Most companies are born from one great idea and begin to take shape from there. Halligan Bottle Openers, however, took on a slightly different form. We began with something that happens at every single firehouse out there… “Ball busting”… basically making a life size halligan for a short guy in the truck. A few days later “lightbulb” went off and the Halligan Bottle Opener was born.
The chief of Halligan Bottle Opener world headquarters is Tim, or at least he likes to think he’s the chief. Tim became an FDNY firefighter in 2005 where he was assigned to “The Pride of Sheffield Avenue” a.k.a. POSA E290 L103. It was there that he learned the roots of firefighting and the traditions that went along with the job. In between tours and taking a nap with the “Nut”, Tim is your go to guy helping customers with all their inquiries.
The Halligan tool is one of the most versatile and well-known forcible entry tools used by firefighters. The Halligan is unique because, unlike many other tools in the fire service, it was designed specifically for firefighting and made by a firefighter, Chief Hugh Halligan. The forcible entry tools displayed in this case show the development of the Halligan tool. The Halligan’s predecessors, the Claw and Kelly tools, each had functions necessary for forcible entry, which Chief Halligan combined to make his tool. Two others, the Ziamatic and Pro-Bar tools, are versions of the Halligan used in the fire service today. The original Halligan is no longer produced, but these tools use the original design, with a few modifications.