A polaski is a versatile hand tool used primarily in wildland firefighting for constructing firelines. The tool features a dual-purpose forged steel head on a wooden or fiberglass handle: one side is a sharp axe blade for chopping roots and small trees, while the other is a grubbing adze for trenching and scraping away flammable ground cover. It is a staple tool for hotshot crews and smokejumpers.
Heard on the job
Swing that polaski and cut through those roots so we can get this line down to mineral soil.
Insider tip
The name is traditionally spelled Pulaski, named after Ed Pulaski, a legendary forest ranger who popularized it.
Also heard as
- Pulaski