Begin with a standard drywall breach, so the technique can be practiced under better conditions when the firefighter is fresh enough to understand.

If the wall is clear on the other side, look through the hole to make sure you are going to a better place than the one you are in. If so, begin to clear the wall material out between two studs. Most drywall is fairly easy to penetrate, as is the plaster and lathe of older homes. Take out all material from stud to stud and up about three-and-a-half to four feet from the floor. Once done, take the tool and sound the floor in the other room to check for stability, then send the tool through the hole you are going to headthrough.

Tom Kiurski is training coordinator, a paramedic, and the director of fire safety education for Livonia (MI) Fire & Rescue. His book, Creating a Fire-Safe Community: A Guide for Fire Safety Educators (Fire Engineering, 1999), is a guide for bringing the safety message to all segments of the community efficiently and economically.