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It it called a hook or pike pole?

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WHAT DO YOU GUYS CALL IT A HOOK OR A PIKE POLE IN YOUR DEPT .

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I use both terms, I tend to use "Hook" when Im talking about a short pike pole.

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I use both terms, I tend to use "Hook"  when Im talking about a short pike pole.

Yea, we call them Pike Poles for the long ones, but the short ones we tend to call closet "hooks"

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So you have different names depending on the size? lol, wouldn't that get confusing since most likely everyone has a different opinion on what a large and small one might be...good question dkbugs

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6 foot or less is a hook and the long guys are BIG HOOKS in my department.

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boston they call em rakes?

love that show on the discovery channel

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I call them whatever. Guess mostly hooks, grab me a 6' hook.

Definately call roof hooks roof hooks being you need to know your getting what your asking for if you didn't grab them. For those who are gonna ask, a roof hook is the solid metal constructed hook that somewhat looks like a pike pole but the head is slightly different that the top isn't pointed its flat and the rear part is down further. The end can have different types of uses, pry bar, water shut off, D handle. It is the hook of choice for FAST/RIT because of its solid steel construction for strength.

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Hooks,  as in " Hook & Ladder Co. "

very well put truckie , im glad some one is thinking back to the old days .

i agree with u all the way , and just my 2 cents for the Z hook as some one stated , lets all call it a roof hook

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If I could change this thread and keep it going, one brother mentioned the Boston style hook as seen now on TV (Firehouse USA: Boston) its called a rake. While watching an episode of the Bravest a while back the San Francisco FD was using a tool both on the roof and for interior ceiling pulling called a hook but totally different from what most of us are used to.

Question: is anyone using these different styles of hooks; that is, anything other than the NY style hook as well described by Alsfirefighter earlier. I am referring to interior work, I know most will use a trash hook for brush or dumpster fires. Also, if you ever have had to pull an ornamental tin ceiling, what tool and technique worked and what didn't.

Thanks

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We have switched over to the FDNY style roof hooks. IMO the thinner shafts are easier to hold and work with. The head is much more versatile and as mentioned above, the steel shaft is stronger. We call it either a hook or pike pole. More oftern than not we say "grab the 6' hook."

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Tin ceilings are a pain in the @ss no matter how you look at it. If you can get one section started sometimes you can get multiple pieces to stay together. If you have to pull an entire ceiling of this something is wrong. Pick your places smartly, and the sharpest point tool to get through it helps, then something wide like a drywall puller with large surface area for pulling.

On a side note, if you can its best to be delicate with this material, one its edges are sharp as hell. Second it is very difficult to find this material as it was once made and its expensive, many store owners and historians try like hell to keep it in good shape or restore it. Do your job obviously, but as it is needed.

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I use the term pike pole unless I am asking for a N.Y.C. hook, our department carries both.

Truckie45

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Boston rake hook is different from a conventional hook.It is designed for the plaster and lathe style walls in New England. In our Dept. a pike is 6'or longer anything else is a hook.

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Pike Pole, Very rairly I will call it a hook if I forget the name

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Hooks, as in " Hook & Ladder Co. "

The "Hooks" in Hook & Ladder Co. do not refer to pike poles but to the large grappling hooks on chains and ropes that the companies used to carry for pulling down the walls ( not opening them as a pike) of burning buildings.

In the days of hand engines and leather hose saving a building was a very rare event, unless it was caught at a very early stage, usually the hope was to hold it to the building of origin. One way to accomplish this was to pull the outer walls of the building out which would drop the roof onto the debris, pile hopefully doing a good job of smothering the fire. Like so many other terms in the fire service this goes back to the NYC volunteer fire department.

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Pike pole over six feet

hoook if under 6 six feet (like a roof hool)

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AlS you know i gotta get my 2 cents worth in hook or pike no matter what you call them. when you hold them next to you you still look like a shepard!!!

Gotta love you

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Hooks were used to pull off thatched roofs of the one story buildings that were around in the early 1600's.

They were in all likelyhood fashioned after the original fire hook, a fire iron used to stir a fire since fireplaces were the primary heating device (and back then a chimney was made of wood).

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What's in a name? Let's be realistic, the important thing to remember and worry about is, does the individual know how to properly use the tool he has in his hands! :D

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You say tomAto, I say tomaato

Couldnt have said it better...tradition has created TONS of names for different tools. Find out what your dept calls their tools and go with it, otherwise you create more confusion.

Firehouse USA: Boston? We recently had a guy who was a paid ff in Hanover Mass. join our dept and he only laughs when we mention that show. I guess he knows something we dont? ;)

Jonesy

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Hooks, as in " Hook & Ladder Co. "

The "Hooks" in Hook & Ladder Co. do not refer to pike poles but to the large grappling hooks on chains and ropes that the companies used to carry for pulling down the walls ( not opening them as a pike) of burning buildings.

In the days of hand engines and leather hose saving a building was a very rare event, unless it was caught at a very early stage, usually the hope was to hold it to the building of origin. One way to accomplish this was to pull the outer walls of the building out which would drop the roof onto the debris, pile hopefully doing a good job of smothering the fire. Like so many other terms in the fire service this goes back to the NYC volunteer fire department.

Interesting bit of history I never knew. Thanks for sharing that. ;)

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Look in this link,The Fire Store, for the different types. I agree, go with the name your dept. uses to lessen any possible confusion.

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A pike pole. In my dept. the hooks are the ones with handles at one end. either-or works, however.. you still know what someone is asking for.

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