For most city employes, rappelling off a city building doesn’t fall into their schedule of professional development days. For Elizabethton firefighters and some police staff, this is just another day of training.

Organized by the Carter County Rescue Squad and Elizabethton Fire Department, firefighters practice one of their annual training routines: bailout rappelling escape.

Each wore a harness and practice descending the side of the Ritchie’s building, demonstrating appropriate escape if one had to exit from above the first story of a building.

“They are practicing high angle rescues, a firefighter survival technique,” said John Burleson, rescue coordinator with the Rescue Squad. “These are window and roof bailouts, which are used in case flames prevent them from exiting inside and they need to get out.”

He said this is considered a low frequency, high risk training practice, because it is something they do not need to do often, but it is a tactic in which they need to be proficient.

“Though it is not something we do often, every man has a bailout bag and is trained in how to make these kinds of escapes,” said Deputy Chief Rusty Barnett.