Each year, house fires claim the lives of more than 4,000 adults and children across the country. Another 20,000 suffer life-altering injuries. Sadly, many of these victims (about 57 percent) had functioning smoke alarms in their homes. What they may not have had was an escape plan and two reliable ways to get out of their homes before being overcome by smoke and fumes. Having a pre-arranged escape plan will greatly increase your chances of getting your family to safety if a fire occurs in your home, according to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The USFA recommends you devise an escape plan before a fire happens, and practice escaping from every room in the house. Have more than one way out of all rooms, especially bedrooms, and consider using a collapsible ladder for escape from upper story windows, the administration advises in its "Factsheet on Fire Escape Planning."
"To maximize your family's chances of getting to safety, your escape route has to be fast, safe and easy to use under very stressful circumstances," says Steve Forman, co-founder of REDDCO Inc., a company that specializes in fire escape and safety products. "Fire escape ladders save lives."
Most communities now require new homes to be built with hardwired smoke detectors and at least one "egress window" large enough to accommodate a firefighter in full gear. Few, however, have any rules regarding fire escape ladders for second- and third-story living quarters. Yet adding a fire escape to your home is a relatively low-cost, simple and unobtrusive way to increase your family's protection, Forman says.
While chain ladders might be better than no precaution at all, they can be very difficult to use for children and the elderly, or for just about anyone during times of extreme stress - like when a fire has broken out. The Redi-Exit system, a sturdy, foldable ladder that easily installs on the exterior of the house, condo or apartment, is a safer, more reliable alternative.
The Redi-Exit system can be installed on the wall outside second- and third-story windows, near the roofline to help someone escape from the roof, or even off a second-story deck. When not in use, the ladder folds securely out of the way against the wall and resembles a common downspout. A push on the ladder's impossible-to-miss red knob, positioned just outside a window, opens the ladder into an escape route that can support up to 800 pounds at one time.
The ladder's ease of use and durable aluminum construction also make it a viable route for firefighters to enter a burning house on the second or third floor if a family member may still be inside. Children as young as 4 or 5 have effectively used the ladder.
"Some insurance companies will give landlords discounts for installing fire escape ladders, so the investment can pay for itself in terms of real dollar savings, as well as peace of mind that your family has a reliable way out of the house," Forman says.
Available for purchase at www.redi-exit.com, the Redi-Exit system can either be installed by the homeowner, or by one of the qualified professionals in the company's dealer-installer network.
Copyright © 2006, ARA Content
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