IGX

We need a fire escape from the third story of our house. I don't think one of the window-mounted ladders will work with our house, in part because the only BR on the third floor overlooks a flat roof. Have any of you seen a good option for escape off of a 2nd-story roof that doesn't involve bolting a large metal stairway to the back of our house?

It's hard to picture your situation. But places like Home Depot sell chain ladders that you can attach to your window ledge and toss over the side of the house.

From what I've seen so far, those max out at around 25 feet. I don't think they would be long enough to go across the roof and then down.

Is this related to something the fire marshall requires or just for your own peace of mind?

Something like this would be cost effective and pretty simple to build, really.

Pinky wrote:From what I've seen so far, those max out at around 25 feet. I don't think they would be long enough to go across the roof and then down.

How about this?
Chain ladder from floor 3 to the roof on floor two. Then, a ladder on the (flat?) roof, to lower to the ground in case of fire? That gets you from floor 2 to the ground floor. Yes?

Build some monkey bars that lead to a 3-4" thick rope that you have to climb down.Why not add a challenge to your panicstricken escape from your burning house?

KingSchmaltzBagelHour wrote:Something like this would be cost effective and pretty simple to build, really.

That or get the family parkour training and just jump and roll.

Problem solved...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziEGyjbzFa0[/youtube]
...and many hours of raucous family fun!

Fire escape methodology.
https://youtu.be/Wm9qvqzefds

Ukemi!

DrDonkeyLove wrote:Problem solved...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziEGyjbzFa0[/youtube]
...and many hours of raucous family fun!

My little girl is already too fond of jumping off of stuff.

Spells, this is a matter of peace of mind. I've seen two other Victorian houses like ours catch fire in our neighborhood, and it's not pretty. After the second one, I started thinking more seriously about having another escape route from our third floor. I'm also replacing our smoke alarms with interconnected models.

Johno, I was wrong about all of the flexible window-mounted ladders being too short. These people sell some that are longer than most.

Pinky wrote:From what I've seen so far, those max out at around 25 feet. I don't think they would be long enough to go across the roof and then down.

Yeah, but you're on the second floor? Assuming normal window height, you're only a few feet into your second floor when the ladder would mount. A 24 ft. ladder should be good to go for a 3rd floor window.

Failing that, your local fire department may have advice. Whatever you decide, it's good to have a plan and have the kids practice it for "fun."

You could always get a safer house.

Grandpa's Spells wrote:

Pinky wrote:From what I've seen so far, those max out at around 25 feet. I don't think they would be long enough to go across the roof and then down.

Yeah, but you're on the second floor? Assuming normal window height, you're only a few feet into your second floor when the ladder would mount. A 24 ft. ladder should be good to go for a 3rd floor window.

The third floor window opens to the flat roof on top of the second story. A window-mounted ladder would have to go across the roof and then down. The company I linked to above appears to have options that will work in our case, but most similar products wouldn't.

Pinky wrote:

DrDonkeyLove wrote:Problem solved...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziEGyjbzFa0[/youtube]
...and many hours of raucous family fun!

My little girl is already too fond of jumping off of stuff.

Spells, this is a matter of peace of mind. I've seen two other Victorian houses like ours catch fire in our neighborhood, and it's not pretty. After the second one, I started thinking more seriously about having another escape route from our third floor. I'm also replacing our smoke alarms with interconnected models.

Johno, I was wrong about all of the flexible window-mounted ladders being too short. These people sell some that are longer than most.

If you go for the flexible chain, consider accessibility and mounting it properly under the pressure of a fire.

I once had a flexible chain ladder in my grandson's room when he was little. I had no real convenient place to keep it except under the bed. So, in the event of a fire, I'd have to go into his room, wake him up, throw the bed aside, find a way to hang the ladder so it wasn't tangled, and get him down. I think a lot of fire death could occur in that amount of time. He's 15 now so if there's a fire when he stays with us he can just hang out the window and land on the deck in 1/10th of the time it would take me to deal with the flexible ladder.

I'm not trying to discourage you, it's a great last resort. You'll want to practice though if you expect to make effective use of it in an emergency. Also, your daughter will have to become comfortable with it so she doesn't balk while Daddy is trying to convince her to start climbing as he's being killed by toxic fumes. Having once been rescued from a burning building by some of Johno's brethren, I can testify that being in a burning structure is some scary adrenaline rich shit.

When was your house built? What sort of fire safety upgrades? Are there fire extinguishers on all floors?

I know it is a pain in the ass but if it kept me up at night I would relocate.

I guess I am asking: what order concern is this? And are the higher order concerns addressed?

Andy81 wrote:

KingSchmaltzBagelHour wrote:Something like this would be cost effective and pretty simple to build, really.

Hahahahaha!

I agree with everything DDL said. An escape ladder is very much a last resort. Fire extinguishers are taken care of, and I'm upgrading our smoke alarms. (The last time I bought alarms Interconnected alarms weren't as commonly available as they are now.)

Benny, this isn't something that's keeping me up at night. I don't think my house is a death trap, but I have seen examples of what can happen when a house like mine burns. That tends to make you think about your own preparations.

Sure, wasn't being critical. I was just trying to get where you were coming from. I am not sure there is a good answer so I wanted to know the actual risk and what has been done to mitigate the occurrence and/or seriousness of an incident. You know, for some houses there are things you got to accept...

Surely some of Tim's unsold books could be used in critical areas and have a fire rating similar to steel but your house would be supported by lies and that could really get to a guy after awhile.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-2oDpUYUlc[/youtube]

Encase your house in a giant block of ice.

Why did the other Victorians catch fire? The fire inspector can tell you for a six pack. Iff they're in your neighborhood, you probably face similar risk. Find out what kind of wiring was in the houses-- if it was knob and tube, you may have serious issues-- especially if the knob and tube was hidden. Smoke detectors will help your family get out, but won't reduce your risk (but you knew that).

The high risk of fire could be caused by several things-- mostly electrical. One is obviously fucked up wiring (if you can see that it's shady-- it is). You'll probably need a professional to fix this, and it may be covered by your homeowners insurance if you work it right. Another is wiring and an electrical panel that is not suited for modern electrical use. This will probably require permits to fix and will be expensive. If you go this route, get a bigger panel than you need-- it will be worth the additional $100 if you decide to add anything later (hot tub, etc...). If you work it right (and a pro affirms serious fire risk), it may be covered under your homeowners insurance. Do not hire an electrician who doesn't have experience working on Victorian homes. A lot of electricians will perform free safety inspections, have a couple of them do this.

All that said, there are a lot of problems you can fix yourself. Make sure you know what everything each breaker is associated with-- the labeling on old houses is generally messed up. Label your panels correctly. If you don't have GFCI outlets in wet areas (kitchens and bathrooms and basements), you can put them in yourself. I would also seriously consider replacing all the outlets and switches in your house on principle. Do not get the cheapest outlets-- get the preferred (worth the extra 50 cents each). You can change all of these with some basic electrical tools. You might also want to take down some of your light fixtures and check to see that the coating on the wiring is not damaged or burnt. If it is, you need to either protect the wires (which is a pain is the ass to do correctly), or run new wiring from the junction box (if the wiring is in your attic, this is actually easier).

Depending on the issue, you might want to see if GFCI or GFCI/AFCI breakers make sense for you-- at least on the breakers that use a lot of power. You can do these yourself if you have the right tools and electrical knowledge, but most people don't. Do not get GFCI breakers for your heavier appliances (washer, dryer, refrigerator). GFCI breakers are expensive (~$50 each), GFCI/AFCI breakers are more expensive. If you have a Federal Pacific panel-- replace it now.