fastened to said terminal portion of said handle.

20. The firefighting tool of claim 19 wherein said handle includes a main body and a terminal portion which includes a reduced diameter portion and a stop portion located on said reduced diameter portion, said marginal portion of said sheet material being clamped to said reduced diameter portion between said stop portion and said main body of said handle.

21. A firefighting tool, comprising:
(a) an elongate handle having a length;
(b) a shovel blade defining a rear edge and having a pair of opposite lateral edges, at least one of said lateral edges defining a plurality of notches therein;
and (c) shovel blade attachment means defining a pivot axis extending transversely with respect to the length of said handle and generally 20°-25°angle with said rear edge of said shovel blade, for releaseably holding said shovel blade in a selected one of a first position in which said shovel blade extends away from said handle and said lateral edges extend .alpha.
generally 20°-25°angle with said handle, and a second position in which said lateral edges extend substantially perpendicular to said handle, said shovel blade being pivotable about said pivot axis between said first and second positions.

22. The firefighting tool of claim 21, further including a mixing spoon and mixing spoon attachment means associated with said shovel blade attachment means, for selectively holding said mixing spoon in either one of a pick position extending away from said handle or a stowed position extending generally alongside said handle.

23. A firefighting tool kit for use by forest firefighters, comprising:
(a) an elongate handles (b) a combination head including an axe-like edge and an oppositely directed grub hoe blade;
(c) selectively releaseable latching connection means for attaching said combination head to said elongate handle;
(d) a shovel head interchangeably attachable to said elongate handle by said latching connection means in place of said combination head;

(e) a beater head interchangeably attachable to said elongate handle by said latching connection means in place of said combination head;
(f) an elongate rigid staff extension member interchangeably attachable to said elongate handle by said latching connec-tion means in place of said combination head; and (g) a backpack including a plurality of separate pockets for holding, respec-tively, said combination head, said shovel blade head, said beater head, and said staff extension member.
(h) tool and handle length:
claim 2 axe/grub hoe.......... 37"
claim 7 shovel/fire rake...... 5' claim 10 fire beater.......... 6' claim 12 safety staff......... 4.5' (i) tool durability: with each tool head secured in a vice, all handles will support a 200 pound weight at the mid point of their handle length (j) All parts of said tool system be fire resistent with the exception of part 150 FIG. 14. Due to low cost and ease of replacement it be of no real significance.