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Chesapeake firefighters training with new ‘bail out’ system

Posted at 9:46 AM, Apr 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-18 18:36:22-04

CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Firefighters in Chesapeake have begun training with a new Emergency Egress System.

Firefighters training on new bail out system (Todd Corillo)

"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.