Fire/ Emergency Escape

A Fire Escape is a staircase or other apparatus used for escaping from a building on fire. Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia defines it as, a special kind of emergency exit, usually mounted to the outside of a building or occasionally inside but separate from the main areas of the building. It provides a method of escape in the event of a fire or other emergency that makes the stairwells inside a building inaccessible. Fire escapes are most often found on multiple-story residential buildings, such as apartment buildings. They are a very important aspect of fire safety for all new construction in urban areas.

A fire escape consists of a number of horizontal platforms, one at each story of a building, with ladders or stairs connecting them. The platform and stairs are usually open steel gratings, to prevent the buildup of ice, snow, and leaves. Railings are usually provided on each of the levels, but as fire escapes are designed for emergency use only, these railings often do not need to meet the same standards as railings in other contexts. A fire escape should be roomy enough to allow enough space for plus size occupants of a building to escape in case of an emergency.

The below pics is what a fire escape shouldn't look like,

Below is what a fire escape should look like rather.