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87:; more recently, however, they have fallen out of common use. This is due to the improved building codes incorporating fire detectors; technologically advanced firefighting equipment, which includes better communications and the reach of firefighting ladder trucks; and more importantly, fire sprinklers. International building codes and other authoritative agencies have incorporated fire sprinklers into multi-story buildings below 15 stories—not just skyscrapers.
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included in new construction at a low cost, but they could very easily be added to existing construction. As building codes evolved and more safety concerns were addressed over subsequent editions, all construction above a certain number of stories was required to have a second means of egress, and external fire escapes were allowed as a retrofit option for existing buildings prior to the post-World War II period.
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344:. Both the 2012 IBC and 2012 IRC require emergency escape and rescue openings for residential buildings of 4 floors or fewer, in sleeping rooms and basements with habitable space, for means of emergency egress. A fire escape can be a window, and if above the first floor with an approved ladder, or door that leads to a porch with ground access or a fire escape ladder. Federal rules, such as those of the
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in individual apartment units with fire escape-facing windows, often installed against code or local ordinance by residents, which require the unit to be affixed to the window sash, also make a fire escape nearly useless in the summer months; the bulk and weight of an air conditioner unit placed onto
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In the 1930s, the enclosed tubular chute-type fire escape became widely accepted for schools, hospitals and other institutions, replacing the open iron ladder type. Its main advantage was that people would have no reason to use it for anything other than a fire escape, and patients could be slid down
229:
in cities in the United States and Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, certain problems with fire escapes became clear. In the poorer areas of several major
American cities, such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, fire escapes were commonly used for everything
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are usually provided on each of the levels, but as fire escapes are designed for emergency use only, these railings often do not need to meet the same standards as railings in other contexts. The ladder leading from the lowest level of the fire escape to the ground may be fixed, but more commonly it
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created a variation on the design, including an escape chute, after becoming superintendent of the "Royal
Society for the Protection of Life from Fire." The first modern fire escape was patented by Anna Conelly in 1887. Henry Vieregg patented a US fire escape in Grand Island, NE in November 8, 1898
147:
An alternative form of rapid-exit fire escape developed in the early 1900s was a long canvas tube suspended below a large funnel outside the window of a tall building. A person escaping the fire would slide down the interior of the tube, and could control the speed of descent by pushing outward on
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became more common in countries around the turn of the 20th century, fire safety became an important concern for new construction. Building owners were increasingly required to provide adequate escape routes, and at the time, fire escapes seemed the best option available. Not only could they be
323:
As buildings are built taller and taller, new fire escape ideas have been gaining popularity. Elevators, though traditionally not used as fire escapes, are now being thought of as a possible evacuation for high-rises and skyscrapers. Other alternative high-rise fire escape solutions include
179:
One of the first fire escapes of any type was invented in 18th-century
England. In 1784, Daniel Maseres, of England, invented a machine called a fire escape, which, being fastened to the window, would enable a person to descend to the street without injury.
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to prevent other uses of the fire escape, and to prevent unauthorized entry. As many fire escapes were built before the advent of electronic fire alarms, fire escapes in older buildings have often needed to be retrofitted with alarms for this purpose.
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or slides down along a track. The movable designs allow occupants to safely reach the ground in the event of a fire, but prevent people from accessing the fire escape from the ground at other times (such as for burglary or vandalism).
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the tube walls with their arms and legs. This escape tube could be rapidly deployed from a window and hung down to street level, though it was large and bulky to store inside the building.
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capturing a young woman and child plunging from a faulty fire escape during a 1975 Boston fire. The controversial image resulted in some jurisdictions enacting tougher fire safety codes.
237:'s 1947 short story, "The Boy Cried Murder", about a boy on a fire escape who one night witnesses a murder in a neighboring apartment; this story was filmed as the suspense thriller
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In the hot summer months, residents of mid-rise apartment buildings would sleep outside on the platforms of their fire escapes. Such a situation triggered the plot premise of
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The use of a fire escape is dictated by various local, state, and agreed-upon international building codes, such as standards provided by the
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Exit from the interior of a building to the fire escape may be provided by a fire exit door, but in most cases the only exit is through a
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or over a fire escape in an emergency also creates additional danger for firefighters and evacuees.
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A fire escape consists of a number of horizontal platforms, one at each story of a building, with
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At one time, they were a very important aspect of fire safety for all new construction in
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inside a building inaccessible. Fire escapes are most often found on multiple-story
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or stairs connecting them. The platform and stairs usually consist of open
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243:(1949). The practice of sleeping on fire escapes can also be seen in
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470:"Considering a Counterintuitive Path to Escape a Fire: The Elevator"
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261:. Diagonal shadows of fire escapes made them a constant motif in
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An Escape, and a
Retreat: Porches in the Sky Bind a Neighborhood
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277:. Fire escapes could also be used to comic effect, as seen in
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gratings, to prevent the build-up of ice, snow, and leaves.
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National
Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying
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A modern type of evacuation slide is the vertical spiral
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parachutes, external collapsible elevators, and slides.
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Anna
Connelly's 1887 patent US368816A for a fire escape
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Anna
Connelly's 1887 patent US368816A for a fire escape
23:. For the story from Gordon the High-Speed Engine, see
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in the mid-20th century, particularly the increase in
253:(also based on a Woolrich short story), as well as
139:. When there is a door, it is often fitted with a
1088:Penetrant (mechanical, electrical, or structural)
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348:(HUD), have requirements that follow ICC codes.
346:U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
271:was transposed to a fire escape for the musical
19:For the album by Sunburned Hand of the Man, see
428:"Fire Victims Slide Safely Down Tubular Chute"
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502:"High Rise Fires: Rethinking Exit Strategies"
110:Lower part of a fire escape in New York City
896:Hypoxic air technology for fire prevention
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16:Type of emergency exit for tall buildings
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60:, usually mounted to the outside of a
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68:or other emergency that makes the
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25:List of The Railway Series books
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468:Dunlap, David W. (2015-03-18).
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265:, and the balcony scene of
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221:However, with the rise of
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891:Gaseous fire suppression
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1063:Firewall (construction)
911:Passive fire protection
861:Fire suppression system
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1239:Fire-resistance rating
1118:Smoke exhaust ductwork
1093:Penetration (firestop)
1083:Packing (firestopping)
791:Active fire protection
751:Spontaneous combustion
529:- Retrieved 2017-08-30
517:- Retrieved 2017-08-30
381:. Bonnier Corporation.
319:High-rise fire escapes
299:Boston Herald American
257:'s photography of the
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56:is a special kind of
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1210:Professions, trades,
1123:Smokeproof enclosure
983:Electromagnetic lock
691:Flammability diagram
602:Fundamental concepts
312:Fire Escape Collapse
1166:Fire alarm call box
1073:Heat and smoke vent
309:for the photograph
188:U.S. patent 614,043
78:apartment buildings
76:buildings, such as
21:Fire Escape (album)
1138:Fire alarm systems
953:Annulus (firestop)
881:Flashback arrestor
846:Fire-safe polymers
841:Fire retardant gel
696:Flammability limit
550:, August 15, 2004.
547:The New York Times
544:by David W. Chen,
474:The New York Times
358:ANSI/ISEA 110-2003
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145:
142:
138:
133:
130:
125:
121:
117:
108:
102:
97:
88:
86:
81:
79:
75:
71:
67:
63:
59:
55:
48:
43:
37:
32:
26:
22:
1461:
1449:
1348:Flame spread
1234:Fireproofing
1212:and services
1113:Smoke damper
1103:Safety glass
1038:Fire hydrant
1022:
1003:Fire curtain
963:Booster pump
922:Relief valve
886:Fusible link
676:Fire loading
671:Fire control
641:Deflagration
545:
522:
510:
496:
485:. Retrieved
473:
463:
451:. Retrieved
438:
430:
423:
409:
398:
387:
377:
371:
341:
337:
333:
331:
322:
310:
298:
297:
289:
282:
272:
266:
248:
238:
232:
223:urban sprawl
220:
201:
193:
178:
153:escape chute
150:
146:
134:
113:
82:
53:
51:
1068:Grease duct
1023:Fire escape
1013:Fire damper
906:Intumescent
851:Fire safety
816:Fire bucket
711:Flash point
336:(ICC), the
328:Residential
305:won a 1976
250:Rear Window
91:Description
85:urban areas
74:residential
54:fire escape
1478:Categories
1365:(NFPA 101)
1328:CE marking
1181:Fire drill
784:Technology
681:Fire point
666:Fire class
646:Detonation
527:HUD ruling
487:2019-02-06
364:References
240:The Window
141:fire alarm
70:stairwells
1484:Stairways
1321:Standards
1250:Fire test
1078:Occupancy
1043:Fire pump
1033:Fire hose
1018:Fire door
998:Exit sign
973:Crash bar
746:Pyrolysis
741:Pool fire
706:Flashover
661:Explosive
609:Backdraft
554:ICC codes
482:0362-4331
263:film noir
216:Cleveland
47:Rotterdam
1450:Category
1414:See also
1343:EN 16034
1053:Firestop
1008:Fire cut
731:Jet fire
721:Gas leak
637:(HAZMAT)
620:Boilover
352:See also
124:Railings
62:building
1462:Commons
1295:(NCEES)
616:(BLEVE)
453:30 June
159:History
116:ladders
1393:Awards
1307:(SFPE)
1301:(NFPA)
1283:(FEMA)
1246:(FSES)
480:
255:Weegee
137:window
1384:UL 94
1338:EN 54
1289:(IFE)
918:(PPE)
129:hinge
120:steel
1333:EN 3
1313:(UL)
478:ISSN
455:2014
101:Oulu
66:fire
194:As
80:.
1480::
476:.
472:.
446:.
287:.
214:,
52:A
587:e
580:t
573:v
490:.
457:.
417:.
27:.
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