CMC
Flash.G Escape Anchor

CMC designed their line of Flash anchor hooks for a firefighter to create an expediant anchor when bailing out of a burning multi-story building. This certainly not the first choice of action, but provides another avenue of escape in the event of an emergency (within an emergency).

Fire resistant rope is attached directly to the round hole at the end of the anchor hook, pre-rigged into an appropriate descender, and the excess stored in a small pouch.

Modern escape hooks provide a few different anchoring options, depending on the available anchor points. The point of the hook can be set in the lower interior corner of a window, and held in place by the user's hand while rolling out of the opening. Once loaded, the users weight and body of the hook will hold hook in place while the user descends. Instead of a continuous curve at the hook, the flat bend of the CMC Flash hooks make it easy to set and hold by (a heavily gloved) hand, with less chance of twisting.

For another anchor option, the entire hook is passed around a substantial object, and a bight of rope pulled through the large hitching slot and passed over the end of the hook. If needed in the field, this hook will be employed in a high-stress environment, by a user wearing heavy gloves - fine motor control should not be required!

The 2nd generation of the Flash escape hooks have been reshaped, and CMC now offers the hook with a gated hitching slot (the Flash.G), in addition a version with a closed hitching slot (the Flash.2).

CMC sells a 100% technora (high heat resistance) webbing, which is more compact when stowed than comparable bailout rope, but the soft handling line can be more difficult to manipulate in heavy gloves. The Flash.G's gate solves this problem - instead of passing a bight of escape rope through the hitching slot, the user clips twice through the gated slot, forming a full round turn about the body of the hook.

The Flash.G can be used as a simple descent control device to lower a victim. In this case the tail of the escape rope is secured to the victim, then the firefighter lowers the victim using a carabiner wrap around the body of the hook - CMC recommends "3 clips" through the gate. Called the Byrne technique after CMC instructor Kelly Byrne, this method lets the user retain the hook as their own escape anchor for use immediately after lowering a victim.

A deployment tether can be attached to the small slot in the bend of the hook, facilitating removal from a pouch or pocket. CMC sells a reflective version for improved visability.