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(1010 WINS) NEW YORK New York City firefighters begin getting safety ropes today. The ropes have been the subject of debate since two firefighters died from jumping out a fourth floor window of a fire in the Bronx back in January. The firefighters were trapped by flames and had no other choice. Four of those who jumped were injured. The new rope systems were designed largely by a team of city firefighters familiar with rock climbing and metal working and frustrated with the escape systems available on the market. The new equipment features a metal hook that can grip a pipe, a wall, or a piece of furniture. The 50-foot ropes are made of bulletproof Kevlar which resists melting in intense heat for two minutes and 20 seconds. The equipment will allow firefighters to escape from a window in ten seconds. The fire department says the ropes will cost about eleven (M) million dollars to purchase, distribute and train the firefighters. The need for the ropes became tragically apparent on January 23rd when Lieutenant Curtis Meyran and Firefighter John Bellew died after jumping from a fourth-floor window to escape a fire in a Bronx apartment. Four other firefighters who also jumped were seriously hurt, including two who tried to use a rope that failed. The Fire Department stopped issuing individual ropes to firefighters in 2000, saying they were too heavy and cumbersome.
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