In the firefighting service it is known as “Black Sunday,” an infamous day when three New York City firefighters died while battling two separate blazes.
During one of those fires on Jan. 23, 2005, six firefighters were forced to desperately jump from the windows of a Bronx apartment building from four stories up to avoid being burned to death. Two of them died in the fall, while the other four were severely injured.
The tragedy underscored the need for a lifesaving system allowing firefighters to escape the flames by using ropes and hooks to safely lower themselves to the ground from a window.
Now, Ocean City has become the first fire department in New Jersey to have such a “bailout system” developed by California-based CMC Rescue Inc. Costing $465 apiece, the personal lifesaving kits will be carried by all 63 members of the department, Capt. Ray Clark said.