Best Fire Escape Ladder for Kids

HOME FIRE ESCAPE LADDERS

These days, cost effective home fire escape ladders and smoke alarms are extremely affordable and priceless when it comes to saving lives and providing early warning and an alternate escape route if necessary during a home emergency.

Popular fire safety ladder brands include Kidde, First Alert, Werner and X-It.

Fire Escape Ladder Review

• Fire is the third largest cause of fatalities with over 80% of the fatalities occuring in the home. Protect your home and loved ones with working smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, planned escape routes and fire escape ladders from second or third story windows.
  
  
• Fires can spread quickly, possibly blocking the only escape path from a second story or third story in the home. In the case where there is only 1 staircase, if the staircase should become blocked or engulfed in flames, upstairs occupants must know what to do to get out of the home.
  
  
• Some fire ladders are better than others. For example, ladders that use plastic sleeves over the wrungs are uncomfortable to use in bare feet or just socks as may be the case during an emergency. Lower cost units may have exposed steel chains and have difficult to navigate steps.
  
  
• Some under-the-bed type ladders may take up to 2 minutes to actually deploy. Better designs may include tangle-free fabric roping and rapid deployment/unfolding.
  
  
• The best home fire escape ladder is one that will deploy rapidly, is strong, tangle-free and easy to use. It pays to be aware of the different ways to hook the fire ladder onto the window sill in the case of a stowable type.
  
  
• A lighter weight fire escape ladder such as the X-It unit at about 7 lbs. is ideal for a child to use and it also has non-slip wrungs.
  
  
• Whether chains, fabric, flat steps or round steps, most of the portable fire escape ladders will do the job of saving lives should they be needed. To cut down on deployment time, everyone should be familiar with how to hook the particular ladder onto the windowsill and how to unfold it afterwards.
  
  
• Before using ladder, follow manufacturer instructions and make everyone familiar with them.
  
  
• Not every home style will accommodate these fire escape ladders as it depends on the type and height of the window, any obstructions either getting to the ladder in an emergency or deploying it. Make sure there are no nearby powerlines, trees or other obstructions under the planned window escape route.
  
  
• Consider who would be using the ladder, their weight and whether they are afraid of heights. If a fire station is nearby, it may be better to wait for help than risk injury improperly using a fire ladder, but if someone is comfortable with deploying and using the ladder, then getting out of a building earlier is better as smoke inhalation is just as bad if not worse than the actual flames when it comes to fire caused injuries.
  
  
  
• When there is a fire in the home, knowing what to do and having escape options can indeed save lives.

X-IT Fire Escape Ladders

   
Two Story and Three Story Home Fire Escape Ladders

X-It Fire Escape Ladders available here as recommended in the video above.

Something interesting for those too young to use a ladder has come to our attention: Fire Escape for Babies.

Comments from our Readers:
Note that the Kidde ladders are one-time use only, and therefore cannot be deployed for testing purposes, nor for the practice runs as advised in the Fox video and by others in the fire protection business.  

A window directly below the escape window could present a hazard that should be considered (and perhaps mitigated by ladders with removable standoffs).  

Werner and PEARL ladders are for permanent mounting only (inside the wall below the window), while the X-It ladder is packaged for portable use, but can be permanently mounted (bolted, not clamped) onto the wall below the window with the optional "Permanent Mount Accessory Bracket."  

See All Fire Escape Ladders here.

Have a safe year

It seems that X-It, Kidde, Pearl, First Alert and Werner make fire ladders that work.

Take the time to get to know how the fire ladder attaches to the window sill to increase preparation in the event of an emergency.

The X-It ladder will provide fast escape and is durable. The ladder is designed to lock into a semi-rigid state so it does not sway as much as chain link or rope ladders.

The adjustable frame of the X-IT home fire escape ladder is designed to hook over a wall up to 20 inches (51cm.) thick.

This model also can clamp onto the wall below the window instead of the window sill if needed. Flat steps allow for easier descent. Weight rating of the ladder is in excess of 450 kgs. or 1000 lbs.

To use the ladder, it is carried to the window location with window all the way open. The hook is positioned over the window sill with the ladder placed outside the window. Front legs are pushed against the wall. This frame cannot be used on windows that overhang more than 5 inches.

Make sure nobody is standing below the window and then pull the cord that unfolds the ladder outside the window.

It is best to plan ahead so that if the ladder should be needed, operation is swift.

• Select the best window in each upstairs bedroom to escape from and also an alternate as it is best to be as far away from the fire as possible.
• Test fit the ladder to make sure it will fit the window properly.
• If the windows have window locks, be sure the keys are handy.
• Make sure the actual windows are operational and will open without being frozen shut in winter or otherwise out of service.
• Everyone in the home should know how to use the ladder if necessary but also be instructed on first escape down the normal stairs and out either front or back doors if they can escape in time and then meet at the planned regrouping spot outside the home.
• Visitors to the home should also be informed of the ladder's location and function.

 

Once you view one of the fire safety related items on this page, you can browse others that are most appropriate for your home.