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01-16-2018, 01:42 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 1
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EMERGENCY Fire Escape Ladder - Single door RV
We all think ...'this will never happen to me'! IF you own a single door RV, stop reading. Go out and immediately purchase a reusable emergency escape ladder.
I turned 67 on Jan.16, and there was NO WAY I was going to "drop" out of the bedroom escape window (approx. 7' down) last Friday night. I was cleaning and preparing our 2003 Condor Class A to drive my wife and 5 of her friends Saturday to the casino for a birthday "girls celebration". At 9pm, I drove away to blow off the excess water. Since I was just going around the block, I left the garage door open, and my wallet and cellphone in the house.---you all know how this ends---wife fell asleep on the couch watching TV. And we all know how effective the stock horns on any RV are.
I pulled back into the driveway, set the parking brake, turned off the engine, and was fully expecting to open the entry door, when - SMACK "that was my nose smashing into the door's window"! The door would not budge. The inferior design / material of the single-handle TRIMARK door lock had failed.
Two points to seriously consider: 1. IF you own a single door RV, get an emergency escape ladder. (Found mine at Lowe's Sunday morning - $40). 2. IF your TRIMARK lock has not failed, IT WILL. It's cheaper to purchase a replacement (c. $100 eBay), than to demolish your door to get out of your RV.
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01-16-2018, 03:05 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 26,843
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Yes you need to FIX that entry Door Lock
As to that 'escape ladder'
FIRE is a motivator
Do NOT waste valuable/precious time trying to set up/use one of those RV Escape ladders.
An RV will be consumed within minutes by a fire......toxic fumes will be overwhelming from the materials used
GET out and RUN
Broken legs/arms can be mended.......
Escape Ladders 'sound' like a great idea.
In reality......they are difficult to deploy and then climb down unless you TRAIN by actually using. Which during the panic of a FIRE your will forget/get confused \\
Open that escape window and GET OUT...then RUN
Fire extinguishers should be strategically placed to allow one time enough to GET OUT and RUN
__________________
I took my Medication today. HAVE YOU?
Dodge 3500 w/Tractor Motor
US NAVY---USS Decatur DDG-31
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01-16-2018, 04:27 PM
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#3
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Senior Member/RVM #90
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Columbus, MS
Posts: 54,785
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Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!
You might find the link below interesting!
Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f59/escap...ks-154476.html
__________________
Joe & Annette
Sometimes I sits and thinks, sometimes I just sits.....
2002 Monaco Windsor 40PBT, 2013 Honda CRV AWD
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01-16-2018, 05:54 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: MD
Posts: 260
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If you try and deploy a ladder you will probably be dead and so will anyone behind you. The smoke will kill you not the flames. In fact there may not be flames at all. To keep weight down, RV materials give off toxic fumes and that is what will kill you. In the worst case it will happen at night. When you wake, hopefully from a working smoke alarm, you will be blind, gasping for air and totally disoriented. You would probably never make the front door anyway. Your only chance in that case is to go out the emergency exit. You may be hurt but alive. Remember it is the smoke that kills.
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Fulton and Donna USN Ret (both)
Maryland
2016 Tiffin 32 SA, 2013 Smart Toad
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01-16-2018, 06:31 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Fleetwood Owners Club Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: North East Florida
Posts: 2,028
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I think the OP was saying it would be nice to have an emergency ladder when you door lock fails. In that case you would have plenty of time to deploy and use the escape ladder.
He never mentioned fire.
__________________
2019 Horizon 42Q
Cummins L-9 450 HP
Maxum Chassis / IFS with Tag
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01-16-2018, 06:41 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 337
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I worry about the difficulty of getting the day-night shades out of the way to be able to climb out
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01-16-2018, 06:56 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA
Posts: 245
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit
Yes you need to FIX that entry Door Lock
As to that 'escape ladder'
FIRE is a motivator
Do NOT waste valuable/precious time trying to set up/use one of those RV Escape ladders.
An RV will be consumed within minutes by a fire......toxic fumes will be overwhelming from the materials used
GET out and RUN
Broken legs/arms can be mended.......
Escape Ladders 'sound' like a great idea.
In reality......they are difficult to deploy and then climb down unless you TRAIN by actually using. Which during the panic of a FIRE your will forget/get confused \\
Open that escape window and GET OUT...then RUN
Fire extinguishers should be strategically placed to allow one time enough to GET OUT and RUN
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01-16-2018, 10:00 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 26,843
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckftboy
I think the OP was saying it would be nice to have an emergency ladder when you door lock fails. In that case you would have plenty of time to deploy and use the escape ladder.
He never mentioned fire.
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You are correct.
OP did NOT mention FIRE
I Did.
And if I was locked inside my RV safe and sound due to a faulty door latch I would turn on TV sit back have a cold one and WAIT.
Go to sleep if necessary
Sooner or later SOMEBODY will come looking for me
Alot safer then trying to climb out a RV window and down a free hanging ladder
Have you ever tried one of those
No thanks.......safe inside the RV.
No dangers/no good reason to HURT myself.
__________________
I took my Medication today. HAVE YOU?
Dodge 3500 w/Tractor Motor
US NAVY---USS Decatur DDG-31
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01-17-2018, 05:16 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 1,059
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit
And if I was locked inside my RV safe and sound due to a faulty door latch I would turn on TV sit back have a cold one and WAIT.
Go to sleep if necessary
Sooner or later SOMEBODY will come looking for me
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I think he was worried that if it happened again and he was stuck inside with all those women in the RV.
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2018 Nexus Ghost
2016 Ford Expedition
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01-17-2018, 07:53 PM
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#10
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Community Moderator
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
Posts: 31,553
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I would rather drop a few feet to the ground, even if I broke an ankle, than to take the time to: 1 find the ladder. 2 deploy the ladder. 3 try to get out on the ladder. During a fire is not the time or place to try this all out. We're headed out the window!
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Tony & Ruth........... FMCA#F416727
2016 London Aire 4519, Freightliner chassis, Cummins ISX, 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Blue Ox Avail with AF1. TST 507 TPMS
No amount of money can buy you an extra second of time.
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01-17-2018, 08:03 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Rigby, Idaho
Posts: 3,948
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In my venerable C-130 we had escape ropes to get from the cockpit windows or the top of the airplane to the ground. You may not be strong enough to hang on the rope, but you likely have the strength to hold on enough to slow your drop to survivable speeds. Rope burns -- if the jet is on fire, the rope burns won't hurt at all.
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Cheers,
TonyMac
2006 Monaco Safari Cheetah 40PMT
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01-17-2018, 09:15 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: SW Louisiana
Posts: 8,954
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One alternative I have not seen mentioned is a telescoping ladder, hang it out the window by a strap around the top rung and let it drop, each of the sections should lock in place as they extend. Something like https://smile.amazon.com/Todeco-Tele.../dp/B01NBNEVBS
I have a larger more expensive brand 15.5 ft model which is probably too heavy at about 40 pounds for this sort of use, but the concept is the same.
__________________
2002 Safari Trek 2830 on P32 Chassis with 8.1L w/ 400 watts solar 420Ah LiFePo4
2017 Jeep Cherokee Overland & 2007 Toyota Yaris TOADs with Even Brake,
Demco Commander tow bar and Blue Ox / Roadmaster base plates
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01-18-2018, 02:09 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 8,055
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What I really do not understand is why they don't put the escape hatch at floor level. Best place to be in a fire, minimal drop to the ground. Can't be that hard or that expensive.
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01-18-2018, 07:48 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Port Orange, Fl
Posts: 884
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First make sure your emergency window will open. Often without use they get stuck. When i get both our our 5 year new to us coaches one of the first things i did was open that window, thought i was going to break it but it finally succumbed and opened. I now open that window every pre flight trip and go over with the DW if the whatever did happen.
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Bruce Hotaling, Lori Jones
2009 Thor Magellan 36R 37' F53 w/5 star tune
Toad 2010 Ford Ranger and 2012 Ford Fusion hybrid
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