High-Rise Fire Escape Innovations, Now Accessible for Common Public in South Korea
In South Korea, a new approach to fire safety has emerged, with tall buildings featuring compact rope escape devices as an alternative fire escape method for high-rise buildings when stairwells are impassable during a fire.
These devices, known as Korean descending lifeline kits, consist of a rope or cable, a friction-based descent control mechanism, and a harness system. In an emergency, occupants are equipped with harnesses connected to ropes secured outside the building, allowing controlled and safe descent as an emergency fire evacuation measure.
The harness system is designed to be intuitive enough for inexperienced users to figure out under conditions of extreme stress. It can be quickly donned by sliding under the arms and tightening a strap. The longest variant of lifelines typically sold is 45 meters in length, intended for buildings up to 15 stories tall.
The lifeline devices are mounted in weatherproof boxes near windows or on balconies, ready for deployment when traditional escape routes are compromised. Deploying the device involves attaching the rope reel to a large deployable hook firmly mounted to the building's wall.
The geared braking system in the descent control mechanism limits the speed of descent to 1.5 meters per second or less, ensuring a safe pace for the user. Each end of the rope has a harness, allowing multiple people to use the device sequentially.
The Korean descending lifeline kits represent a shift in traditional thinking about fire safety, giving control back to building occupants in emergency situations. They are designed for use by ordinary people in emergency situations, not just trained climbers or fictional characters.
The concept of using ropes for escape in high-rise buildings is not conventional wisdom in all countries. However, in South Korea, having a lifeline system could mean the difference between life and death when traditional escape routes have failed.
South Korea requires many apartment buildings and hotels to have these lifeline systems installed. The devices are designed to be simple and accessible, allowing individuals to control their descent safely and avoid getting trapped by smoke or fire inside the building.
While some skepticism exists about how many people would choose to use them in panic situations, they serve as a last-resort fire escape solution when other exits are blocked or unsafe. The use of these devices is somewhat comparable to emergency escape techniques seen in action movies, though they are implemented seriously for mass use in South Korean high-rises.
In some cases, the rugged boxes the lifelines come in can be used as a step-up to ease egress out of higher windows. The Korean descending lifeline kits have become a common part of fire safety infrastructure across the country, providing an option beyond the conventional wisdom that only stairwells are viable for egress in high-rise fires.
The Korean descending lifeline kits, employing technology such as ropes, friction-based descent control mechanisms, and harness systems, offer a modern solution for emergency evacuation in high-rise buildings when traditional escape routes are impassable. These devices, designed for ordinary people, are becoming a significant component of fire safety infrastructure in South Korea, challenging the conventional wisdom that only stairwells are viable for egress in high-rise fires.
