Question: Why don't they put fire escapes on the outside of skyscrapers?

[trumad]

If they had fire escapes on the outside of the World Trade center, would more people have survived?

[Hot_Wheels_Dude]

1. Cuz it was over 1,000 Ft tall maybe?

On a 5 story Brownstone... sure, why not. At the 1,000 foot level LOTS of people would simply feeze up from vertigo. I'll ride on a 500 foot roller coaster, but sure as hell, you aren't gonna get me to walk that mother!

[thecrow]

3. Beats jumping

[treestar]

10. They should keep parachutes on the top floors

And train everyone in the use of them.

Seriously, it would make some sense, given the risk that all exit stairways would be blocked.

Maybe they should have more exit stairways, too.

[uppityperson]

13. I think someone was marketing something like this parachute. Here's a couple links

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/25/tech/main971983.shtml
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1025/p03s01-ussc.html?s=planetizen

"(clip) Heart-rending situations aside, most experts say today's last-resort devices are potentially dangerous and not to be trusted in a critical moment.

"I'd rather see money spent on better stairs and elevators than esoteric escape devices," says Jonathan Barnett, a professor of fire protection engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

There's nothing stopping installation of such devices — except legal liability. Building owners would probably be responsible if the system fails — and someone dies, he says. "(clip)

[jwirr]

18. As an individual that seems to be something I might keep in my locker?

[RobinA]

25. What Happened

to those jet packs my Weekly Reader used to tell me would be all the rage by now? I'm still waiting. That and the heated streets so snow wouldn't be a problem.

[HughBeaumont]

28. Hee hee . . . this book's for you -

Where's my Jetpack?

[damntexdem]

30. Giant slides.

Whooooppeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

[napi21]

9. Boy are you right on that vertigo thing!

I got woozey just reading the OP and thinking about that! I don't even do roller coasters! I remember getting a really sick feeling when I rode in a glass elevator out in Seattle a number of years ago.

[trumad]

12. Then enclose them ---kind of like a long tube.

no vertigo if you can't see down.

[Tesha]

23. Those are called "Fire stairs". Buildings have them. (NT)

[DireStrike]

31. then the smoke builds up inside

I'm terrified of heights, but I'd just keep my hand on the rail and go down.

On second thought, don't those metal fire escapes get awfully hot?

[Morrisons Ghost]

17. Not

to mention the wind has to be unbeleivable up there.MG

[LostinVA]

22. I was thinking the wind would do it, and the vertigo issue

However, if structurally they could be enclosed, like suggested above, that might solve both problems.

[TahitiNut]

2. Because they had them on the inside?

:shrug: The design flaws have been noted extensively.

[On the Road]

4. They Have Internal Exit Stairs

which I believe take the place of external fire escapes. Some of the stairways might have been blocked or partially destroyed, but external fire escapes might have been damaged just as easily.

[treestar]

5. That may not be possible, but I wonder why they don't have fire drills

Maybe they did. Especially in light of the fact that fires can cause the entire building to collapse :sarcasm: I would never work in a skyscraper and would expect fewer people willing to do so as part of the "way things changed" since 911.

At the very least, they should have rules against lighting so much as a birthday candle, especially on the lower floors, given the risk. They should have weekly fire drills and everyone should know what to do in case of fire - where the exit is, not to go to the top but go down (as some people apparently thought they should do) and handouts to visitors with all of these rules.

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. I read somewhere right after 9/11 that they DID have a bunch

of fire drills in the month or so before 9/11, more than usual. The theory was that the WTC buildings had been deliberately demolished and the explosives were planted during these fire drills.

[slackmaster]

6. Interesting idea - maybe if they could be integrated into the design

Old-fashioned fire escapes are butt ugly. Perhaps some kind of down-only emergency elevators.

Most people who were in the WTC did escape unharmed BTW.

[uppityperson]

7. I think they should've put slides going around and around the building

like waterslides. You could hop on 1 and slide and slide and slide and eventually be so dizzy and vomiting that , oh, never mind.

Because they were on the inside.

[slackmaster]

8. Or the world's longest fire poles

That would take some brass balls to use.

[Uben]

11. Imagine.....

.....your air speed by the time you got to the bottom! Can you say "pancake"?

[shraby]

14. I've often thought some kind of slide could be

made to work. Even older people could use it whereas with steps they get too tired to go anymore. Maybe a circular slide which would keep the speed down when descending. A storage of pads to sit on would also protect their bottoms from the heat that would be generated.

[Warpy]

15. No, they'd have gotten cooked on the way down

when they got to the level of the fires.

Reinforced stairwells might have saved them in the north tower. The south tower had one non reinforced stairwell survive the impact, which was on an angle. All the stairwells in the north tower were destroyed in the head on impact.

Besides, can you imagine trying to navigate an open stairway at that height? Many if not most folks have a fear of heights and panic would have been a real issue.

[trumad]

16. Enclose them

and design them so they are separate from the building. I know there's a chance they could be destroyed---but?.

[Cassandra]

19. That is otherwise known as an internal fireproof stairway...

which is what they had.
A lot of loft buildings in the city (old office buildings of 20 stories or so) have fire escapes. The newer (1930's and on?) ones built them internally. If they are too separate from the building they may end up inaccessible.

[valerief]

21. Buildings where people work every day shouldn't be so damn tall. Period. nt

[LostinVA]

24. I agree with that

[dave_p]

26. I seem to recall...

Weren't those stuck on the upper floors the victims of management orders to stay put after the impacts when they might otherwise have survived?

But an enclosed external structure seems sensible... and remember you'd only need it to get past the stricken floors, not for the full descent.

[RamboLiberal]

32. What cost a lot of lives was order to return to their offices

in the South Tower after the North Tower had been hit. A lot of people in the sky lobby on the 78th floor waiting for elevators were wiped out as were people in the floors hit and above. And there was some confusion among some people in both towers if they should stay in their offices or evacuate immediately for those below the fire floors.

At least in the South Tower one stairway survived the impact which let those alive who found it a way out. In the North Tower anyone above the impact zone was doomed because all the stairways had been wiped out by the impact. Some in the North Tower did try to go to the roof but the roof door was locked and there was no provision for helicopter rescues from the roof.

[DireStrike]

33. Yeah, at least that's never gonna happen again.

the only way I can see people staying put now is if there's threat of nuclear or chem/bio hazard.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

27. Why doesn't the quarterback do the things...

I think of on monday morning?

[conspirator]

29. I think a specialized rescue helicopter would be the solution in case of tall buidings. Its amazing

how a nation who spends billions in black project hardware to attack other countries never tried to develop a rescue flying machine for this situations.
Imagine if this vehicle had been perfected for rescue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi5QDHKk9AY