GB2231314A - Fire escape - Google Patents

Abstract

A fire escape (10) comprises a chute (12) made up of four or more telescopically nestable chute sections (14). The chute is stored in stowed form between the inner and outer walls of a house. <IMAGE>

Description

Fire Escape This invention relates to fire escapes which provide an external escape route from a building or vehicle.

An existing form of fire escape for escape from a building comprises a pair of reciprocably movable harnesses at opposite ends of a cord which passes through a braking mechanism. This type of fire escape is provided next to a window so that users may climb into the harness and escape through the window to the ground level.

This system is an extremely slow way of evacuating the building. The agility required to put on the harness and climb out through the window may mean that the elderly or infirm are unable to use the escape. Also, from a purely aesthetic view point, the fire escape apparatus is highly obtrusive and not suited for normal domestic use. Passenger aircraft include an escape system which comprises an inflatable chute intended to allow rapid evacuation of passengers in the event of a fire. This type of system is not particularly suitable for a domestic fire escape since the cha e;material may be combustible and also the inflation mechanism requires regular maintenance.

There is a need therefore for a fire escape apparatus which allows rapid evacuation of all the occupants from a building, including the very young and the elderly and infirm, but which does not have the disadvantages mentioned above.

Broadly stated, the invention comprises a fire escape including a relatively rigid chute means movable from a compact stowed condition to an extended condition in which it defines a slide for occupants to escape from a building or vehicle.

Preferably, said chute means comprises a plurality of relatively rigid chute members movable, e.g.

telescopically, from said stowed to said extended condition. The chute means is preferably formed of a non-combustible metal sheet material such as pressed steel or aluminium.

The fire escape preferably includes means framing an aperture through which users pass to the upper end of the extended chute means. The frame means may be a separately formed frame or it may be made up from the sides of an aperture provided in the wall of the building or vehicle to which the fire escape is fitted. When the fire escape is installed in a building, the frame means is preferably located with its lower edge at or adjacent floor level.

The chute means is preferably mounted for pivotal movement with respect to the lower edge of the frame member and, when the chute means is stowed, at least a major portion thereof is housed generally within the frame means. Preferably, an external door is pivotally mounted with respect to said frame means for closing the aperture defined by said frame means. Preferably, said external door is hinged about a lower horizontal edge and stop means are provided for limiting downward movement of the door. Preferably, said chute means is secured to said door so that the stop means effectively defines a slope angle for the extended chute means.

The slope angle is preferably about 60 . Preferably when closed, said external door is substantially flush with the surrounding surfaces of the building or vehicle.

The finish of the external door may be textured to match that of the building or vehicle. Preferably, a spring latch is associated with the external door to retain the door in a closed position and prevent unauthorised access from outside. If desired, a release key or similar may be provided for releasing the spring latch from outside.

Preferably, the escape includes an internal door pivotally mounted with respect to said frame means for inward opening movement.

Preferably, the lower end of the chute means includes shock-absorbing means such as a spring-loaded foot support for preventing leg or foot injuries.

The fire escape preferably includes retraction means for returning the chute means to a stowed condition.

The retraction means may comprise a pulley retraction system.

Although the invention has been defined above, it is to be understood that it includes any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the following description.

The invention may be performed in various ways and a specific embodiment will now be described, by way -of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an elevation of a house fitted with a fire escape in accordance with this invention, with the chute shown in an extended condition, and Figure 2 is a section view taken on lines II-II of Figure 1.

Referring to the Figures, the fire escape 10 comprises a chute 12 made up of four or more telescopically nestable chute sections 14 each of made of a non-combustible material such as pressed steel or aluminium. Each chute section 14 has a flat base and upwardly flared side walls so that when the chute is extended, it defines a slide down which all the occupants of a building, including the very young, the elderly and the infirm may escape.

The upper end of the chute 12 is pivotally attached at 16 to the outward lower edge of a rectangular frame 18.

The frame 18 has a depth substantially equal to the overall thickness of the cavity wall construction of the house and the chute sections 14 are dimensioned so that when nested together and pivoted in the anti-clockwise sense as seen in Figure 2, they fit within the frame 18, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. The base of the frame 18 is set at floor level and, in normal circumstances, the frame may be accommodated beneath a window 20 as shown in the illustrated arrangement. An outside door 22 is hinged for movement about the pivotal attachment 16 for movement between a position in which it is generally flush with the surrounding brick work and the position shown in Figure 2 at about 600 to the horizontal.

The outside surface of the door 22 may have a textured finish to match the building exterior. When closed, the outside door 22 contains the chute 12 within the wall.

The door 22 is locked from the inside by a simple springtype latch 24. No access is available from the outside, for security reasons, but if required, access may be provided by means of a special key (not shown). The outside door 22 includes a pivotal stop bar 25 arranged to fall outwardly when the fire escape is deployed and to maintain the outside door at a preset angle, for example 600, to the horizontal, to define the slope angle of the extended chute.

An inwardly opening inner door 26 fits virtually flush with the inner surface of the wall.

At the foot of the extended chute, there is provided a spring-loaded foot support 28 intended to prevent leg or foot injuries to users passing down the chute.

A pulley retraction system (not shown) may be provided to return the fire escape to it stowed condition to allow easy training for users.

In operation, the inner door 26 is unlocked, and opened and the nested sections 14 are pushed or kicked outwards. The sections hinge about the pivotal attachment 16 so that the chute hits the spring latch 24 on the outside door 22 so that the chute sections 14 and the outside door 22 together pivot about the pivotal attachment 16 and the stop bar 25 extends to locate the outer door and the chute sections at the correct angle for operation The weight of chute and the action of the chute pivoting outwards and downwards about pivotal attachment 16 causes the chute sections to open to the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, thus providing an easy escape route.

The illustrated arrangement is intended to allow escape from a normal two storey house where the height from the first floor to the ground floor is not more than 3.0 metres (approximately 10 foot). It will be appreciated, however, that the length of the chute and the slope angle may be adjusted as necessary for different applications.

The illustrated arrangement has several advantages over the systems discussed earlier. The illustrated fire escape can be deployed and used by children (the most common victims of house fires). All that is visible from the outside of the house is the outside door 22 which is of similar appearance to a meter box and which can be decorated to suit a variety of finishes. The chute can be deployed very rapidly, in the order of seconds, by virtually anyone. The simple construction makes mass production very cost effective and the overall cost of the escape-would mean that most homes could have a fire escape both at the front and the back of the house. The low level fitting means that children, the elderly and infirm can easily slide down the chute and, for all users, the exit aperture is at floor level where the smoke is least dense.

In a modified embodiment (not shown) the fire escape includes an audio and/or visual alarm which is actuated when the chute is deployed. The alarm may be actuated by means of a switch associated with the external door. The alarm serves both as a fire alarm, when the chute is deployed from within the building, and also as an intruder or burglar alarm if an attempt is made to gain unauthorised access to the building via the fire escape.

Claims (18)

1. A fire escape including a relatively rigid chute means movable from a compact stowed condition to an extended condition in which it defines a slide for occupants to escape from a building or vehicle.

2. A fire escape according to claim 1, wherein said chute means comprises a plurality of relatively rigid chute members movable from said stowed to said extended condition.

3. A fire escape according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said chute means is preferably formed of a noncombustible metal sheet material such as pressed steel or aluminium.

4. A fire escape according to any preceding claim, including frame means framing an aperture through which, in use,users pass to the upper end of the extended chute means.

5. A fire escape according to claim 4, wherein the frame means comprises a separately formed frame.

6. A fire escape according to claim 4 or 5, wherein said chute means is preferably mounted for pivotal movement with respect to the lower edge of the frame means and, when the chute means is stowed, at least a major portion thereof is housed generally within the frame means.

7. A fire escape according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein an external door is pivotally mounted with respect to said frame means for closing the aperture defined by said frame means.

8. A fire escape according to claim 7, wherein said external door is hinged about a lower horizontal edge and stop means are provided for limiting downward movement of the door.

9. A fire escape according to claim 7 or 8, wherein said chute means is secured to said door so that the stop means effectively defines a slope angle for the extended chute means.

10. A fire escape according to claim 9, wherein the slope angle is about 600.

11. A fire escape according to any of claims 7 to 11, wherein a spring latch is associated with the external door to retain the door in a closed position and prevent unauthorised access from outside.

12. A fire escape according to claim ll, wherein a release key or similar is provided for releasing the spring latch from outside.

13. A fire escape according to any of claims 4 to 12, including an internal door pivotally mounted with respect to said frame means for inward opening movement.

14. A fire escape according to any preceding claim, wherein the lower end of the chute means includes shock-absorbing means for preventing leg or foot injuries.

15. A fire escape according to any preceding claim, which includes retraction means for returning the chute means to a stowed condition.

16. A fire escape according to claim 15, wherein the retraction means comprises a pulley retraction system.

17. A fire escape according to any preceding claim, which includes alarm means for being activated on deployment of said chute means.

18. A fire escape substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.