Building escape railing system

Abstract

A building escape railing system for mounting on a building and facilitating the rescue of persons and the access of emergency personnel and supplies to the building is disclosed. The building escape railing system includes at least one platform tracking for engaging the building and a vehicle engaging the at least one track for vertically transversing the at least one track. In one embodiment, the vehicle is a lift unit. In another embodiment, the vehicle is a rescue platform. In still another embodiment, the vehicle is a remote fire hose platform carrying a fire hose. In yet another embodiment, the vehicle is a brake mechanism that facilitates the gravity-assisted escape of persons from the building.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the priority of co-pending U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 / 640,919, filed on Dec. 30, 2004, by the same inventor.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to systems that facilitate rescue or escape of persons from a building during an emergency. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel building escape railing system which includes tracks that can be attached to the exterior of a building to facilitate the vertical travel of escape platforms, scaffolding, traveling fire hoses and the like, on the building during a fire or other emergency. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART [0003] High-rise buildings such as apartments, office buildings and the like are equipped with fire escape stairways having an access on each floor for persons to escape the building in the event of a fire or other emergency. To escape from the building, occupants typically must leave the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] The invention is directed to a building escape railing system which can be mounted to the exterior of a building to facilitate the expedited or timely escape or rescue of persons from the building in the case of a fire, gas leak, chemical spill or other emergency. The building escape railing system includes multiple platform tracks mounted to the exterior surface of the building. A rescue scaffold is mounted for vertical travel on one or a pair of the platform tracks. A lift platform may additionally be mounted on one of the platform tracks. A remote fire hose platform may be mounted for vertical travel on another of the platform tracks. Accordingly, the rescue scaffold can be used to facilitate the expeditious escape of persons from the building through a window or other opening in the building during the fire or other emergency and / or to deliver firefighting personnel and / or supplies from the ground to a selected level of the building through a window or opening, for example. Additionally, the remote fire hose platform may be used to raise a fire hose to a selected level on the building in order to spray water on an interior fire through a window or opening in the building. Moreover, the lift platform may be used to facilitate the lifting of firefighting personnel and / or supplies to selected levels on the building. The invention may further include a brake mechanism, which is mounted on a platform track and facilitates the gravity-assisted escape of persons from the building.

[0008] In one general aspect of the present invention, a building escape railing system is provided for facilitating the expeditious or timely escape or rescue of persons from a building during an emergency. The system comprises:

[0015] In yet another aspect of the present invention, an escape platform is mounted on a pair of parallel platform tracks, a lift platform is mounted on one of the platform tracks, a remote fire hose platform is mounted on another of the platform tracks, and a brake mechanism is mounted on still another of the platform tracks to facilitate multiple tasks in the rescue or escape of persons from and / or the extinguishing of a fire in a building.

Problems solved by technology

However, if the fire has progressed into the hallway, some of the occupants, unable to pass beyond the location of the fire, may become trapped in their rooms or apartments.

While firefighters have improved life-saving techniques over the years, it may be difficult for firefighting personnel to place a ladder at every window in the building through which persons need to escape the building.

Moreover, in the saving of persons trapped in a burning building, time is critical since, depending on the severity of the fire, some persons in the building may perish due to the fire or smoke inhalation if such persons are not quickly provided a means of escape from the building.

In some situations, it may be difficult for the personnel to properly place or position the fire hose into close proximity to the fire, particularly if a large portion of the fire is on the interior of the building.

In such instances, heat from the fire may render it difficult for personnel to sufficiently approach the fire through the building interior to extinguish the fire.

Images