METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RESCUING OCCUPANTS FROM HIGH RISE BUILDINGS USING REPLACEABLE CABLE CARTRIDGES AND DYNAMIC RESISTANCE DEVICE

摘要

A rescue method and apparatus for rescuing or evacuating occupants from high rise buildings or other high structures includes a frame (15) adjacent an escape portion of the high structure; a dynamic resistance device (115) such as an air fan (16, 17) mounted to the frame (15); and a removable and replaceable cable cartridge (12, 33), having a pre-wound cable (13), which is removably and non-rotatably coupled to a rotatable portion of the dynamic resistance device (115). The cable (13) is connectable to a person to be evacuated. When the person to be evacuated goes out from the escape portion of the high structure, his descending motion causes the cable to unwind with the same linear speed as the descending speed of the person, thus causing the rotatable portion of the dynamic resistance device (115) to rotate and to create resistance to the descending speed of the person, until the descending speed of the person reaches a substantially equilibrium value. After a first person is evacuated, a new cable cartridge is mounted to the dynamic resistance device (115) and the cable (13) thereof is connected to a next person to be evacuated. Also disclosed is a system using a guide wire or guide line (305) to prevent an escapee from hitting obstacles presented by the building or its surroundings.