This arrangement consists of a completely independant chute, which is connected to each floor of the building requiring it by a low opening leading to a fire-proof chamber.

This chute makes it possible to rapidly and safely evacuate all people in danger from all levels of a building. This arrangement provides for access and intervention by firemen and rescue workers on all floors. Each level is permanently in contact by phone or intercom with rescue teams at the ground level.

This chute is made of pre-fabricated parts assembled on reinforced concrete posts (1) which hold the cabinets for electricity and the telephone and a power point for the firemen, leaving maximum space for assisting the people evacuated. On these posts are :

- a reinforced concrete slab (cross section fig. ) which forms the base of the chute. It comprises a gutter (21) with down pipes to recuperate water (22). On this base, on each floor, identical pre-fabricated parts (cross- section fig.5 and profile fig.10) comrising :

- a reinforced concrete component (4) consisting of 3 empty cylinders : a large central cylinder - the chute itself, with an opening giving access to the building ; two small cylinders (5) on each side of the opening, which filled with reinforced concrete, seal one concrete part to another.

- a smaller sheet metal cylinder (3) forming an inner wall in the chute. The cylinders are superposed and held in place by riveted coverstrips (fig.9). The cylinders are centered by setting shims (25) screwed on to a special support plate (27) on the concrete slab (fig.7). The empty space between the concrete and the metal inner wall, filled with thermal insulator (6) acts as a conduit for the wires supplying electricity, telephone and intercom and the emergency lights (29) (30) (31) (32) (39).

The concrete frame (41) of the opening of the concrete component is fixed (40) to the concrete slab of the building (12) at the entry to the fireproof chamber. The empty space filled with thermal insulating material between the concrete frame of the concrete opening (41) and the metal frame (42) of the cylinder opening is shut by a wooden frame (34).

- a fire-proof door (9) held in place by a cable (18) and a pulley(17) blocks up this opening by a rupture of a fusible plug (19) sliding on angle irons (20). Its fall is absorbed by flexible mounting (38).

SUBSTITUTE SHEET

- a textile sleeve (7) attached to the inner wall of the cylinder (3) by a circular holder (8) makes possible a supple, gentle and rapid evacuation.

- a hand rail (35) at the top of the opening facilitates entry and exit to and from the chute.

Above, under the roof of the chute are :

- an extractor (13) and its support (14)

- an electrovalve on a terraced reservoir (11)

- a hosing system (10) outside the components, assures complete flooding of the outer wall of the chute. This is automatically turned on by the fire alarm.

The shapes, sizes and materials given here are only one possible example and may be modified to suit the architecture of the building, the region, the country and the number of people to be evacuated.

Maximum safety is guaranteed by the thermal insulation of the chamber and the evacuation chute.

People on the burning floor may wait in the fire-proof chamber - entry is by a fire-proof door (15) equipped with a door-closing device - where they are in permanent contact by intercom with the rescue team on the ground, and slide one by one down the successive sleeves. The firemen gain access to the endangered floor by the internal ladder (28), a security cable (36) enables them to attach their equipment.

If it is not necessary to evacuate the whole building, the evacuated people can exit one or 2 floors below the disaster area. The landing on the ground may be done by trampoline, slide or other means.

SUBSTITUTESHEET

LIST OF ALL THE PARTS SHOWN IN THE DIAGRAMS

No. Name of the component Figures showing these numbers

1 Reinforced concrete posts 1/3/11

2 .Concrete slab 1/11

3 Metal cylinder 1/2/3/5/6/7/8/9/10/ 11/12/13

4 Reinforced concrete component 1/2/3/5/6/8/10/11/13

5 Empty spaces in the concrete components lined with reinforced concrete 1/3/5/6/8/13

6 Thermal insulation between the concrete components and the metal cylinders 1/2/3/5/6/8/10/11/13

7 Textile sleeve 1/2/3/4/5/6/8/10

8 Circular holder for attaching the textile sleeve to the metal cylinder 1/2/10/11

9 Fire-proof door at the entrance to the chute 2/10/11

10 Hosing ring (43) 1/13

11 Electrovalve on the terraced reservoir 1/13

12 Concrete slab of the building 1

13 Extractor 1

14 Support of the extractor 1

15 Fire-proof door at the entrance to the chamber 2

16 Automatic door-closing device on fire-proof door 11

17 Pulley (fire-proof door no.9) 2/10/11

18 Cable holding the fire-proof door no.9 2/10/11

19 Thermal fuse (fire-proof door no.9) 2/11

20 Angle iron rails for the fire-proof door no.9 2/8/10/11/13

21 Gutters 1/3/4

22 Water down-pipes 4

23 Water column for firemen 4/5/8

24 Angle irons fixing the prefabricated parts to base 11

25 Setting shims screwed between the concrete parts and the metal 5/7/8/12

26 Nut welded to the cylinder making it possible to screw the shim 5/7/8/12

27 Support plate between the shim and the concrete 5/7/8/12

28 Ladder 5/6/10/13

29 Electric cable 6/8/10

SUBSTITUTESHEET

No. Name of the component Figures showing these numbers

30 Cable for telephone and intercom 8/10

31 Electric cable for the extractor 8

32 Electric cable for emergency lighting 8/10

33 •'Fixation bolts for angle irons No.20 8

34 At the opening between components, shims between reinforced concrete and metal 8

35 Support rail at the top of the opening of the metal cylinder 10/11/13

36 Security cable for attaching the firemens equipment 4/10/13

37 Fixing rivets of superposed cylinders 9

38 Flexible mounting 10/11

39 Wiring connexion system 10

40 Attachment of the reinforced concrete components to the building 10/11

41 Reinforced concrete frame of reinforced concrete components openings 8/10/11

42 Metal frame of the metal cylindersOpenings 8/10/11 The expansion joints have not been mentioned.

SUBSTITUTESHEET