Working with Slate Roofs

[Remember585 815]

I didn't want to hijack the Greenville Incident Workshop so I figured I would start a new thread.

How do you deal with a slate roof?

If my memory serves me, the best way to work on one is to pull up the slate and then finish opening up via more traditional means. I am drawing a blank on the last time I had to deal with slate and seeing those pictures made me wonder.

Any thoughts on what tools work the best?

Any thoughts / feedback / criticism is welcome, I am always looking for some insight on the more difficult ops.

Good work to those at the Seely Place fire, seemed like a stubborn one.

[Guest]

Remembering that a photo only catches a very brief moment of an ongoing action, the member making the vent hole in Greenville seems like he's doing a pretty darn good job. He's using the ax to break the slate and clear an area for the saw. He could have used a shovel or pitch fork to go against the grain and lift the slate shingles off the roof, but the end result is the same. If you notice in other photos, significant fire was venting through his vent hole- a fact firefighters on the inside certainly appreciated. Good job, Scarsdale! (The members venting are SFD.)

[Guest alsfirefighter]

585...yes you want to remove the slate...although I've had some salesmen try to sell the all purpose blades on the partner saw to alleviate this but I haven't been able to try it, or have them demo it.

I have had great success utilizing a trash hook with breaking slate. Its end is solid enough and has a good weight to it and smashes it fairly well. Other then that my prefeference off an aerial device is any tool with a heavy wide head and a D handle to drive it well. If your operating on a roof ladder, axes are great...mauls are awesome..gives you a little added weight on the swing and still have a cutting edge.

I always take what I can get...but if the ability to do a text book 4 x 4 cut is there you have to ensure that you clear an area bigger then that. Much like built up roofs, you have cut through the insulation and clear an area bigger then the hole you want so the saw fits in the original hole.

Edited December 23, 2006 by alsfirefighter

[HFD23 37]

The back side of the axe, a sledge and a pitch fork or work, the 1st 2 means require a lot of energy to smash or break the slate shingles. I found it much easier that day to use a haligan, a pitch fork or even a pike pole. take the tool and slide it under the shingles just tapping the back side of the tool or in the case of the other day just pushing it a little was enough force to pull the nails and shingles right off the roof, it was much easier then smashing and required less work while being much quicker especially considering how much of the roof we had to remove that day.

[PFFA 0]

I have to agree with HFD23, I've been in the roofing business for over 20 year's,(side job), and without a doubt, a pitchfork is by far the easiest way of removing a slate roof.It's light weight,and the narrow fork's on them ,make it easier to slide it under the slate, and not get caught up on the nail head's as much.Slate, as we know is a relatively easy thing to break, start on the bottom of where you're going to make the roof opening, and get a good bite with the pitchfork, and snap as many of the slate as possible in one good push upward's, but be EXTREMELY careful as to where the slate will slide.Make sure no body is down on the ground under you.Slate is very sharp and will cut you very quickly.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Great input brothers. Let's not also forget alot of bulding construction materials that are being used to simulate others. There are concrete roofing materials that are made to look like spanish tile and slate roofing.

[Guest car2267]

I can only remember 1 fire in the 11 years I have been with my dept, that we had a slate roof to vent through. I was on the roof with a fdny member and he used a roof hook to pull the slate up. The cool thing is that he used a couple pieces of wood cribbing to level out a course of slate below where we were cutting and slid the pieces we pulled up onto it, like a little shelf. This he said alleviates the slate sliding off the roof and possibly injuring some one. I have never been on a slate roof since then, but that method will always stick in the back of my mind incase we encounter another slate roof.

[JustSomeGuy 0]

More ways then one to win. As long as the job gets done safely and effectively we are on the positive side. SFD looks to have done a great job, and everyone there seemed to work together, great combination of resources between all of the neighboring departments. I hope this will start a trend especially in that area, of working with each other. A lot of those departments minus yonkers, are under staffed and working with one another is a necessity. Again good job by all!

*edited for typos

Edited December 23, 2006 by JustSomeGuy

[grumpyff 1,159]

Several others have mentioned to watch where the slate tile will slide, but if it is a windy day watch out!!! The tiles often do not just fall straight down, but can catch a breeze, and fall a surprising distance from the building. From experience working at Pleasantville High School, slate roof on the original section (1929) we used to find pieces of slate in the grass about 50 feet from the building.