# Better ways out of a burning building? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [October 28, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945 "2016-10-28T16:05:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bobo\_ver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@bobo\_ver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobo_ver)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945/1 "2016-10-28T16:05:25Z")
About the last coumn on fire escape, I was wondering why not having a solution as in the four-story slide in the Changi Airport or at the Technische Universität München? A serie of 2- story slides, where people could just go down faster with a pacement like escalator? Or maybe, on could find a way to transform escalator into slide? ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945/2 "2016-10-28T16:34:00Z")
I recently found out that in my building the elevators are not disabled in the event of a fire unless the fire is in the elevator shaft. Seems like a good idea to me. Yay or nay? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945/3 "2016-10-28T17:25:35Z")
[A link to the column being discussed.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3312/are-there-better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building-than-taking-the-stairs) ---
**Author:** ![Jonascord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@Jonascord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonascord)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945/4 "2016-10-29T12:27:31Z")
One thing you skipped over. The roof. On 9/11, because of the F#$Ktard that thought it was cute to cross from one tower to the other by high wire, the subject of two fawning movies, the doors to the roof of both towers of the WTC were chained shut. While there were helicopters that could have landed, there were no people there… How many people did that kill? They were above the fire floors, trapped, with rescue one door away, but I’m sure they appreciated the amusing irony. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945/5 "2016-10-29T14:44:50Z")
> [@Jonascord](#): > > While there were helicopters that could have landed, there were no people there… Are you sure about that? I’ve read from several sources that the thick smoke and the many rooftop aerials would have made helicopter landings quite unfeasible. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2016, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945/6 "2016-10-30T02:24:17Z")
Here’s a related older thread: [Re 9-11 is there any reliable way to jump out a 500-1000 tall building and survive?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=248334) ---
**Author:** ![ultimate11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/49beb7/32.png) [@ultimate11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultimate11)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2016, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945/7 "2016-10-30T06:21:51Z")
If I was working in the Aon Center, I might still use the elevator and see if I can’t get out of the building. The only difference between 1/2 World Trade Center and the Amoco Building (assuming we’re using the Sep. 2001 names) is that according to Wikipedia, the Aon doesn’t have a Sky lobby, so I assume the elevator can take me straight down, if it’s still working (and it hasn’t been disabled yet, or it’s been retrofitted). One problem the evacuation plans have is the event that should a plane hit/bombing attack occurs _and_ you’re in a wheelchair. Now how do you get out of a building, ride off onto a window and hope the chair breaks your fall? Hope your jump is high enough for you to get onto lake michigan? ---
**Author:** ![jdgalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/839c29/32.png) [@jdgalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdgalt)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945/8 "2016-10-30T21:29:48Z")
How about just a spiral slide, to replace the spiral stairways that most buildings already have? ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2016, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945/9 "2016-10-30T22:00:47Z")
> [@Jonascord](#): > > One thing you skipped over. The roof. On 9/11, because of the F#$Ktard that thought it was cute to cross from one tower to the other by high wire, the subject of two fawning movies, the doors to the roof of both towers of the WTC were chained shut. > While there were helicopters that could have landed, there were no people there… > How many people did that kill? They were above the fire floors, trapped, with rescue one door away, but I’m sure they appreciated the amusing irony. There were no helicopters that could have landed: the airspace was closed. Alternatively, I’d heard that the reoofs had been tank-trapped to prevent helicopeter landings, because of terrorism fears. Urban legend? (And anyway, it wasn’t the people using high-wires whore were the F#$Ktards – it was the self-important people who take jobs that allow them to boss others around, because they like bossing people around, and use any kind of exuse to find new ways of bossing people around.) ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2016, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945/10 "2016-10-30T22:58:51Z")
The tops of WTC on 9/11 were not suited for helicopter landings or hoists. The roof was NOT a designated exit route. **Jonascord** you may want to let go of those years of anger. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945/11 "2016-10-31T12:47:12Z")
The column asks whether there are other ways than the stairs, since many flights of stairs can be slow to borderline impossible for many disabled people. But if you just question that premise, it becomes clear that the simplest solution is some kind of device / chair that can safely go down stairs using mostly just gravity. Some googling finds that not only is there such a thing, but it was used during 9/11 ([link](http://www.evac-chair.com/)). I think there’s room for improvment; especially if buildings are designed with such chairs in mind. But I guess there’s just not the money there…since the need to evacuate is rare, and if something isn’t mandated by law, few people bother. ---
**Author:** ![EarlGrayHot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e480ec/32.png) [@EarlGrayHot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EarlGrayHot)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945/12 "2016-11-03T15:53:35Z")
I thought the problem with using elevators during a fire was that the elevators will go straight to the floor with the fire. Now I’ve heard that current plans are to have elevators which will not head to the fire floor and which are located on the outside of the building. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945/13 "2016-11-03T17:29:54Z")
In a fire, the fire can burn through the elevator call button on the floor with the fire and short it out, so yes it is quite possible that the elevator will go to the floor where the fire is and open its doors because it thinks someone pressed the button. Another danger is that if the fire burns through something critical to the elevator (control room or control circuitry, power wires, motor, etc) while you’re inside it, you’re stuck. In movies, it’s always easy to climb out through the roof of the elevator (into whatever drama the movie artificially puts there) but in reality it’s not always so easy. A major danger is smoke inhalation. Smoke and hot air will often rise through the elevator shaft, which means that you could pass out from smoke inhalation once in the elevator and could be killed from lack of oxygen, or, since you are passed out, you might just stay there too long and the fire could reach you or the building could collapse on you or something else similarly bad could happen. So yeah, elevators generally aren’t a very good idea in a fire. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945/14 "2016-11-03T17:42:42Z")
Do you know what the difference is between a large greasy ventilation shaft and an elevator shaft? Neither does fire. ---
**Author:** ![Jackan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e47774/32.png) [@Jackan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2016, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-out-of-a-burning-building/769945/15 "2016-11-11T19:10:16Z")
Long time reader, first time quibbler. (XKCD 386) Heat does not rise. Hot air rises. “Heat does not rise or sink because it isn’t actually a substance, it’s energy being transferred. It is hot air which rises. The reason for this is that hotter air is more dilute than colder air. Or equivalently: colder air is denser than hotter air.” EG, in a basement with cement floors, and radient heating, the heat will go faster to the ground below the cement than it will to the air above it, because the earth is a better conductor of heat than the air is. To be more energy efficient, and keep the heat in the house, a thermal barrier, (usually foam) must be placed between the cement and the earth.