A rapid escape system for buildings including at least one ride unit for a corresponding at least one building occupant to exit via an elevator-type shaft or tube or down the outside of a building at a rapid, predetermined and substantially constant descent velocity. The system includes a lightweight tuned open frame AC linear electromagnetic power generator with one active half fixed to a backpack/ride on which a person or other object/load can be securely fastened, the other active half fixed top to bottom to a tall structure. When coupled magnetically via the air gap and moving they form a tuned AC permanent magnet linear electro-magnetic generator. When the loaded ride unit is dispatched from any height under gravity the resonant Q factor of the generator permits the AC current to rapidly rise, thus inducing the retarding force generated in the air gap necessary to equal the weight of the descending backpack/ride plus load and stabilizing descent velocity to design speed. Variation in load weight can be tolerated due to this Q factor, thus permitting rapid dispatching of a multiplicity of loads serially.
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