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Permanent fire escape ladder hides under the window when not needed

Permanent fire escape ladder hides under the window when not needed
An included piece of plastic trim covers the Rescue Ready ladder – most of the time
An included piece of plastic trim covers the Rescue Ready ladder – most of the time
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The Rescue Ready Retrofit, uncovered
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The Rescue Ready Retrofit, uncovered
An included piece of plastic trim covers the Rescue Ready ladder – most of the time
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An included piece of plastic trim covers the Rescue Ready ladder – most of the time
The current version of the Rescue Ready ladder measures about 13 ft long (4 m)
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The current version of the Rescue Ready ladder measures about 13 ft long (4 m)
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While it's a good idea for people with upstairs bedrooms to have a collapsible fire escape ladder handy, quickly finding and deploying the thing could be difficult in a smoke-filled home. That's where the permanently attached Rescue Ready Retrofit is designed to come in.

Developed by Virginia-based firefighters/paramedics Brett Russell and Eric Hartsfield, the setup incorporates a ladder that is user-installed directly below a bedroom window, in place of the pre-existing wooden trim. Its anchoring cleats must be bolted to the load-bearing studs located underneath the plaster or drywall, on either side of the window.

Although there are other permanently attached fire ladders, most of them are contained within a recessed compartment that has to be professionally cut into the wall.

The Rescue Ready Retrofit, uncovered
The Rescue Ready Retrofit, uncovered

By contrast, once it's installed, the Rescue Ready ladder is simply covered with an included piece of molded plastic that replaces the removed wooden trim. In the event of a fire, that piece is quickly popped off, the window is opened, and the ladder is thrown out of it.

That ladder consists of 5052-aluminum rungs with an anti-slip coating, and nylon webbing. The current version of it measures about 13 ft long (4 m), meets ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards, and can support a weight of over 750 lb (340 kg). It's presently limited to second-floor use, although a longer version is being developed for three-story homes.

The Rescue Ready Retrofit can be ordered now via the link below, although shipping likely won't start until the end of the year– it's priced at US$179. You can see it in use, in the following video.

Source: Rescue Ready

Rescue Ready RetroFit

View gallery - 3 images
7 comments
7 comments
Grunchy
It's funny that the ladder and velcro strap are all high-vis reflective neon yet it's all hidden under the cover. I bet there will be people who have this thing in their house (let's suppose somebody buys a house from another person with such equipment already attached) and when the situation arises they never even knew it was there.
Maybe it burns up in the fire and nobody ever realizes it was ever there at all. Meanwhile the person is recuperating from a broken leg from the big jump...
Username
Ideally they need something to keep the ladder away from the wall.
jhl385
As a retired firefighter who once installed a residential hose cabinet in my home, this looks like a great invention! Hope they do well with this.
unusualsuspect
Great idea! I built one for a B&B in Nola, but this is much better.
I also installed a hose reel under the kitchen sink because a 150 year old building is basically kindling.
Can't be too careful.
Karmudjun
Great "Heads Up" Ben. Two story single family homes usually have one way in and out of the upstairs area - one set of stairs. I know of a firefighter who place a 'fire pole' outside of his son's windows for safety - and I know the sons that used it for fun and to sneak out at night.

Still - this is a great idea. I laugh when I see all the reflective & vibrant colors since you can't see anything in the middle of dense smoke - but the fire fighters will see the ladder material immediately and double their efforts to
Karmudjun
verify all occupants got out. An addition might be a fire or smoke detector built into the trim with a warning sound and light so that the blind or deaf (I have deaf relatives) might find the egress more easily. Definitely a great design and useful for anyone over the age of 5 or so.....might be a hazard for younger children. Everything is a trade-off!
Utilitarian
Looks like a great product. As landlords this would be useful as not in the eye=line of tenants. If they see the ladder, no doubt it would become someone to reach for of Play with ie broken before it ever gets used.