SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Fire District 10 will soon receive new equipment kits which will help firefighters get out of potentially dangerous situations.
The kits are known as “bail out kits” and can help firefighters get out of a burning building when they don’t have other escape options.
“It’s pretty valuable to us because their life safety is our primary consideration,” said Fire Chief Don Malone.
The kits allow firefighters to rappel down up to five stories of a building.
The kits will be made possible through a grant from the Gary Sinese Foundation and Amazon.
Without the funding, SCFD10 said it would take roughly two year to afford the kits for all of it’s firefighters.
“They’re out every day, supporting their community and seeing tough things. Yet, every day, they go back to serve their community in the same capacity. So, it’s truly our honor to support these folks, who support us every single day,” said Cam Feldman, Senior Manager of Legacy Giving at Gary Sinese Foundation.
SCFD10 said they hope they don’t have to use the kits, but that they provide peace of mind, especially with so many multi-story apartment buildings going up around Spokane.
“We’re seeing extreme fire growth and being able to have an escape belt, a bail out kit, for us to be able to get out when things get too hot or dicey inside, is awesome,” said Lieutenant Evan Zeutschel.
Lieutenant Zeutschel led the effort to secure the kits for the department.
Fire Chief Malone said as long as the kits are recertified every year he expects them to last for a long time.
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