JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Firefighters in Jacksonville feel safer thanks to a grant and generous donation they received that funded the purchase of lifesaving equipment for each member of the department.
The money was used to buy personal safety harnesses and firefighter bailout bag escape systems for each member of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
"As it sits right now, if you get caught in a fire, second story, third story, fourth story, whatever that may be, and you find yourself trapped, the only way to get out is a prayer and a jump," said Chief Kurtis Wilson.
But that will change because JFRD is issuing bailout packets to every firefighter. Before they get them, firefighters are learning how to use them.
"The purpose of the bail gear is to be a last-minute resort for someone to have to jump out of the window," Wilson said. "But in turn, it should save lives."
Wilson said it was an accident that sparked the need for for personal safety harnesses andbailout bag escape systems.
In February, a lieutenant was trapped inside a burning house fire and had no choice but to jump out of the second-story window. He was in the burn center in Gainesville for two days because of his injuries.
Wilson said the bailout gear could have helped the firefighter in this scenario.
"This would have given him the opportunity -- instead of him jumping out of the second story and injuring himself, he would have been able to anchor on," Wilson said.
The kit stays in the pocket of the bunker gear. It has 40 feet of rope, which can hold 1,000 pounds.
Firefighters anchor themselves down, then the device catches their weight and holds them in position until they release the brake and gradually go down to the ground.
As scary as it may seem climbing out of a window, firefighters say when the only other option is burning alive -- it's a no-brainer.
JFRD ordered about 1,000 packs, which cost about $300 each.
The city funded most of it but came up short, so Firehouse Subs stepped up and gave JFRD the $30,000 it needed to buy the rest.
Every firefighter in Jacksonville will go through training and have bailout gear within a couple of months.