Fire Department

When a west-side resident found herself and her eight-year-old unable to get out of their apartment, she turned to 911. Messages were also left on the building's emergency maintenance line.

In the meantime, firefighters on Ladder 7 were on their way to see how they could assist. When they arrived, the occupant yelled from her second-floor window that something’s wrong with the lock on her door. The four-member crew split up. Two firefighters propped a ladder, climbed up to the window, and entered the apartment from outside. The others entered through the main entrance and attempted to work on the apartment door from the common hallway.

Firefighters on the inside of the apartment attempted to turn the lock with no luck. Then they used a hydraulic forcible entry hand tool (see photo) to spread the door jamb and disassemble the lock. This did the trick!

The occupant was still able to secure her apartment with a deadbolt until the primary lock could be repaired. They could also rest assured that they'd be able to safely exit the unit if needed.