Petzl Professional 2015 | Page 29

EXO SELF-EVACUATION
The New York Fire
Department (FDNY)
wanted to equip each
firefighter with an
individual system of
protection, allowing
emergency selfevacuation from a
burning building, and so
did a thorough study of
their needs. Numerous
technical solutions were
proposed and over 5000
tests were carried out
in their training centers.
During this study, the
FDNY approached
Petzl to request the
development of a device
based on the GRIGRI
(belay/rappel device)
and to develop a new
technique that would
allow an individual to
self-evacuate from a
burning building with
a good level of safety.
Since 2006, all New
York firefighters and
many other organizations
worldwide have been
equipped with the EXO
system.
New York Fire Department, New York, USA © Kyra Neeley

28

EXO
The EXO personal escape system has an anchor hook suitable for
situations where the possibility of finding an anchor point is uncertain.
This solution applies particularly to firefighter operations in a burning
building (e.g. attachment to a window sill as a last resort).