You think it is easy coming up with names for these tools? Well, the Vulcan Tool was a true test of originality!!! Once again, the “Boys of JAF” outdid themselves. The original design came from an idea created by Mark Gregory of Rescue 2. He was looking for a better tool for the Roofman to take to the roof and he came up with the idea of cutting the adz and fork ends of the Halligan tool and putting them on about a 5′ piece of steel rebar.
Well, it didn’t take long for us to come up with something a little better. The present day Vulcan Tool consists of a 5′ steel New York Roof hook with a chisel end (which we have removed) and the fork end of the Halligan bar. Our first attempts to make the tool a little stronger included a steel sleeve that was placed over the weld and then pinned and welded in place.
The problem was that it a considerable amount of weight to the tool. So we went back to the drawing board and came up with the present design and it seems to be working quite satisfactorily.
We have taken the chisel end off the roof hook and drilled two holes in the handle of the hook. We have taken the adz end off the Halligan bar and ground it down slightly so that it fits neatly inside the handle of the steel shaft of the hook. We tack weld the handle of the adz end in place through the two holes we drilled in the handle and then put a bead of weld around the entire “joint” to strengthen the point of connection up.
It has lightened the tool up considerably and made the tool a fine addition to the tool inventory of Tower 33. So who is “Vulcan”? Any good, self-respecting mythology student knows the answer to that one – Vulcan is the God of Fire and Volcanoes!!!!!!