Not every great firefighting tool begins in a factory. Some start out in the field, built from necessity, welded in home shops, to thrive in the toughest conditions.
One of those tools is the Rhino.
Field Innovation to Forging Tradition
The Rhino’s story begins with the early U.S. Forest Service Hotshot crews in Southern California. Facing some of the harshest wildland terrain in the country, these crews needed a tool that could move dirt fast, cut through roots, and scrape vegetation clean. All while being light enough to swing all day.
What they came up with was ingenious: take an old beat-up fire shovel, cut the blade, flip it 180 degrees, and weld it back on at a 90 degree angle (Top Picture). The result was a curved hoe-like tool that could dig, cut, and clear line faster than a standard shovel. This was the birth of what firefighters began calling the Rhino.
They proved so effective on the fireline that the design spread quickly through the ranks. Before long, the Rhino became highly demanded for Hotshot crews, often following behind the lead Pulaski to clean and widen fireline.
A Tool Refined for the Fireline
As the tool evolved, it became clear that the Rhino deserved a more standardized, durable build. Early, handmade versions could crack at the welds or wear unevenly. To solve this, the tool transitioned from a repurposed shovel to a one-piece forged design, similar to the production method used for NFES fire shovels.
Today, we carry that same spirit of innovation forward. Blending the field-tested ingenuity from earlier firefighters with modern forging precision.
Forged the Council Way
At Council Tool, every Rhino is drop-forged from 5/8” thick American steel for exceptional strength and balance (Bottom Picture). Each blade is sharpened on three sides to deliver maximum versatility. Capable of cutting through brush and roots, scraping vegetation, and moving dirt with ease.
From a busted shovel in a Hotshot camp to a forged tool built for today’s professionals, the Rhino stands as a testament to firefighter ingenuity and American craftsmanship.