Pulaski (tool)

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The pulaski is a special hand tool used in wildland firefighting. The tool combines an axe and a mattock in one head, similar to that of the cutter mattock, with a rigid handle of wood, plastic, or fiberglass. The pulaski is considered one of the most versatile tools for constructing firebreaks as it can be used to both dig soil and chop wood. It is also well adapted for trail construction, gardening and other outdoor work. As a gardening or excavation tool, it is quite adept at digging holes in root-bound or hard soil. As a result, it can often be purchased in a retail setting.

The invention of the pulaski is widely credited to Ed Pulaski, a ranger with the United States Forest Service, in 1911, although a similar tool was first introduced in 1876 by the Collins Tool Company. Ed 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 the tool that bears his name may have been a direct result of the disaster, as he saw the need for better firefighting tools. The pulaski came into wide use by the Forest Service after 1913, and in 1920 the Forest Service began contracting for the tool to be commercially manufactured.