#Westport CT–The Westport Fire Department received official notification that we have been awarded $28,814 in federal funding to purchase and outfit our firefighters with Personal Escape Systems. A Personal Escape System is an essential component of a firefighter’s personal protective gear and consists of an anchoring hook, a descent device, life safety rope or webbing, a carabiner and a storage/ deployment bag. These essential pieces of equipment become integrated into a firefighter’s gear by connecting to a harness worn in the protective bunker pants. The equipment purchased with this grant will provide our firefighters with a rapid and effective means of egress should they become trapped by fire and need to bail out of a window. Additionally, it can be used to lower a victim to safety. For the last twenty years, our firefighters have issued a length of rope and a carabiner for this purpose which has proven an unrealistic option during an emergency. Tragically, numerous firefighters have been killed when forced to jump from a window without wearing a Personal Escape System. The Westport Fire Department recognized the importance of outfitting its firefighters with a Personal Escape System. A group of firefighters evaluated and wore various manufacturers systems over the course of two years to determine the best option available. Once a decision was reached, funding opportunities were researched, and thanks to the 2017 Federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant, the Westport Fire Department will receive $28,814 required for this purchase. Part of the grant money will provide training over the next few months on the new NFPA 1983, 2017 edition, certified personal escape systems.

(Westport Fire Press Release)