I personally carry 30 feet of orange webbing in my left cargo pocket. If I need, I can tie it off or loop it over something and bail out a window. It can also be used to drag a downed firefighter to safety, assist in climbing up/down an embankment, etc...stay safe!
We carry some webbing and some rope with us. I would prefer rope to bail out on. Just for the simple fact that it is easier to feel through the gloves and to slide down. But under the right circumstances I would use a darn extention cord lol. Either one a person carries in their bunkers as long as they know how to use it is fine with me. As far as the other if we are on a roof then it is a full five point harness but other than that we dont use a belt or anything. Length i would imagine mine long piece is 20 foot. That should get me close to the ground. Hope this helps be safe out there.
I carry 30 foot of rappelimg rope with a carabener on each end. Use it to wrap around something and go. It has also come in handy on rescues when someone drives over a bluff.
Permalink Reply by FETC on August 25, 2008 at 10:16pm
I wear a RIT Rescue Systems NFPA harness with a Golfire, Inc. FESH PSS 50' kevlar rope, descender, caribeaner, and window sill rescue hook for an anchor.
If you have to bail, it's going to be very difficult to find an anchor point unless you wear a bailout system that hooks on the windowsill or over a halligan or similar tool angled across the window corner...and even then, the system isn't bombproof.
That's why bailout classes are not conducted in smoke or in burning buildings.
When I went to buy my webbing, they had a few different colors including orange. I just thought orange would be the easiest to see, plus I use it for more than bailout.
Bale-out bags are a nice feature, especially since you just never know when it will save your life. I have taken a lot of classes taught by Providence FD's officers and chiefs through the State Fire Academy and have noticed the volume of ground ladders and Truck companies they use at any given building fire. Quite literally in most photo's every second floor window in a residential home had a ladder to the window. From an outsiders view (aka myself since I wasn't on the scene) it showed the commitment to safety that PFD takes.
The rescue rope and webbing is a great tool and if carried pray you never need to use it. If you get the opportunity to use it (in a non training role) it means you were too close, or the crap has hit the fan.
As for inspection, and replacement I agree with L.C. to go by manufacturers specs. Want the manufacturers spec in a nutshell? If the rope shows signs of fray, discoloration, loose threads, cuts, memory bends, or has been used to support ANY load of ANY kind you need to replace it. It's your life in your hands, I would replace it after the first real use. Why take the risk for such a small amount of money.