Residents and workers in skyscrapers and other high-rise buildings often find themselves trapped in a fire, as demonstrated on September 11. Evacuator was recently developed as a last resort for people to safely and gently walk down a steel cable installed outside the building. This tool can save thousands of lives around the world, from residents of tall buildings to windmill mechanics.
Evacuator will be presented at the International Tall Building Fire Safety Conference at the University of Greenwich to be held in London from 17 to 20 June. In addition, the Discovery Channel is producing a documentary on Evacuator that will be broadcast towards the end of the year.
The Dutch inventors Eugene Verstegen and Joris Veeger had this idea when they saw people rushing from the twin towers in New York to a certain death. "If you live or work at such heights, you must have the ability to save yourself at any time. We can send people to the moon. So why is there no simple solution for evacuating high-rise buildings? They asked.
In collaboration with a professional engineering company, they have developed a flameproof steel winch guaranteed in all circumstances, even during power outages. The tool allows the descent of four people simultaneously on 50, 140 or 300 meters. They automatically descend with a safety harness along a steel cable at a speed of one meter per second.
The Evacuator is the last resort if the elevators are deactivated, the emergency exits are filled with smoke and become inaccessible to firefighters. "Evacuator is for high-rise buildings what airbags are for cars. This technology saves lives in 99 per cent of high-rise buildings around the world, "said Verstegen.
They were invited to the London conference by the organizer, Professor Ed Galea, founding director of the Fire Safety Engineering Group (FSEG) at Greenwich University. "After showing him the Evacuator, he was so excited that he invited us to demonstrate this tool," explained Mr. Verstegen.
The Evacuator was developed, tested and manufactured in the Netherlands, approved by the German inspection institute DEKRA and has achieved EN341 certification in 33 European countries.
Evacuator will be presented at the International Tall Building Fire Safety Conference at the University of Greenwich to be held in London from 17 to 20 June. In addition, the Discovery Channel is producing a documentary on Evacuator that will be broadcast towards the end of the year.
The Dutch inventors Eugene Verstegen and Joris Veeger had this idea when they saw people rushing from the twin towers in New York to a certain death. "If you live or work at such heights, you must have the ability to save yourself at any time. We can send people to the moon. So why is there no simple solution for evacuating high-rise buildings? They asked.
In collaboration with a professional engineering company, they have developed a flameproof steel winch guaranteed in all circumstances, even during power outages. The tool allows the descent of four people simultaneously on 50, 140 or 300 meters. They automatically descend with a safety harness along a steel cable at a speed of one meter per second.
The Evacuator is the last resort if the elevators are deactivated, the emergency exits are filled with smoke and become inaccessible to firefighters. "Evacuator is for high-rise buildings what airbags are for cars. This technology saves lives in 99 per cent of high-rise buildings around the world, "said Verstegen.
They were invited to the London conference by the organizer, Professor Ed Galea, founding director of the Fire Safety Engineering Group (FSEG) at Greenwich University. "After showing him the Evacuator, he was so excited that he invited us to demonstrate this tool," explained Mr. Verstegen.
The Evacuator was developed, tested and manufactured in the Netherlands, approved by the German inspection institute DEKRA and has achieved EN341 certification in 33 European countries.