My neighbor got locked out on their balcony, and had to be rescued by the fire department! A huge hook-and-ladder truck somehow got down the alley behind our place (putting the rear-wheel steering to good use no doubt), but instead of using the main rescue ladder, they used a rickety-looking portable ladder that was strapped to the side of the truck. The neighbor apparently yelled down to some passers-by, who called the FD. Their balcony is exactly level with ours, and it's a good 4 stories up. I would not have relished climbing over the railing and down the ladder in the dark, and high windy whipping through tonight. From what I could see, the firefighters made it look easy, and only needed about 20 minutes total time before maneuvering the truck out the other end of the alley. Very interesting!