LIFELINES
Firefighters are a different breed. Like soldiers and police officers, they rush into harm’s way when others are rushing out. But what happens when a firefighter gets into trouble? What resources do they have at their disposal to get them out of a multistory building when they can’t go out the way they came in? One of the more unique or specialized tools firefighters have begun to carry over the last 10 to 15 years is what’s known as a bail-out kit. A bail-out kit generally consists of a hook, a special fire-resistant rope, and a descending device. This kit is designed specifically to assist firefighters who need to quickly escape a structure when their main means of entry or exit has been cut off.
Even though these kits were designed for first responders, they can be equally useful to everyday citizens who find themselves in top-floor emergencies. Vertical rescue skills, like breaching a door with a Halligan tool or having to bail out the window of your high-rise building to escape danger, are very handy skills to have in a crisis or survival situation.
In the aftermath of Sept. 11, there were several large corporations that actively solicited equipment and training to ensure their vital employees would be able to
