CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Firefighters in Chesapeake have begun training with a new Emergency Egress System.
"What that does is basically it allows a firefighter to safely and quickly exit a building off of a second, third, or even fourth story building in case they find themselves in a position where they are being overrun by fire," Captain Lawrence Matthews told News 3 anchor Todd Corillo.
On Wednesday, firefighters were learning how to safely bail out of a window from an elevated floor using this new equipment to control their fall.
"It gives me the peace of mind knowing that if I’m in an emergency situation where I am going to have to bail out of the window out of a multi-story building that I have the ability to get to the ground safely," Lt. Brian Callahan commented.
According to Chesapeake fire officials, the addition of this equipment will provide firefighters with a safer option in the event they need to evacuate a building due to sudden change in fire conditions.