Currently, the main escape solution for residents of high-rise buildings in case of fire or explosion is still the stairs. However, moving by stairs is often slow, and combined with panic, people easily jostle and trample each other.

Escape slide system

There are several escape solutions on the market, such as in China and Korea, there are slides integrated into the stairs; in Japan, in addition to slides, there are also fabric tubes and rope ladders. However, these means are prone to accidents. For example, fabric tubes cause collisions. With escape rope ladders, people in high-rise apartments and those in a panic can hardly  ensure  safety when using them. Slides designed with stairs inside small, narrow buildings without railings can easily be thrown out at sharp turns.

The fire escape slide designed by Mr. Tuan in Ho Chi Minh City can be installed outside the building so it does not take up space, limiting smoke and fire in the building that affects escape. The fire escape slide is also arranged as a landing between floors, each area is about 1.5 m.

The slide landing helps limit crowding during the escape process, reducing unfortunate accidents, especially for pregnant women, children, the elderly, etc. The slides are designed with a slope of 30 – 40 degrees,  ensuring that  the slope is not too steep to avoid causing pain when colliding. Depending on the structure of the building, the width of the slide and the railing are from 0.8 – 1m in size. While sliding, users can hold on to the railing to reduce speed,  ensuring  safety.

The escape area outside the building can be designed with a roof or enclosed with a protective layer to ensure both  safety  and durability. The construction materials of the escape system can be made of steel or stainless steel  to ensure  load-bearing capacity and durability. With the above escape slide system, all people living in high-rise apartments, from the elderly, children, healthy, sick, even the disabled with difficulty walking, can escape safely and quickly.

In the case of high-rise buildings that have been completed but do not have an escape slide system, this can be overcome by using external walls, connecting by casting fake corridors, slides, redesigning the escape doors, etc. If the buildings already have an external escape staircase system, it can be converted to an escape slide system by redesigning the safety corridors, and using the stairs as a support frame for the landings.

The new product in the form of a model has been granted a patent for a useful solution by the Intellectual Property Office. The author hopes that his solution will soon be applied in practice.

Source: NPD (synthesis)