Fire escape ladder for wide window sill - please help a very hormonal pregnant lady!

[GentleParent]

Posting for traffic - which I realise is a bit unreasonable. But...

Has anyone found a fire escape ladder that you can use with a windowsill depth of 15-16 inches? We live in a Victorian terrace, so sash window has small sill on inside but very deep sill on inside - total of about 15-16 inches. Everything I can find only seems to work on window sills up to approx 10 inches. Any recommendations gratefully received!

I am heavily pregnant and my nesting instinct seems to have been diverted into fire safety obsession - this ladder issue suddenly feels SUPER URGENT! AIBU to be this hormonal?!

@shoutyshouter - Oh Jeez - I hadn't even factored in the bloody dog!

i can't help but think you know very little about fire safety in general if you think that burning to death is a likely prospect. Most people who die in house fires (bearing in mind that house fires are very rare in the UK and deaths much rarer still) die from smoke inhalation, followed by explosive accidents. Death by burning is very very rare indeed.

[quote GentleParent]@greeneyedlulu - Second, but this has been on my background To Do list for about 6 years! I'm just having a pre-labour rush of Getting All The Things Done. I've also just had kitchen repainted, sofas cleaned and finally disposed of a load of junk from the cellar - there's no stopping me! So it's more in the context of displacement activity / out of control nesting than baby anxiety![/quote]
Wow, I feel tired reading that list! So if you've waited 6 years a bit longer won't hurt.

@Boatingforthestars - Good to know about the radiator - thank you!

@suspiria777 - Ah, you got me. Yes, I know very little about fire safety. I do know that burning to death is an incredibly unlikely prospect. But incredibly likely things can and do happen - and in the event of being faced with such a prospect, I really don't want to have to say "Sorry kids - we would've had a ladder, but some people on an aggressive parenting forum made Mummy feel silly about it, so we don't".

incredibly *unlikely

@Tinydinosaur - Might resort to something like that. I'm sure it will never be used, but it's just slightly more peace of mind... I also think that because children cannot make their own decisions and keep themselves safe, you sort of feel compelled to be a bit over-cautious on their behalf.

This one clips to bolts you install beneath the window, suitable for all window depths
www.safelincs.co.uk/easyscape-fire-escape-ladders/

@maggiecate - That could be an option if I can't find anything that just hooks over window - thank you!

I’m sure in books the heroine tears up some sheets, deftly knots them together and neatly climbs down to safety amongst much admiration.

Seriously, try to talk to the fire service if it’s possible but make sure you have a decent fire proof bedroom door which will allow a minimum of 30 minutes for rescue.

Wow, Ife never even heard of these. Tbh, by the time you've faffed round with it, the fire brigade will already have reached you. It seems like ridiculous overkill to me, but if you want to waste your money on it, then go ahead, it's no one else's business.

@MatildaTheCat - I'm sure I could pull that off with aplomb...!

We had our house renovated a few years ago, so all doors are up to latest fire standards (at least, that's what builder said!).

Don't tell anyone - as I'm already getting the expected amount of s**t on this thread - but we only live 3 mins from local fire station, so I'm sure the fire engine would be here extremely quickly!

[quote GentleParent]@Tinydinosaur - Might resort to something like that. I'm sure it will never be used, but it's just slightly more peace of mind... I also think that because children cannot make their own decisions and keep themselves safe, you sort of feel compelled to be a bit over-cautious on their behalf.[/quote]
We figured that if it does happen, I don't want to spend half an hour working out what to do. I've never been a cautious person but it's really scary to be responsible for someone so vulnerable

@Babyboomtastic - Yeah, I'm sure you're right and it's OTT! But I've no doubt wasted money on worse (Hello, exercise-bike-turned-clothes-horse...) and it's one of those things that will disrupt my peace of mind now it's occurred to me!

[quote GentleParent]@MatildaTheCat - I'm sure I could pull that off with aplomb...!

We had our house renovated a few years ago, so all doors are up to latest fire standards (at least, that's what builder said!).

Don't tell anyone - as I'm already getting the expected amount of s**t on this thread - but we only live 3 mins from local fire station, so I'm sure the fire engine would be here extremely quickly![/quote]
I think you're great

I'd be interested if you find one, I've often wondered if anyone has them installed and if they've ever actually been used in an emergency.

In the absence of the fire brigade coming to do a safety check, would they agree to communicate via email? You could send a pic of said window and get their opinion.

I completely understand your fear but look into prevention of a fire so that you don't have to consider leaving the building. Wired in smoke alarms too.

So using your bedding to seal the gap under the door sort of thing too. Also depending on when your windows were fitted do they even open wide enough for you to get through? All mine were replaced a couple of years ago and had to be 90 degree openers for escaping a fire.

It is completely normal to freak out over these things when you are pregnant and it feels overwhelming. I do actually have an escape ladder, never used it in 20 years. Now we have lower roofs that we can climb out onto from several rooms.

I’m amazed that people find wanting to be fire safe weird?

I have fire ladders in mine and DD’s bedroom, a fire plan if we can’t get out downstairs, thumb turns on all inside to outside doors so we never need keys, fire extinguishers and blankets in all rooms.

I think people think the fire alarms will go off and you’ll have half an hour to get out. It’s not like that at all, the smoke is what will kill you, not the fire. And that can be catastrophic long before the fire reaches upstairs.

I had a small fire in the kitchen (microwave!) and I could barely get to it due to the smoke. If I hadn’t been awake and there in seconds it would have filled the house.

People always think it doesn’t happen until it does and then you’re stuffed if you’re not prepared.

I kept one with a heavy and thick piece of wood you could brace across the window (plenty long enough that it braces on brickwork rather than frame) and then attach to the wood rather than the wall, if that makes sense

They are an absolutely last resort thing though and this adaptation makes them even more last ditch

Haven't fully RTFT, but am married to a fire fighter. Best and safest things you can do are: Smoke alarms - 2 or 3 - with one outside your bedroom door, one near to the kitchen and one in hallway downstairs. All doors fully, fully closed at night - not even a crack open. Don't run dishwasher/washing machine at night. Your doors give you around 20 mins protection from fire - once the fire is literally right outside the door and door is burning. But a fire isn't likely to randomly start on your landing and smoke alarms go off very quickly once smouldering starts. Fire service response time is probably 10 to 15 mins absolute max unless you are in the middle of nowhere. So you will be fine without a ladder. However, if you did ever feel you needed to climb out of a window to escape a fire remember to lower yourself down so you are hanging from the window sill by your arms and then drop to the ground to reduce the fall distance.

Try not to stress, house fires are incredibly rare and working smoke alarms are the best defense/safety measure.

Like this, the red bits are the hooks/cantilevers at the top of the ladder, and it was a collapsible ladder

The gap above the wood needs to be big enough for you to get out so only works if there's enough space.

There's probably better options out there but we were poor and this was cheapest option

Please seek help for your anxiety. It will not improve when baby is here.

This level of anxiety will be much more damaging for your children than the tiny tiny chance of needing a fire ladder.

I live in a flat and contacted these people about ladders suitable for hanging over balconies. They were very helpful.
So it might be worth dropping them an email specifying your windowsill measurements.

www.safelincs.co.uk/portable-fire-escape-ladders/

@DimidDavilby - Erm, I'm not anxious. This has been a fairly light-hearted thread (from my POV at least). I'm just trying to use mat leave to get through some items on my to do list - one of which is making sure our household is on top of fire safety. This is something people are specifically advised to do. Buying a fire escape ladder on Amazon and sticking it in the bottom of a wardrobe really isn't indicative of a MH issue.

If I thought for a moment that your comment came from a place of kindness or genuine concern, I would say thank you.

@TaraR2020 - Haha! Thank you! I'll let you know if I manage to find anything...

If you are only 3 minutes from the fire station the I wouldn't be thinking about escaping from an upstairs window. Different if you are in the middle of nowhere.

Important to have an escape plan and keep all routes and exits free from clutter. And definitely have working smoke alarms, these them weekly and vacuum them every now and then too.

As pp said fire is unlikely to start in hallway outside your bedroom.