![Head_of_Nupla_PA375-PASG_Pulaski_Axe](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Head_of_Nupla_PA375-PASG_Pulaski_Axe.jpg)
The Pulaski is a special hand tool used in fighting fires, particularly
wildfires
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...
,
which combines an
axe
An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...
and an
adze
An adze (; alternative spelling: adz) is an ancient and versatile cutting tool similar to an axe but with the cutting edge perpendicular to the handle rather than parallel. Adzes have been used since the Stone Age. They are used for smoothing ...
in one head. Similar to a
cutter mattock, it has a rigid handle of wood, plastic, or fiberglass. The Pulaski is used for constructing
firebreak
A firebreak or double track (also called a fire line, fuel break, fireroad and firetrail in Australia) is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire. A firebre ...
s, able to both dig soil and chop wood. It is also well adapted for
trail
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. ...
construction, and can be used for
gardening and other outdoor work for general excavation and digging holes in root-bound or hard soil. The axe blade of the Pulaski is the primary cutting edge, while the adze blade is secondary; this is the opposite of the cutter mattock, in which the adze blade is the larger of the two.
The invention of the Pulaski is credited to
Ed Pulaski
Edward Crockett Pulaski (February 9, 1866 – February 2, 1931) was a U.S. Forest Service ranger based in Wallace, Idaho. Pulaski traveled west and worked as a miner, railroad worker, and ranch foreman before joining the forest service in 1908. H ...
, an assistant
ranger
A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
with the
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...
in 1911.
Similar tools were introduced in 1876 by the
Collins Tool Company. A tool that serves the same purpose was used in the Alps for over 300 years for
planting trees
Tree-planting is the process of transplanting tree seedlings, generally for forestry, land reclamation, or landscaping purpose. It differs from the transplantation of larger trees in arboriculture, and from the lower cost but slower and less re ...
(
Wiedehopfhaue) or the
dolabra in ancient Rome. Pulaski was famous for taking action to save the lives of a crew of 45 firefighters during the disastrous August 1910
wildfires in Idaho. His invention (or reinvention
) of his namesake tool may have been a result of the disaster, as he saw the need for better firefighting tools. Pulaski further refined the tool by 1913, and it came into use in the Rocky Mountain region.
In 1920 the Forest Service began contracting for the tool to be commercially manufactured but its use remained regional for some years. The tool became a national standard in the 1930s.
An initialed ("E.P.") tool, which purportedly belonged to Pulaski himself, is part of the collection of the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
at the
Wallace District Mining Museum in
Wallace, Idaho
Wallace, Idaho is a city in and the county seat of Shoshone County, Idaho, in the Silver Valley mining district of the Idaho Panhandle. Founded in 1884, Wallace sits alongside the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River (and Interstate 90), app ...
.
Aside from a knife, the only tool that was issued to the participants in the American reality series
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
''Naked and Afraid
''Naked and Afraid'' is an American reality series that airs on the Discovery Channel. Each episode chronicles the lives of two survivalists who meet for the first time naked and are given the task of surviving a stay in the wilderness for 21 ...
'' aired March 24, 2019 on the Discovery Channel show was a Pulaski.
See also
* Driptorch
A driptorch is a tool used in wildfire suppression, controlled burning, and other forestry applications to intentionally ignite fires by dripping flaming fuel onto the ground.
Description
The driptorch consists of a canister for holding fuel ...
* Fire flapper (tool)
* Fire rake
A fire rake is a wildland fire fighting tool. A fire rake has a wooden or fiberglass handle with a rake head consisting of four to six sharp, serrated, triangular steel blades. It is used to rake a fire break
A firebreak or double track (a ...
* Flare
A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, ...
* Halligan bar
A Halligan bar (also known as a Halligan tool or Hooligan tool) is a forcible entry tool used by firefighters.
History
The Halligan bar was designed by New York City Fire Department (FDNY) First Deputy Chief Hugh Halligan in 1948 and was named ...
* McLeod (tool)
* Pickaroon
A pickaroon (or picaroon) is a wood-handled (may be other materials also), metal-topped log handling tool that originates from the Alpine Region where it is called "Sappie, Zapin, Sapine". It is distinguished from a pike pole by having a shorter ...
References
External links
*
{{Firefighting
Firefighter tools
Forestry tools
Mechanical hand tools
Wildfire suppression equipment