SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Springfield Fire Department wants to make sure homeowners have the best chance of escaping a house fire.
Springfield Fire Department is giving away two story escape ladders for homeowners in north Springfield. They hook onto a windowsill. They then quickly drop so you can escape.
The department received 50 of these ladders with funding from a FEMA fire prevention and safety grant. They still have about 35 left. Firefighters want to focus on Springfield’s Zones 1 and 2, which are the northwest and northeast parts of the city.
To receive one of the ladders, you just set up a time for the fire department to visit your home and complete a home escape plan, and they’ll teach you how to use the ladder.
“They may just have a few minutes to escape, and we definitely want them to get out of a burning house or a house filled with smoke as quickly as they can,” said Heather Parker. “So if that escape ladder affords them that opportunity before we arrive on scene, then it just ensures their best chance of getting out.”