TSFR visited our neighbors at the Wyomissing FD on Monday night August 12 to review and practice with our personal bailout systems. Bailout systems are provided as part of our personal protective equipment ensemble to provide a quick exit from an upper story (or "bail out"). There are several on the market, but they all typically consist of a harness that is integrated into the protective trousers, a 30' length of rope that is pre-woven onto a descent control device, and a hook for anchoring onto a solid object. When needed, the firefighter anchors the system, crawls out a window and slides down the rope to safety.

The drill started with a classroom session on the construction and arrangement of the systems conducted by Capt. Neubert, followed by practical evolutions using the two-story training tower to the rear of the Wyomissing fire station. Both Spring and Wyomissing personnel took turns deploying their system and descending from a second-floor window to the ground.