Pipe Fire Escape Speeds Emptying of Large Buildings (Jun, 1930)
Pipe Fire Escape Speeds Emptying of Large Buildings
A PATENTED circular fire-escape has been developed by which people on the upper stories of burning buildings can slide to the ground below. The fire-escape consists of a large tube of galvanized steel which extends from an upper floor level to the ground. As it is set at an angle, people can slide through it without difficulty. The upper end of the tube enters the room. Over the entrance is a door, so that no drafts will enter the room through the fire-escape. When fire is discovered, the people in the building sit in the upper part of the tube, slide down it, and land on the ground below.
We had one of these at my middle school. We still used it for fire drills until the mid-eighties.
Comment by Joel — March 11, 2009 @ 10:52 am
How much building’s stories this tube is useful in? Because at least the building were very large, the angle of the tube will cause the people inside to crash on the floor, although unburned of course.
Comment by JM — March 11, 2009 @ 1:04 pm
It’s all fun until the fat guy gets stuck near the bottom and theres a traffic jam inside
Comment by Shmoo2 — March 11, 2009 @ 1:11 pm
Shmoo2, exactly. Certain episode of The Simpsons cames to mind
Comment by Jari — March 11, 2009 @ 1:18 pm
Biggest problem I’d see with this is that every kid in the building would want to play with it.
Comment by Eli — March 11, 2009 @ 3:02 pm
We had one of these in my middle school too. Never got to try it out during a fire drill though.
Comment by Steve — March 11, 2009 @ 3:08 pm
The real funis when they hook up the big vacuum pump after the fire drill andsuck everyone back to their rooms.
(Cue “Futurama” theme music.)
Comment by Toronto — March 11, 2009 @ 3:18 pm
To me the best part is the image of the “patient” who was shoved, bedding, pillows and all, down the hatch. Try that today with actual patients and expect a hfty lawsuit, even if you did save them from a fire.
Comment by Warren — March 11, 2009 @ 3:38 pm
Warren: I could see someone claiming emotional distress for having to traumatically relive the birthing process.
Comment by Charlie — March 11, 2009 @ 4:09 pm
I see these at construction sites, figured they were for garbage.
Comment by Mike — March 11, 2009 @ 6:36 pm
I saw this on the news…
http://www.tv.com/video/uu_ZsW.....3.09?o=cbs
(Dang! You have to download/view the entire 21 minutes?!?)
In text and photos:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....conds.html
Comment by jayessell — March 12, 2009 @ 2:04 pm
Growing up in Blair County Pa we had one as the slide at the Martinsburg Memorial Park in Martinsburg Pa
Comment by Joshua — March 23, 2011 @ 8:16 am
We had a fire escape tube at my elementary school in Iowa. We loved it and to get everyone use to it, we used it at least twice every day when we went to recess. it really made sense and no one got stuck inside. Even the teacher used it to after the kids had gone down so she could monitor us at recess. We went back in the regular way.
I’ll bet it saved lives!
Comment by Brian Voge — June 7, 2011 @ 12:58 am