North Carolina Fire Operations 4 Practice Test

The key idea is using a tool designed to manipulate the latch bolt without broad prying. An outward-swinging door presents a latch that protrudes into the frame; the shove knife is the slender tool built for this job. You slip the knife into the gap at the latch and push the bolt back, allowing the door to open with minimal force and damage. This is specifically what the tool is made to do, making it the fastest and most reliable choice in this scenario.

Other tools are general prying or pulling devices; while they can help in some forcible-entry situations, they aren’t designed to reliably retract a standard door latch and can cause more damage or require more space and leverage than is practical in tight or urgent conditions.