The Department today ordered those rope systems be taken out of service until further notice. The FDNY has contacted the manufacturer of the mechanical lowering device as well as the consultant on the project to examine the equipment and the incident in order to determine whether additional testing or adjustments must be made to the rope system.Ībout 250 firefighters have been issued the equipment. (At the training exercise, the firefighter was attached to another rope - called a safety line - and at no time during the training was his safety endangered.) The rope became seriously frayed - although did not break - when it jammed inside the mechanical lowering device used to control descent of the firefighter.
The Commissioner made the decision after a training session in which the rope became compromised during use by a firefighter performing a slide with the system at the Department's Training Academy. Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta today announced the temporary suspension of training and distribution of the Personal Safety System (ropes) to all firefighters and fire officers.