Kerala scientist develops innovative emergency exit system

Thiruvananthapuram: An amateur Kerala scientist M.C. David has developed an innovative escape system for high-rise buildings in case of fire or other emergencies.

David, 59, based in Kayamkulam -- 110 km from here, told IANS on Thursday that he had applied for the patent for his escape system after several round of clarifications in 2009 and got it approved and cleared last week.

"Evacuating people from high-rise buildings is dangerous in case of any emergency. What I have patented is a simple spiral sliding chute that facilitates a quick and safe escape for the occupants," David said.

"This can be made of fibre glass material or concrete, which is fire resistant and can be erected by the side of the existing staircases of buildings."

He said that in case of fire in a high-rise building, the residents just need to sit in the sliding chute and they can come down to the ground floor four times faster than stairs.

"The sliding chute is one metre wide and 80 cm thick. As soon as the people sit, it starts sliding and water is sprayed from the side, in case of a fire," David said.

"The speed of the descent is automatically controlled depending on the number of people in the chute at a time and is done using a motor that is kept in each floor," he added.

He said erecting a glass fibre chute would cost around Rs.50,000 for every floor and the concrete version would cost more and can be erected in existing buildings as well as those under construction.

"I was waiting for the patent to come and now that it has come, I will approach a few builders to instal my invention," said David.