Grant funding courtesy of a famous actor and comic is helping West Hartford firefighters escape high-rise buildings should disaster strike in town.
On Monday, they received and began training on the so-called "bailout kits," which provide firefighters with the means to leave a burning building quickly on the exterior, even if they're on upper floors.
"Starting today the entire department is being issued and trained on these new kits. The fire ground is an extremely dynamic environment which can rapidly change," wrote West Hartford Firefighters Local 1241 via social media.
"These kits allow our firefighters to safely exit a building from an upper floor in an emergency situation. This is especially important given the vertical growth of our community."