Looking for a fire ladder or escape ladder for your balcony, window, facade, roof, or apartment?

Evacuation ladders are a great alternative to fire escape stairs:

• If there is not enough available space for a stair: an emergency staircase is a bulky solution and there is not always enough space available around the building.
• If specific aesthetics and planning / board requirements exist: for historic or aesthetically valuable buildings, planning regulations do not always allow for the placement of an exterior staircase. A well-suited aesthetic solution in this case is the JOMY Retractable Ladder because it is discreet secured and modern.
• If the layout of the building requires such a solution: sometimes it is better to provide multiple escape routes - for example and depending on the situation, it may drastically increase overall safety to have one fire escape stairway and two additional ladders strategically placed around the building.
• For costs reasons: an escape ladder is much cheaper than exterior stairs. So, it is reasonable to say that there are many situations in which it can be economically justified to buy a ladder, even if it’s not the preferred evacuation solution.

Because ladders are a substitute solution for emergency evacuation, the following criteria are often used when choosing them over a staircase. Please note that some depend on applicable rules and regulations for the specific location and situation of the building:

• Number of people: the number of persons to be evacuated via a ladder is sometimes limited to 10.
• Number of stories: in some cases a ladder can only be used for the height of 3 to 5 floors. There are also many occurences where a ladder is allowed above certain heights only if it is used to reach the flat roof from the upper floors.
• Nature of the people to be evacuated: depending on the physical and mental abilities of the people to be evacuated, ladders are sometimes not an ideal choice. For example, they are not recommended for the evacuation of very small children, some elderly people, people with mental disabilities, or those with limited mobility.
• Familiarity of the users: practice makes perfect. It’s always an advantage when the user has tried, practiced and learned how a particular ladder works. If this is possible for a family or small office, it’s not for a public place like a museum or theater where visitors are always different.

Although they are best used as an alternative solution to fire escape stairs, ladders make up about 75% of all escape routes in existing buildings. This is due to many factors: accessible price, compactness and aesthetics (especially true for JOMY Retractable Ladders).

It all depends on the context but the options available on the market can be categorized as such:

• Permanent fire escape ladders: because they are solid and fixed to the facade or other supporting structure, we believe that this kind of ladder is the best solution - especially when made of long-lasting aluminum. If well engineered, built and installed correctly, they indeed are the most sturdy, reassuring and secure type of fire escape ladders.
• Portable / roll-out fire escape ladders: these ladders are made of different materials like ropes, chains, plastic or fabrics. They usually are ''thrown-out the window'' or unrolled and hooked to window sills or balconies. If you have tried one yourself you’ll come to the same conclusion as us: these ladders are very flimsy, unstable and impossible to use by more than 1 person at a time. Needless to say we don’t recommend these ladders unless impossible otherwise.

For:

• Standards for access and service ladders require that a ladder with a height of 3 m or more be equipped with a cage (except if they are fitted with a vertical lifeline and arrest system).
• The back protection on caged ladders offers users a sort of psychological reassurance as it creates a physical barrier between them and the open space behind. This can contribute to lower stress levels and thus create a safer evacuation process for the users.

Against:

• The cage itself may become an obstacle in certain situations, for example when someone is trying to evacuate with goods instead of focusing on getting out safely.
• A person in panic may block the ladder in a more problematic way due to the fact that the cage restricts the pathway.
• A cage ladder may be difficult to use by firefighters with equipment on their back.

Thankfully, many other types of evacuation ladders are available.

• Make sure that you choose a sturdy, durable and easy-to-use permanent fire escape ladder.
• Installation must be done as per the manufacturer’s requirements. If needed, JOMY has its own installation teams with professionals active from Belgium.
• Verify periodically that the ladder remains correctly fixed to the supporting structure.
• Provide a safe access path to the ladder. This can involve access balconies, fall protection systems like lested roof guardrails, or walkway platforms.
• If the ladder is very high, options like restplatforms and landings can be added in order to make the descent easier.
• Make an evacuation plan and practice getting on and down your ladder.

JOMY Retractable Ladders are by nature already secure as they do not provide a climbing path when in the closed position. They can also be configured to have no opening handle whatsoever on the bottom. If one opening mechanism is needed near a less secure entry or exit point, it can be protected by a locking hub and padlock.

On cage ladders and fixed ladders without cage, many options are available:

• The drop-down lower section.
• The security door equipped with a paddlock.
• The security door equipped with a padlock and an additional gate to block the cage entrance.