Hopefully, we won't ever have to find out. The speed at which an rv (or even a mobile home) would burn would certainly hinder more than one person trying to escape, regardless of their physical size.
it would not be easy to do to use the exit window ,we have a large rear window it would be safer to break out the rear window and go down the ladder thats on the back,we have a large fire ext next to the bed to use to fight a small fire or break the window out.
1985 Class A Holiday Rambler Imperial 33 +1979 Class C Holiday Rambler Statesman 1000 = 24 ft
I have thought about this a lot lately - for some reason it has been on my mind. I've figured it would be easier to use the large window in the bedroom for me & the dogs (& cat if she is right there). I would have to drop Maggie in her crate (always by the side of my bed) and Katie (who sleeps on my bed) out then follow them. Don sleeps on the sofa - he has access to the 3 large windows in the front end. He is not very agile but the windows are large enough for him to get through. The stop at the ground would smart, but it is the best we could do.
Winter is a great time to start thinking about these important, but little thought about issues. We have a Hybrid, so the exit strategy for the bunks is a little easier (unzip and drop), but I guess what I have not thought about is getting the kids in the bunks to an exit. We run fire drills in the house to get the kids thinking about fire safety, but shame-on-me, we have never even discussed fire exit strategy in the trailer. Thanks again for the memory jog. This will be a spring project for the whole family.
Sean, Maureen, 4 Kids and a Shih-Tzu
2003 Rockwood Roo 21
2004 GMC Envoy XL (4.2 L V6)
My Husband says head first.. I said what good are we going to be for the kids if we break our necks on the way out?? RUN for the door and hope for the best! Next trailer 2 doors and escape slide! LOL Seriously though It is a very scary thought. I am not so sure we could get out window with out serious injury..
ccxnola wrote: I made a note of this in an unrelated thread. BUT I have come to realize it is a MOST important topic and of significant importance - especially if you do not have a rear door!
Have any of the folks reading here EVER tried the emergency window exit in the bedroom?? Imagine you wake up in the middle of the night, the smoke alarm has just gone off and the rig is not a good place to be!! Can you get the window open, your DW /DH out the window and then follow - in less than 1 minute?? I submit that that is about the time you have available to save yourselves!! AND - getting to the door may not be practical / possible!! (Most fires seem to start at the fridge or stove if not an engine fire.)
I planned to try last week while the rig was at home for some work (it must stay in a storage yard for other than 72 hours at a time).
It's dark (10:00PM) and I lay on the bed under the covers with shorts on. I put an air mattress under the bedroom window to minimize possible self-damage! I had the DW activate the smoke detector (I was already awake, so I had a good head start) and I tried to get out of bed, release the emergency window latches, push out the window and get out onto the ground. Suffice to say it was not a real emergency, I did not have much adrenaline assistance, and I failed the test! (AND I'm glad the neighbors were not watching!) I'm going to make some changes (to my rig and to my attitude) and try again someday. I just hope & pray I do not truly need to get out of the rig in the dark when it is filled with smoke!!
YES! It is probably easier though for us because we have an HTT and tent ends. The end panels completely zip down, or the tenting is quickly released from the bottom edges. When we had our PUP, it was the same deal and everyone could get out fine, but our HTT is MUCH, MUCH taller and I must sleep against the outside of the tent because I am very tall and can reach the ground easily to help my wife out should the need arise. We maybe be overly cautious, but my wife and I both survived fires as kids, and I am extensively safety trained (HAZWOPER, confined space entry/rescue, construction safety, Coast Guard, first aid, CPR-AED, etc.). Everyone we invite to camp with us must know the safety drill and where the flashlights, extinquishers, and first aid kit is.
This thought went through my mind last weekend. I was sitting at the dinette and the emergecy window was there. No way I could get out of it! We do have two doors and hubby sleeps in the bed and I get the couch. Both dogs usually sleep with me, so we'd be out separate doors and hope for the best!
"I" could alway get out quickly from everything I've ever owned, but I'm still young.
My previous Class A had escape windows in the bedroom on both sides. I could jump down from here, but some of the older crowd? It's about 6' to the bottom of the window. Land on yer head and you'll probably be done. I wouldn't want to land on anything other than my feet, and that's still a good drop. But we're talking survival, and anything is better than burning to death.
Suggest some of your consider getting a small rolled up ladder, like they sell for 2nd floor evacuations. Just trim to length.
Our current TT has two doors, though it's only 25' long. There still is an escape window, but totally useless since there's a door on the opposite wall.
I did see this on the side of the road, hopefully nobody was inside at the time:
Have a plan, be safe. Going down with the ship is NOT an option. I'd sooner keep a chainsaw in the bedroom, and cut the back wall out of the camper!
Keeping with this great theme - it might be smart to make sure that when you park your RV, there's not a stanchion/water pipe, etc directly below the fire exit. Nothing like jumping out the window and getting impaled on a utility post!
Deb and Ed M wrote: Keeping with this great theme - it might be smart to make sure that when you park your RV, there's not a stanchion/water pipe, etc directly below the fire exit. Nothing like jumping out the window and getting impaled on a utility post!
Deb
Very good point. Look around your rig to make sure you have a safe place to drop out of window to.
Offline
