New Lifesaving Equipment for Springfield’s Fire Fighters

With new equipment, Springfield’s fire fighters have a new way of safely exiting burning structures from upper floors: jumping out of windows.

Personal escape systems have been added to Springfield Firefighters’ personal protective equipment. The systems are a rope and a specially designed anchor that allows a user to speed toward a window and jump out headfirst without injury, and to safely descend to the ground.

The systems are self-braking, allowing fire fighters dealing with smoke conditions and flames to use them quickly, under stressful conditions in as little as 10 seconds.

Township Fire Fighters received classroom and hands on training in the new systems. The instruction included three different anchoring techniques. By the end of the lessons, the firefighters were able to perform the maneuver blindfolded to simulate smoke conditions.