Skill Set: Clearing Doorways

[SeekHer]

Brought to your attention by: KNOW THY ENEMY™©

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Skill Set: Clearing Doorways
By Tiger McKee


Clearing doorways is a necessary skill for searching a building. Once the door is open you are simply clearing a corner; the skill we need to examine is how to get to that point as safely as possible.

While working towards the door, start looking for important details such as which way the door opens and what type handle it has. You can determine the direction the door opens by examining the hinges. Evaluating the architecture from outside and inside will provide important details on how the room on the other side of the door is laid out. With a door close to an exterior wall you know the room expands in the opposite direction. Also, make it a point to remember where your last area of safety is, such as a corner or protective object. If you need to fall back quickly you already want to know where to go.

As you step to the door several actions occur. If it opens towards me I position my foot as a doorstop so someone can't sling the door open on me. I lower my weapon down, or pull it into a retention position, so if the door opens unexpectedly it doesn't block my weapon, plus you don't want to cover your support arm as you reach for the handle. A door swinging away from you is simpler.

Slowly test the door handle. It may be locked, in which case it's time for plan B. Twist the handle, and as soon as the latch clears pull or push the door open. At the same time back up, creating distance, until you have some type cover, or you can't see inside the room. This is where most people make a big mistake. They want to open the door and jump into the room. The problem is you don't know what you're leaping into. There might be six guys with AKs waiting.

Backing up until I can't see in the room means anyone in there can't see me, reducing the chance of getting shot, and still maintaining a small element of surprise. After backing up I hold to see what happens. Maybe they'll come out the door, and now I'm waiting on them. When I decide to proceed forward, with the door open it's just a corner to clear.

If the door has an auto-closing device it's decision time. Do you open it, fall back and let it close and see what happens, or open it and stay close, using your foot to keep the door open? The situation determines how you answer that question.

Learning to search for a threat is complicated, and you should train under an instructor to learn the techniques. Then you'll need plenty of practice. Remember we don't want to do this unless lives are at stake. If you have to go do it slowly; usually the more dangerous it gets the slower you should go. When you have to go quickly, do it smartly. As always, your best weapon is your mind.

Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama, author of The Book of Two Guns, a staff member of several firearms/tactical publications, and an adjunct instructor for the F.B.I. (256) 582-4777 www.shootrite.org

[Glenn Bartley]

This guy is kidding - isn't he?

Backing up until I can't see in the room means anyone in there can't see me...

Anyone in there can't see him - has he never heard of security cameras? Has he never heard of a bad guy shooting blindly through a wall. What about potential threats in other hot areas, the ones he is backing toward? While he is backing up away from the doorway, and waiting to see what happens, in the hallway of a house or apartment or business, how many other threats is it to which he is exposing himself? Yeah it could work in some circumstances but I am not at all hesitant to say a more dynamic and rapid entry is preferred by those who actually do this for a living.

As for the 'we don't want to do this unless lives at at stake' sort of statement - I again must ask - is he kidding? Any time a search of a building is commenced, at least in criminal law enforcement type situations, you clear the search area of potential threats whether or not you know a life is actually at stake. A life does not have to be at stake for a search warrant to be issued.

Either this man has big academic credentials with little practical experience or just does not express himself well in writing - at least in this piece). Oh then again, I did forget his name is Tiger - so he must be an expert. Really he could be an expert, but he certainly does not come across as one, at least not in that article.

[Netpackrat]

I suppose if you are a jack booted thug, working with other jack booted thugs, intent on kicking in doors, you would use a different technique than a householder who has reason to believe that there might be an intruder in his house, and just wants to make sure things are secure. In that case, a more careful, measured response seems to be called for. Since the homeowner won't have several heavily armed teammates backing him up, SWAT type equipment, or a support system including medics standing by, running through the house like Rambo might not be the most prudent thing.

[Whirlibird]

Actually it's good advice for those who might have to clear a room, house, building that they're not familiar with.

Jack-booted thug or not, backing up is a sound tactical concept in LE circles. You have already 'taken' that ground and it's theoretically safe ground.

The fools rush in where angels fear to tread is a very good point and often is forgotten by too many.

As for the bad guys firing through the walls, it seldom happens in real life unless the BG already knows that you're there and isn't still trying to hide.

For example the California shooting not that long ago where the SWAT guys were entering the residence and started taking fire, the skel kept shooting as he knew the SWAT guys were in the hallway behind the wall and they had him trapped.

As one who does this for a living (sans jackboots) I can say that slow and quiet is the way to search a building unless you know that you have an actual 'target' in the building. At 0230 hours, if it takes us 2 hours to clear the grade school or 40 minutes, the difference only means we may have missed something because we were rushing. We have a lot of unlocked doors but treat them as an actual intrusion every time. It's good practice and someone may just actually be there.

No point rushing to a gunfight that doesn't have to happen.

[Frankingun]

I suppose if you are a jack booted thug, working with other jack booted thugs, intent on kicking in doors, you would use a different technique than a householder who has reason to believe that there might be an intruder in his house, and just wants to make sure things are secure. In that case, a more careful, measured response seems to be called for. Since the homeowner won't have several heavily armed teammates backing him up, SWAT type equipment, or a support system including medics standing by, running through the house like Rambo might not be the most prudent thing.

That's when the JBTs simply pour rounds into the outside walls of the building and continue to do so as some of them start to enter the building?

[Combat Controller]

Strikes me as sensible advice. Most of the time an intruder is not using a security camera so that type of advice is more in the realm of "How to be a Ninja".