Have you ever had to use your Emergency Exit window

[ThePowells]

Originally Posted by Craig36

If, God forbid, your coach flips over on the passenger side where you cannot escape through the door, you have an eight foot reach to your escape window on the drivers side. (The BR window is also on the passenger side)

I have been trying to imagine how one could quickly get to the window with nothing to stand on. Even if you could reach that drivers side escape window, older people like us would be unlikely to be able to pull ourselves straight up and out.

I hope I never have to deal with that scenario.

Hopefully on a Class A, the windshield will now be missing or at least totally loose.

[S_Watkins]

I know of a sad story... The man that bought my previous home got stuck in his class A when the front door malfunctioned. He used the fire escape window to exit the coach, landed wrong and broke his leg in 3 places..

While recovering in the Hospital his leg became infected and after all treatments to save his leg failed they amputated to save his life. A truly life changing event. Had to sell my old home as he could not use the stairs... Sold his RV as he didn't feel safe driving it with one leg..... Lost his job because he could not perform the physical work......

IF I have to use that escape I'm going out head first ... Not much can hurt this hard old head

[Electra 225]

Originally Posted by Craig36

If, God forbid, your coach flips over on the passenger side where you cannot escape through the door, you have an eight foot reach to your escape window on the drivers side. (The BR window is also on the passenger side)

I have been trying to imagine how one could quickly get to the window with nothing to stand on. Even if you could reach that drivers side escape window, older people like us would be unlikely to be able to pull ourselves straight up and out.

I hope I never have to deal with that scenario.

That's darn good points you make. As stated, a missing windshield would be fine if you can reach that end of the coach.
A second way would be....if you can get to the shower, and you have a sky light above it (which most coaches do), break it out and crawl out if it's big enough to get through. In my case it would be, it's not square, it's rectangular.

[Electra 225]

S Watkins, that is a very sad story, I feel bad for that guy. It just makes my earlier point in post #2. The escape window is really not very good.

The DOOR egress IS.....and going out on one's head, still bad. Besides, when you get past a certain age, one just plain doesn't bounce well anymore.

I just think the industry can do better, without too much trouble I might add.

[SlaterDoc]

Having spent over 40 years in the LEO/EMS/Safety world, I have heard discussions like this an uncountable number of times. Why the industry never figured out and designed in "escape hatches" in most motorhomes is rediculous. But even with one, I think we would still be discussing the same number and severity of injuries and deaths. I am still of the opinion that "Prevention" has to be #1, always! Since fires are the biggest problem (and prominent in this discussion) there are a bunch of lessons that can and should be gleemed from all the recent news stories about burning RV's. While "somewhat" rare, they sure populate the RV salvage yards! So, on my list is a extinguishing system for the engine bay, regular and careful inspection of the electricals (including detectors) and the same with the propane system. There's not a lot one can do about fires that result from an accident except get out (if one can). The fires that originate from the towed almost always are from something that could have been prevented with proper procedures and competence.
As sad as it is, it seems that too many tragedies can be traced back to neglect, lack of knowledge or forgetting and inexperience.
While I know I can fit out a number of my windows, I am going to try to make that a process I never have to use!

[weredoingit]

Originally Posted by baraff

....in an actual emergency?
The last RV show I went to I looked at several RVs with rear bedrooms. All had emergency exit windows in the bedroom, most were very small, especially in the DP Class A's. I could not see either me or my wife trying to escape an smokey RV fire through one of those.
I am a bit paranoid about fire, having lost my uncle and grandmother to a house fire years ago. And they were in their home, became disoriented and perished.
In our current MH, I think we would have a reasonable chance of getting out as there are two larger windows in the bedroom area, but some of the Class A's I looked at had only one, and were partially blocked by rigid window valances. One had an emergency exit window above a small shelf area, surrounded by a mounted valance. That would have to be ripped out before you could even squeeze through the window!
So I am curious whether anyone has had to actually use one.

Our 5th wheel fire escape window is way to high off the ground (Like most) 10 years ago we could have jumped out and probably been okay. But now the DW isn't healthy enough. I bought a rope ladder with 2 hooks on the end. I still hope it never gets used, but if it did I'm confident we could get out fast and not break a bone doing it.

[twogypsies]

The best option is to do a dry run and actually practice it. If, along the way of your exit, you find you can't reach or climb over or drop then that's the time to devise something that will help you. You also need to keep the 'props' handy by the window and go over the routine often. That's why businesses and schools have fire drills all the time - to refresh.

Once a fire gets ahold a fire extinguisher will not help one bit. If the fire doesn't get you the smoke and fumes will. RVs are made of awful stuff.

[Electra 225]

I agree practice and prevention is the best we have at the moment. The ones with any advantage have an egress door.
Right on about the smoke. It's black as coal and as deadly toxic as it can be.
TIME is of the essence, you can't get out "too quickly"......

[redhooker]

Funny this topic came up now. We are in the process of ordering 2 fire fight halon auto extinguishers. 1 for our dometic refer and the other in the basement near our ATS as a couple years ago our transfer switch started smoking while we were luckily awake to smell it.