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The pulaski is a special hand tool used in wildland firefighting. The tool combines an axe and a mattock. 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.
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 disasterous 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.
Although mostly specific to wildland firefighting, the pulaski is also useful in trail construction and other outdoor work.
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