Emergency Evacuation Preparedness: Taking Responsibility For Your Safety A Guide For People with Disabilities and Other Activity Limitations

Controlled Descent Devices (cables and chutes)

A number of unique escape devices have been developed over the years. These include controlled descent devices of various types. These cable devices usually use a strap or chair secured to the cable by a device that is squeezed to allow descent. The more you squeeze, the faster you go. Letting go stops your descent. Most people are reluctant to evacuate down the outside of a building.  The chutes may be solid or flexible fabric tubes that generally rely on friction to control speed. They have the advantage of not letting you see out, so they are more acceptable than cable devices. However, their acceptance in practice in this country has been limited. There is little objective data and research information available as to the performance of these devices.  (FEMA 2001)