Automatic Exit Device
A product item in the AIA’s journal describing three models, Exit Permanent, Exit Traveler and Exit Home, credited to R.A.W. Rescue Products Inc.
Citation: Architecture (Journal of the American Institute of Architects), November 1987. “New and Noteworthy” product item, pp. 133–134. Found via Internet Archive (usmodernist collection).
What it says
- Says the devices “provide an escape from buildings up to 12 stories high” and that “a device for buildings up to 100 stories (or 1,100 feet) will be available soon.”
- Says all three models “are made of materials tested and approved by TNO and TUV (National Test Institutes in Holland and West Germany) for up to 2,000 pounds and up to 1,830 degrees Fahrenheit.”
- Describes one-time-use devices, replaced by the manufacturer after verified emergency use, in light gray or cream or custom colors, “tested and used in Europe since the early ’80s.”
Page images from the Internet Archive copy of the November 1987 issue (pages 133 and 134). The item is in the left-hand column of each page; the rest of each page is shown as printed.
Transcript
Automatic Exit Device
Automatic-exit lowering devices provide an escape from buildings up to 12 stories high should exits be blocked by fire or smoke or for other reasons. A device for buildings up to 100 stories (or 1,100 feet) will be available soon.
All three models offered—Exit Permanent, Exit Traveler, and Exit Home—are made of materials tested and approved by TNO and TUV (National Test Institutes in Holland and West Germany) for up to 2,000 pounds and up to 1,830 degrees Fahrenheit. All models come in sealed plastic containers with international pictogram instructions, a window center punch for breaking sealed windows, and a safety light, and are available in any length up to 130 feet. Exit Permanent contains a mounting bracket, fisher plugs and bolts, and three center rings.
The user applies the harness belting around the body by pulling a ring at the [continued on page 134] bottom of the container. An arm sling falls free for adjustment to the body. The device lowers a person automatically at a steady walking pace to the ground, and is guaranteed for persons weighing between 40 and 300 pounds. It is possible for two persons to use the device if the weight of both is within the acceptable weight limit.
Since they are one-time-use devices, the manufacturer will replace used devices when sent back with verification by authorities that the exit was used for emergency purposes. The devices come in light gray or cream or may be custom ordered in any color, and the client’s logo or symbol can be imprinted upon request. The devices have been tested and used in Europe since the early ’80s.
R.A.W. Rescue Products Inc.
Transcribed from the page image for accessibility and search; the scan is the document of record.
Reproduced as a historical document. Copyright remains with the publisher: Architecture, the AIA Journal (American Institute of Architects).